1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2 1st Session of the 58th Legislature (2021)
3 HOUSE BILL 1569 By: Rosecrants
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6 AS INTRODUCED
7 An Act relating to schools; creating the Oklahoma
Play to Learn Act; declaring legislative intent;
8 defining terms; allowing instruction in early
childhood education to foster certain development and
9 learning; providing certain learning environment;
authorizing educators to provide certain learning
10 opportunities; authorizing certain professional
development for teachers; providing for codification;
11 and declaring an emergency.
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14 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
15 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
16 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 11-103.2a of Title 70, unless
17 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
18 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Oklahoma
19 Play to Learn Act".
20 B. It is the intention of the Oklahoma State Legislature
21 through this act to focus on the importance of child-centered, play-
22 based learning as the most rigorous and most developmentally
23 appropriate way for children in the early childhood grade levels to
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1 learn literacy, science, technology, engineering, art and math
2 academic concepts.
3 C. As used in this section:
4 1. "Child-directed" means interaction in which the child is
5 helped to direct and lead the play in any way the child wishes,
6 unless there is harmful or destructive activity;
7 2. "Domain" means a specified sphere of activity or knowledge;
8 3. "Early childhood education" means prekindergarten,
9 kindergarten, first grade, second grade and third grade;
10 4. "Play" means the spontaneous activity of children;
11 5. "Play-based learning" means any learning activities that are
12 performed by a child for self-amusement that have behavioral, social
13 and psychomotor rewards. Play-based learning shall also mean
14 activities that are child-directed, joyful and spontaneous whereby
15 the rewards come from within the individual child;
16 6. "Professional development" means any of a wide variety of
17 specialized training, formal education or advanced professional
18 learning intended to help administrators, teachers and other
19 educators improve their professional knowledge, competence, skill
20 and effectiveness;
21 7. "Reading for pleasure" means reading that is freely chosen
22 or that readers freely and enthusiastically continue after it is
23 assigned; and
24 8. "Socialization" means social interaction with others.
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1 D. Instruction in support of early childhood education
2 standards may be engaging and may foster children's development and
3 learning in all domains, including physical, social, emotional,
4 cognitive and language. To the best of their ability, educators may
5 create a learning environment that facilitates child-directed
6 experiences based upon developmentally appropriate early childhood
7 practices and intentional, sustained, play-based learning
8 opportunities, including, but not limited to, movement, creative
9 expression, exploration, socialization, reading for pleasure, art,
10 music and dramatic play. The art instruction may adhere to
11 prekindergarten standards for fine arts, which include dance, drama,
12 music and visual arts, as approved by the State Department of
13 Education. Educators may develop physical, social, emotional,
14 cognitive and academic learning opportunities in all curricular
15 domains, which may include unstructured time for the discovery of
16 each child's individual needs, abilities and talents.
17 E. In support of play-based learning in Oklahoma public
18 schools, school districts may provide ongoing early childhood
19 professional development for early childhood educators and
20 administrators, which may include existing early childhood
21 professional development programs from the State Department of
22 Education.
23 SECTION 2. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
24 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
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1 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
2 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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4 58-1-7172 AMM 01/15/21
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