1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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3 SENATE BILL 1906 By: Pugh
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to the Reading Sufficiency Act;
7 amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.508A, which
8 relates to short title; renaming act the Strong
8 Readers Act; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section
9 1210.508B, which relates to legislative intent;
9 modifying intent; updating statutory language;
10 amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.508C, which
10 relates to reading assessments; requiring students in
11 certain grades to be screened for certain reading
11 skills with certain frequency; directing approval of
12 certain screening instrument to be done with certain
12 consultation; directing certain factors to be
13 considered in approving certain screening instrument;
13 removing language regarding students in kindergarten
14 who are at risk for reading difficulties or are not
14 meeting grade-level targets; removing language
15 requiring provision of certain classroom assistants;
15 removing language requiring certain program of
16 reading instruction to include certain initiative;
16 requiring certain screening instruments to be
17 approved for use in the middle of the school year;
17 modifying criteria for screening instruments;
18 modifying purpose of program of reading instruction;
18 requiring, rather than allowing, program of reading
19 instruction to include certain provisions; directing
19 an individual reading intervention plan to be
20 provided within certain time period to certain
20 students; requiring the plan to include certain
21 provisions; requiring notification of a parent or
21 legal guardian within certain time period of
22 identification of certain deficiency; removing
22 requirement for development of new program of reading
23 instruction; providing certain exemption for certain
23 students who demonstrate proficiency in reading;
24 requiring continued monitoring of such student;
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 1 requiring intensive intervention services to be
1 provided to certain students beginning in certain
2 school year; requiring certain student to attend a
2 summer academy; removing language prohibiting
3 automatic promotion of certain students; removing
3 language regarding minimum criteria for grade-level
4 performance; removing language allowing probationary
4 promotion; removing language requiring retention of
5 certain third grade students; requiring certain
5 report to be submitted electronically to additional
6 recipients; expanding contents of report; removing
6 language establishing good-cause exemptions for
7 promotion; removing language regarding exemptions to
7 retention; removing language requiring school
8 districts to conduct certain review of certain
8 program; removing language directing school districts
9 to establish a Reading Enhancement and Acceleration
9 Development (READ) Initiative; requiring certain
10 reports to be submitted electronically to additional
10 recipients; modifying contents of reports; amending
11 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.508D, which relates to
11 Reading Sufficiency Act funding; allowing funds to be
12 allocated for students in certain grade; removing
12 allocation for certain retained students; amending 70
13 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.508E, which relates to summer
13 academies; expanding grade levels for which summer
14 academies may be provided; modifying reason for which
14 a student may participate in an academy; removing
15 requirement to retain certain student for not
15 completing certain academy; updating statutory
16 language; updating statutory references; providing an
16 effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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20 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.508A,
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21 is amended to read as follows:
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22 Section 1210.508A. Sections 1210.508A through 1210.508E of this
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23 title shall be known and may be cited as the “Reading Sufficiency
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24 Act” “Strong Readers Act”.
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 1 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.508B,
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2 is amended to read as follows:
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3 Section 1210.508B. A. The Legislature finds that it is
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4 essential for children in the public schools to read early and well
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5 in elementary school. The Legislature further finds that clear and
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6 visible goals, assessments to determine the reading level at each
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7 elementary school, annual use of a scientifically based and
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8 researched methodology in reading instruction in addition to regular
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9 and periodic measurements of elementary school reading improvement,
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10 and accountability in each level of the educational system will
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11 result in a significant increase in the number of children reading
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12 at or above grade level.
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13 B. The purpose of the Reading Sufficiency Act Strong Readers
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14 Act is to ensure that each child attains the necessary reading
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15 skills by completion of the third grade which will enable that
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16 student to continue development of reading skills and to succeed
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17 throughout school and life progression from one grade to another is
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18 determined, in part, upon proficiency in reading, that school
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19 district board of education policies facilitate reading instruction
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20 and intervention services to addresses student reading needs, and
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21 that each student and his or her parent or legal guardian be
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22 informed of that student’s reading progress.
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23 C. Each public school district in this state shall ensure that
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24 all students receive a well-rounded education that is focused on
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 1 building deep foundations in reading, writing, and mathematics. The
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2 State Board of Education shall encourage school districts to
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3 integrate the teaching of the other curricular areas in the subject
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4 matter standards adopted by the Board with the instruction of
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5 reading, writing, and mathematics. All teachers of reading in the
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6 public schools in this state in kindergarten through third fourth
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7 grade shall incorporate into instruction the five elements of
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8 reading instruction which are phonemic phonological awareness,
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9 phonics decoding, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
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10 SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.508C,
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11 is amended to read as follows:
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12 Section 1210.508C. A. 1. Each To identify students who have a
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13 reading deficiency including identifying students with
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14 characteristics of dyslexia, each student enrolled in kindergarten
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15 and first, second, third, and fourth grade in a public school in
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16 this state shall be screened at the beginning, middle, and end of
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17 each school year for reading skills including, but not limited to,
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18 phonemic phonological awareness, letter recognition decoding,
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19 fluency, vocabulary, and oral language skills as identified in the
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20 subject matter standards adopted by the State Board of Education
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21 comprehension. A screening instrument approved by the State Board
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22 of Education, in consultation with the Commission for Educational
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23 Quality and Accountability and the Secretary of Education, shall be
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24 utilized for the purposes of this section. In determining which
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 1 screening instrument to approve, the State Board of Education, the
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2 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability, and the
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3 Secretary of Education shall take into consideration at a minimum
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4 the following factors:
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5 1. The time required to conduct the screening instrument with
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6 the intention of minimizing the impact on instructional time;
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7 2. The timeliness in reporting screening instrument results to
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8 teachers, administrators, and parents and legal guardians of
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9 students; and
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10 3. The integration of the screening instrument into reading
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11 curriculum.
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12 2. For those kindergarten children at risk for reading
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13 difficulties at the beginning of the year, teachers shall emphasize
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14 reading skills as identified in the subject matter standards adopted
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15 by the State Board of Education, monitor progress throughout the
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16 year and measure mid-year and year-end reading progress.
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17 3. Kindergarten students who are not meeting grade-level
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18 targets by mid-year in reading shall be provided a program of
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19 reading instruction designed to enable the student to acquire the
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20 appropriate grade-level reading skills.
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21 4. Classroom assistants, which may include parents,
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22 grandparents, or other volunteers, shall be provided in kindergarten
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23 classes to assist with the screening of students if a teacher aide
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24 is not already employed to assist in a kindergarten classroom.
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 1 B. Each student enrolled in first, second and third grade of
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2 the public schools of this state shall be assessed at the beginning,
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3 middle and end of each school year using a screening instrument
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4 approved by the State Board of Education for the acquisition of
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5 reading skills including, but not limited to, phonemic awareness,
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6 phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
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7 C. Any student enrolled in first, second or third grade who is
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8 assessed and who is not meeting grade-level targets in reading shall
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9 be provided a program of reading instruction designed to enable the
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10 student to acquire the appropriate grade level reading skills. The
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11 program of reading instruction shall include provisions of the READ
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12 Initiative adopted by the school district as provided for in
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13 subsection P of this section. Throughout the year progress
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14 monitoring shall continue, and diagnostic assessment, if determined
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15 appropriate, shall be provided. Year-end reading skills shall be
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16 measured to determine reading success.
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17 D. The State Board of Education shall approve screening
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18 instruments for use at the beginning, middle, and end of the school
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19 year, for monitoring of progress, and for measurement of reading
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20 skills at the end of the school year as required in subsections
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21 subsection A and B of this section; provided, at least one of the.
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22 The screening instruments shall meet the following criteria:
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23 1. Assess for phonemic phonological awareness, phonics
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24 decoding, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension;
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 1 2. Document the validity and reliability of each assessment;
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2 3. Can be used for identifying students who are at risk for
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3 reading deficiency and progress monitoring throughout the school
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4 year;
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5 4. Can be used to assess students with disabilities and English
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6 language learners; and
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7 5. Accompanied by a data management system that provides
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8 profiles for of students, class, grade level, and school building.
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9 The profiles shall identify each student’s instructional point of
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10 need and reading achievement level. The State Board shall also
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11 determine other comparable reading assessments for diagnostic
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12 purposes to be used for students at risk of reading failure. The
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13 State Board shall ensure that any assessments approved are in
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14 alignment with the subject matter standards adopted by the State
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15 Board of Education.
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16 E. C. 1. Students who are administered a screening instrument
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17 pursuant to subsection A of this section and are found not to be
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18 meeting grade-level targets shall be provided a program of reading
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19 instruction designed to enable students to acquire the appropriate
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20 grade-level reading skills. The program of reading instruction
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21 required in subsections A and B of this section shall be based on
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22 scientific reading research and align with the subject matter
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23 standards adopted by the State Board of Education and shall include
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24 provisions of the READ Initiative adopted by the school district as
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 1 provided for in subsection P of this section. A program of reading
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2 instruction may include, but is not limited to shall include:
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3 a. sufficient additional in-school instructional time for
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4 the acquisition of phonemic phonological awareness,
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5 phonics decoding, reading fluency, vocabulary, and
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6 comprehension,
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7 b. if necessary and if funding is available, tutorial
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8 instruction after regular school hours, on Saturdays,
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9 and during summer; however, such instruction may not
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10 be counted toward the one-hundred-eighty-day or one-
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11 thousand-eighty-hour school year required in Section
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12 1-109 of this title, and
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13 c. assessments identified for diagnostic purposes and
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14 periodic monitoring to measure the acquisition of
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15 reading skills including, but not limited to, phonemic
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16 phonological awareness, phonics decoding, reading
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17 fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, as identified
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18 in the student’s program of reading instruction,
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19 d. high-quality instructional materials grounded in
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20 scientifically based reading research, and
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21 e. a means of providing every family of a student in
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22 prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first, second,
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23 third, and fourth grade access to free online
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 1 evidence-based literacy instruction resources to
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2 support the student’s literacy development at home.
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3 2. A student enrolled in kindergarten or first or, second,
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4 grades third, or fourth grade who has been assessed as provided for
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5 in subsection B of this section and found not to be meeting grade-
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6 level targets in reading, exhibits a deficiency in reading at any
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7 time based on the screening instrument administered pursuant to
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8 subsection A of this section shall be entitled to supplemental
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9 instructional services and supports in reading until the student is
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10 determined by the results of a screening instrument to be meeting
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11 grade-level targets in reading receive an individual reading
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12 intervention plan no later than thirty (30) days after the
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13 identification of the deficiency in reading. The reading
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14 intervention plan shall be provided in addition to core reading
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15 instruction that is provided to all students. The reading
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16 intervention plan shall:
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17 a. describe the research-based reading intervention
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18 services the student will receive to remedy the
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19 deficiency in reading,
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20 b. provide explicit and systematic instruction in
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21 phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary,
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22 and comprehension, as applicable,
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 1 c. monitor the reading progress of each student’s reading
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2 skills throughout the school year and adjust
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3 instruction according to the student’s needs, and
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4 d. continue until the student is determined to be meeting
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5 gra