House File 563 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE 563
BY SIEGRIST
A BILL FOR
1 An Act directing the department of education to convene a
2 working group to study the effectiveness of efforts related
3 to increasing the reading proficiency of students enrolled
4 in school districts in kindergarten through grade three.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
TLSB 2348YH (3) 90
jda/jh
 H.F. 563
1 Section 1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION —— STUDENT READING
2 PROFICIENCY WORKING GROUP.
3 1. The department of education shall convene and provide
4 administrative support to a working group that shall study
5 the effectiveness of the implementation of section 279.68,
6 relating to the successful progression for early readers, at
7 the classroom level by the department and school districts.
8 The working group’s study shall analyze all of the following:
9 a. School district annual data related to the reading
10 proficiency of students, including whether intensive reading
11 interventions are improving student performance on required
12 assessments.
13 b. The frequency with which school districts are providing
14 intensive reading interventions for students who are not
15 reading proficiently.
16 c. The frequency with which school districts are assessing
17 students, including students who are not reading proficiently.
18 d. The amount of elementary classrooms within school
19 districts that offer direct whole-class phonics instruction in
20 addition to intensive reading interventions.
21 e. The employees that school districts use to provide
22 intensive reading interventions, including the licenses,
23 certificates, authorizations, or statements of recognition
24 issued by the board of educational examiners that are held by
25 such employees.
26 f. Activities students who do not receive intensive reading
27 interventions engage in while other students in the student’s
28 class receive intensive reading interventions.
29 g. The impact of the assessments administered pursuant to
30 section 279.68 to students who do not require intensive reading
31 interventions.
32 h. Data reported by school districts to the department of
33 education pursuant to section 279.68, including how often such
34 data is reported and how the department and school districts
35 use such data.
LSB 2348YH (3) 90
-1- jda/jh 1/3
 H.F. 563
1 i. Tools used by the department of education to report
2 and track compliance with section 279.68, including the
3 department’s internet site.
4 2. Any expenses incurred by a member of the working group
5 shall be the responsibility of the individual member or the
6 respective entity represented by the member.
7 3. The working group shall submit its findings and
8 recommendations to the general assembly by December 31, 2023.
9 EXPLANATION
10 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
11 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
12 This bill directs the department of education (DE) to
13 convene a working group to study the effectiveness of efforts
14 related to increasing the reading proficiency of students
15 enrolled in school districts in kindergarten through grade
16 three. The bill provides that DE shall study the effectiveness
17 of the implementation of the program created by Code section
18 279.68 (student progression —— intensive reading instruction)
19 related to the successful progression of early readers. The
20 bill establishes that the working group’s study shall analyze
21 data reported under the program, the frequency with which
22 interventions and assessments are provided under the program,
23 the number of classrooms that offer direct whole-class phonics
24 instruction in addition to intensive reading interventions,
25 the licensure status of employees that school districts use to
26 provide intensive reading interventions, activities students
27 engage in while other students are receiving intensive reading
28 interventions, the impact of the assessments administered under
29 the program to students who do not require intensive reading
30 interventions, and tools that are used by DE to report and
31 track compliance under the program.
32 The bill provides that any expenses incurred by a member of
33 the working group shall be the responsibility of the individual
34 member or the respective entity represented by the member.
35 The bill requires the working group to submit its findings
LSB 2348YH (3) 90
-2- jda/jh 2/3
 H.F. 563
1 and recommendations to the general assembly by December 31,
2 2023.
LSB 2348YH (3) 90
-3- jda/jh 3/3