1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
3 HOUSE BILL 2672 By: Baker
4
5
6 AS INTRODUCED
7 An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 6-194, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 211,
8 O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2022, Section 6-194),
which relates to professional development programs;
9 requiring dyslexia and dysgraphia program be approved
by the State Department of Education; amending 70
10 O.S. 2021, Sections 1210.508C and 1210.508D, which
relate to the Reading Sufficiency Act; deleting
11 exception for avoiding annual submission of reading
sufficiency plan updates; requiring annual report of
12 certain student data by specified date; modifying
funding allocation for Reading Sufficiency Act funds;
13 providing funding for students enrolled in
kindergarten and first, second, and third grades;
14 directing funds be used only for certain purposes;
mandating certain school districts receive Department
15 approval prior to fund distribution; requiring
retention of certain funds to employ a literacy
16 instructional team; providing for technical
assistance and program implementation guidance to
17 team members and schools; directing team members to
be placed regionally statewide; providing duties for
18 team; listing training required for team members;
providing Department oversight of team; establishing
19 minimum criteria for team employees; listing hiring
preferences for team members with certain knowledge
20 and training; providing for codification; providing
an effective date; and declaring an emergency.
21
22
23 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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1 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-194, as
2 amended by Section 1, Chapter 211, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2022,
3 Section 6-194), is amended to read as follows:
4 Section 6-194. A. The district boards of education of this
5 state shall establish professional development programs for the
6 certified teachers and administrators of the district. Programs
7 shall be adopted by each board based upon recommendations of a
8 professional development committee appointed by the board of
9 education for the district. For the fiscal years ending June 30,
10 2011, and June 30, 2012, a school district board of education may
11 elect not to adopt and offer a professional development program for
12 certified teachers and administrators of the district. If a school
13 district elects not to adopt and offer a professional development
14 program, the district may expend any monies allocated for
15 professional development for any purpose related to the support and
16 maintenance of the school district as determined by the board of
17 education of the school district.
18 B. Each professional development committee shall include
19 classroom teachers, administrators, school counselors or licensed
20 mental health providers, and parents, guardians or custodians of
21 children in the school district and shall consult with a higher
22 education faculty. A majority of the members of the professional
23 development committee shall be composed of classroom teachers. The
24 teacher members shall be selected by a designated administrator of
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1 the school district from a list of names submitted by the teachers
2 in the school district. The members selected shall be subject to
3 the approval of a majority vote of the teachers in the district.
4 C. In developing program recommendations, each professional
5 development committee shall annually utilize a data-driven approach
6 to analyze student data and determine district and school
7 professional development needs. The professional development
8 programs adopted shall be directed toward development of
9 competencies and instructional strategies in the core curriculum
10 areas for the following goals:
11 1. Increasing the academic performance data scores for the
12 district and each school site;
13 2. Closing achievement gaps among student subgroups;
14 3. Increasing student achievement as demonstrated on state-
15 mandated tests and the ACT;
16 4. Increasing high school graduation rates; and
17 5. Decreasing college remediation rates.
18 Each program may also include components on classroom management
19 and student discipline strategies, outreach to parents, guardians or
20 custodians of students, special education, and racial and ethnic
21 education, which all personnel defined as teachers in Section 1-116
22 of this title shall be required to complete on a periodic basis.
23 The State Board of Education shall provide guidelines to assist
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1 school districts in developing and implementing racial and ethnic
2 education components into professional development programs.
3 D. At a minimum of once an academic year a program shall be
4 offered which includes the following:
5 1. Training on recognition of child abuse and neglect;
6 2. Recognition of child sexual abuse;
7 3. Proper reporting of suspected abuse; and
8 4. Available resources.
9 E. One time per year, beginning in the 2009-2010 school year,
10 training in the area of autism shall be offered and all resident
11 teachers of students in early childhood programs through grade three
12 shall be required to complete the autism training during the
13 resident year and at least one time every three (3) years
14 thereafter. All other teachers and education support professionals
15 of students in early childhood programs through grade three shall be
16 required to complete the autism training at least one time every
17 three (3) years. The autism training shall include a minimum
18 awareness of the characteristics of autistic children, resources
19 available and an introduction to positive behavior supports to
20 challenging behavior. Each adopted program shall allow school
21 counselors to receive at least one-third (1/3) of the hours or
22 credit required each year through programs or courses specifically
23 designed for school counselors.
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1 Districts are authorized to utilize any means for professional
2 development that is not prohibited by law including, but not limited
3 to, professional development provided by the district, any state
4 agency, institution of higher education, or any private entity.
5 F. One time per year, beginning in the 2020-2021 school year, a
6 dyslexia awareness program shall be offered. Beginning in the 2023-
7 2024 school year, the program shall include information and training
8 in dysgraphia. At a minimum, the program shall be approved by the
9 State Department of Education and include:
10 1. Training in awareness of dyslexia characteristics in
11 students;
12 2. Training in effective classroom instruction to meet the
13 needs of students with dyslexia; and
14 3. Available dyslexia resources for teachers, students and
15 parents.
16 G. Except as otherwise provided for in this subsection, each
17 certified teacher in this state shall be required by the district
18 board of education to meet the professional development requirements
19 established by the board, or established through the negotiation
20 process. Except as otherwise provided for in this subsection, the
21 professional development requirements established by each board of
22 education shall require every teacher to annually complete a minimum
23 number of the total number of points required to maintain
24 employment. Failure of any teacher to meet district board of
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1 education professional development requirements may be grounds for
2 nonrenewal of such teacher's contract by the board. Such failure
3 may also be grounds for nonconsideration of salary increments
4 affecting the teacher. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2011,
5 and June 30, 2012, a certified teacher shall not be required to
6 complete any points of the total number of professional development
7 points required. Provided, a teacher may elect to complete some or
8 all of the minimum number of points required for the two (2) fiscal
9 years and any points completed shall be counted toward the total
10 number of points required to maintain employment. If a teacher does
11 not complete some or all of the minimum number of points required
12 for one (1) or both fiscal years, the total number of points
13 required to maintain employment shall be adjusted and reduced by the
14 number of points not completed.
15 H. Each district shall annually submit a report to the State
16 Department of Education on the district level professional
17 development needs, activities completed, expenditures, and results
18 achieved for each school year by each goal as provided in subsection
19 C of this section. If a school district elects not to adopt and
20 offer a professional development program as provided for in
21 subsection A of this section, the district shall not be required to
22 submit an annual report as required pursuant to this subsection but
23 shall report to the State Department of Education its election not
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1 to offer a program and all professional development activities
2 completed by teachers and administrators of the school district.
3 I. Subject to the availability of funds, the Department shall
4 develop an online system for reporting as required in subsection H
5 of this section. The Department shall also make such information
6 available on its website.
7 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.508C,
8 is amended to read as follows:
9 Section 1210.508C A. 1. Each student enrolled in kindergarten
10 in a public school in this state shall be screened at the beginning,
11 middle and end of each school year for reading skills including, but
12 not limited to, phonemic awareness, letter recognition, and oral
13 language skills as identified in the subject matter standards
14 adopted by the State Board of Education. A screening instrument
15 approved by the State Board shall be utilized for the purposes of
16 this section.
17 2. For those kindergarten children at risk for reading
18 difficulties at the beginning of the year, teachers shall emphasize
19 reading skills as identified in the subject matter standards adopted
20 by the State Board of Education, monitor progress throughout the
21 year and measure mid-year and year-end reading progress.
22 3. Kindergarten students who are not meeting grade-level
23 targets by mid-year in reading shall be provided a program of
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1 reading instruction designed to enable the student to acquire the
2 appropriate grade-level reading skills.
3 4. Classroom assistants, which may include parents,
4 grandparents, or other volunteers, shall be provided in kindergarten
5 classes to assist with the screening of students if a teacher aide
6 is not already employed to assist in a kindergarten classroom.
7 B. Each student enrolled in first, second and third grade of
8 the public schools of this state shall be assessed at the beginning,
9 middle and end of each school year using a screening instrument
10 approved by the State Board of Education for the acquisition of
11 reading skills including, but not limited to, phonemic awareness,
12 phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
13 C. Any student enrolled in first, second or third grade who is
14 assessed and who is not meeting grade-level targets in reading shall
15 be provided a program of reading instruction designed to enable the
16 student to acquire the appropriate grade level reading skills. The
17 program of reading instruction shall include provisions of the READ
18 Initiative adopted by the school district as provided for in
19 subsection P of this section. Throughout the year progress
20 monitoring shall continue, and diagnostic assessment, if determined
21 appropriate, shall be provided. Year-end reading skills shall be
22 measured to determine reading success.
23 D. The State Board of Education shall approve screening
24 instruments for use at the beginning and end of the school year, for
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1 monitoring of progress, and for measurement of reading skills at the
2 end of the school year as required in subsections A and B of this
3 section; provided, at least one of the screening instruments shall
4 meet the following criteria:
5 1. Assess for phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency,
6 vocabulary and comprehension;
7 2. Document the validity and reliability of each assessment;
8 3. Can be used for identifying students who are at risk for
9 reading deficiency and progress monitoring throughout the school
10 year;
11 4. Can be used to assess students with disabilities and English
12 language learners; and
13 5. Accompanied by a data management system that provides
14 profiles for students, class, grade level and school building. The
15 profiles shall identify each student's instructional point of need
16 and reading achievement level. The State Board shall also determine
17 other comparable reading assessments for diagnostic purposes to be
18 used for students at risk of reading failure. The State Board shall
19 ensure that any assessments approved are in alignment with the
20 subject matter standards adopted by the State Board of Education.
21 E. 1. The program of reading instruction required in
22 subsections A and B of this section shall align with the subject
23 matter standards adopted by the State Board of Education and shall
24 include provisions of the READ Initiative adopted by the school
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1 district as provided for in subsection P of this section. A program
2 of reading instruction may include, but is not limited to:
3 a. sufficient additional in-school instructional time for
4 the acquisition of phonemic awareness, phonics,
5 reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension,
6 b. if necessary, tutorial instruction after regular
7 school hours, on Saturdays and during summer; however,
8 such instruction may not be counted toward the one-
9 hundred-eighty-day or one-thousand-eighty-hour school
10 year required in Section 1-109 of this title, and
11 c. assessments identified for diagnostic purposes and
12 periodic monitoring to measure the acquisition of
13 reading skills including, but not limited to, phonemic
14 awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and
15 comprehension, as identified in the student's program
16 of reading instruction.
17 2. A student enrolled in first or second grades who has been
18 assessed as provided for in subsection B of this section and found
19 not to be meeting grade-level targets in reading, shall be entitled
20 to supplemental instructional services and supports in reading until
21 the student is determined by the results of a screening instrument
22 to be meeting grade-level targets in reading. The program of
23 reading instruction for each student shall be developed by a Student
24 Reading Proficiency Team and shall include supplemental
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1 instructional services and supports. Each team shall be composed
2 of:
3 a. the parent or guardian of the student,
4 b. the teacher assigned to the student who had
5 responsibility for reading instruction in that
6 academic year,
7 c. a teacher who is responsible for reading instruction
8 and is assigned to teach in the next grade level of
9 the student, and
10 d. a certified reading specialist, if one is available.
11 F. The program of reading instruction shall continue until the
12 student is determined by the results of approved reading assessments
13 to be meeting grade-level targets.
14 G. 1. Every school district shall adopt, and implement a
15 district reading sufficiency plan which has had input from school
16 administrators, teachers, and parents and if possible a reading
17 specialist, and which shall be submitted electronically to and
18 approved by the State Board of Education. The plan shall be updated
19 annually. School districts shall not be required to electronically
20 submit the annual updates to the Board if the last plan submitted to
21 the Board was approve