HB 383: "An Act relating to education; providing for an effective date by repealing the effective date of secs. 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 16, 20, 23, 28, 30, 33, and 47, ch. 40, SLA 2022; and providing for an effective date."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 383 01 "An Act relating to education; providing for an effective date by repealing the effective 02 date of secs. 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 16, 20, 23, 28, 30, 33, and 47, ch. 40, SLA 2022; and providing 03 for an effective date." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. AS 14.03.072 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 06 (c) Each school district shall periodically request feedback and engage with 07 parents and guardians of students enrolled in kindergarten through grade three in a 08 public school in the state on home reading plans. The feedback and engagement must 09 include discussions of home reading practices when teachers meet with parents or 10 guardians. 11 * Sec. 2. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 12 Sec. 14.03.165. Class size. (a) A school may not place more than 15 students 13 in grades kindergarten through three in a classroom during any student instruction 14 period.
01 (b) A school may not place more than 25 students in grades four through 12 in 02 a classroom during any student instruction period. 03 * Sec. 3. AS 14.17.470 is amended to read: 04 Sec. 14.17.470. Base student allocation. The base student allocation is $7,942 05 [$5,960]. 06 * Sec. 4. AS 14.30.760(a) is amended to read: 07 (a) To implement the district reading intervention services established under 08 AS 14.30.765, the department shall 09 (1) adopt a statewide screening tool to administer to students in grades 10 kindergarten through three to identify students with reading deficiencies, including 11 students with characteristics of dyslexia; the screening tool must evaluate 12 (A) phonemic awareness, letter naming fluency, letter sound 13 fluency, and letter word sound fluency of students in kindergarten; 14 (B) letter word sound fluency and oral reading fluency of 15 students in grade one; 16 (C) vocabulary and oral reading fluency of students in grades 17 two and three; 18 (2) support teachers of grades kindergarten through three by 19 (A) administering the statewide screening tool three times each 20 school year, once in the fall, once in the winter, and once in the spring, to all 21 students in grades kindergarten through three, with the exception of students 22 who demonstrate sufficient reading skills on the first screening of the school 23 year; 24 (B) providing methods to monitor student progress; 25 (C) providing targeted instruction and intervention plans 26 developed with parent or guardian participation based on student needs as 27 determined by the results of the screening tool; and 28 (D) providing additional assistance as determined by the 29 department; 30 (3) provide training to school district staff related to using the results 31 of the statewide screening tool and understanding evidence-based reading
01 interventions, including explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, 02 phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, oral language skills, and reading 03 comprehension; 04 (4) require that districts identify the early education programs attended 05 by students and report to the department the average score on each performance 06 screening tool by students in grades kindergarten through three who 07 (A) attended a state-approved early education program; 08 (B) attended a head start program; 09 (C) attended a private early education program; 10 (D) did not attend an early education program; 11 (5) establish a process that allows the commissioner to waive, upon 12 request, use of the statewide screening tool required under this subsection by a school 13 district if the school district has adopted an evidence-based reading screening tool and 14 the screening tool is approved by the department; 15 (6) review, approve, and assist districts developing alternative 16 standardized reading screening tools in any language for use by school districts; 17 (7) require that school districts incorporate in reading intervention 18 services family engagement best practices from the Department of Education and 19 Early Development December 2010 Family Engagement Action Plan, including 20 the components welcoming every family, two-way communication, sharing 21 power, and supporting student success. 22 * Sec. 5. AS 14.30.765(a) is amended to read: 23 (a) Each school district shall offer intensive reading intervention services to 24 students in grades kindergarten through three who exhibit a reading deficiency to 25 assist students in achieving reading proficiency at or above grade level by the end of 26 grade three. The district shall provide the intensive reading intervention services in 27 addition to the core reading instruction that is provided to all students in the general 28 education classroom. The intensive reading intervention services must [, TO THE 29 EXTENT PRACTICABLE,] 30 (1) be provided in small groups by a district reading teacher, or 31 paraprofessional under the supervision of a reading teacher, to all students in grades
01 kindergarten through three who are determined to have a reading deficiency based on 02 the statewide screening tool adopted under AS 14.30.760(a)(1); 03 (2) provide explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, 04 phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, oral language skills, and reading 05 comprehension, as necessary; 06 (3) use evidence-based reading intervention methods that have shown 07 proven results in accelerating student reading achievement within a single school year; 08 (4) include instruction with detailed explanations, extensive 09 opportunities for guided practice, and opportunities for error correction and feedback; 10 (5) incorporate daily targeted small group reading instruction based on 11 student needs, either in person or online; 12 (6) monitor the reading progress of each student's reading skills 13 throughout the school year and adjust instruction according to student needs; 14 (7) be implemented during regular school hours through any available 15 method, including in person or through online delivery by teachers or specialty 16 reading coaches; 17 (8) be implemented outside of regular school hours, as directed in the 18 student's individual reading improvement plan under (b) of this section, for a student 19 who scores at the lowest achievement level on the statewide screening tool; 20 (9) be reviewed based on a department-approved response to 21 intervention or multi-tiered system support models, addressing additional support and 22 services needed to remedy identified needs; and 23 (10) support reading intervention at home by parents or guardians by 24 offering a list of adult literacy resources and organizations, providing opportunities for 25 parent or guardian participation in training workshops, periodically requesting 26 feedback for reading teachers and engaging with parents and guardians on home 27 reading plans, and encouraging regular parent or guardian-guided home reading 28 activities. 29 * Sec. 6. AS 14.30.765(b) is amended to read: 30 (b) In addition to the reading intervention services provided under (a) of this 31 section, a school district shall provide an individual reading improvement plan for
01 each student in grades kindergarten through three who is determined to have a reading 02 deficiency based on the statewide screening tool. An individual reading improvement 03 plan developed under this section must 04 (1) be implemented not later than 30 days after identification of the 05 reading deficiency; 06 (2) be created by the student's reading teacher in consultation with the 07 school principal, the student's parent or guardian, and other pertinent district staff; 08 (3) describe the evidence-based reading intervention services the 09 student will receive to achieve and demonstrate sufficient reading skills; 10 (4) provide reading intervention services outside of regular school 11 hours for a student who scores at the lowest achievement level on the statewide 12 screening tool consistent with (a)(8) of this section; 13 (5) include a process for monitoring progress and adjusting the plan 14 based on student needs; 15 (6) provide to the student's parent or guardian at least 10 reading 16 progress updates each school year, and request a parent or guardian response 17 about the plan and home reading following each progress update; 18 (7) be culturally responsive; and 19 (8) support the student reading at home with a parent or guardian by 20 offering a list of adult literacy resources and organizations, providing opportunities for 21 parent or guardian participation in training workshops, soliciting responses and 22 feedback from the parent or guardian, and encouraging regular parent or guardian- 23 guided home reading activities. 24 * Sec. 7. AS 14.30.765(c) is amended to read: 25 (c) If at any time during the school year a student in grades kindergarten 26 through three demonstrates a reading deficiency, the district or school shall notify the 27 student's parent or guardian. The initial notification must 28 (1) be provided to the student's parent or guardian not later than 15 29 days after identification of the reading deficiency; 30 (2) state that the district identified the student as having a reading 31 deficiency, explain how [AND THAT] a reading improvement plan will be
01 developed, and how the parent or guardian may participate in the plan 02 development under (b) of this section; 03 (3) describe current services that the district is providing to the student; 04 (4) describe the proposed evidence-based reading intervention and 05 supplemental instructional services and supports that the district will provide to the 06 student to improve the identified area of reading deficiency; 07 (5) explain that the district or school will inform the parent or guardian 08 orally or in writing, as selected by the parent or guardian, of the student's progress 09 toward grade level reading as outlined in the student's individual reading improvement 10 plan; 11 (6) identify strategies for the parent or guardian to use at home to help 12 the student succeed in reading; 13 (7) explain that if the student has a reading deficiency at the end of the 14 school year and is in grades kindergarten through two, the student's progression may 15 be delayed unless the student has previously not progressed to the next grade; 16 (8) explain that a student in grade three should demonstrate sufficient 17 reading skills to progress to grade four under (e) of this section, unless the student 18 receives a waiver under (f) of this section or has previously not progressed to the next 19 grade; 20 (9) explain the process and deadline to request a waiver under (f) of 21 this section; [AND] 22 (10) identify mid-year progression as an option for students who do 23 not progress to the next grade; and 24 (11) request feedback and input from the parent or guardian for 25 the student's reading teacher. 26 * Sec. 8. AS 14.30.765(d) is amended to read: 27 (d) If it is determined, based on a statewide screening administered in the 28 spring, that a student in grades kindergarten through two has a reading deficiency, the 29 student's teacher and other pertinent district staff shall notify and attempt to meet with 30 the student's parent or guardian to explain that the student will not be able to maintain 31 adequate academic progress at the next grade level. School staff shall work with the
01 parent or guardian to schedule a date, time, and place for the meeting, to be held not 02 later than 45 days before the end of the school year. Following that meeting, the parent 03 or guardian shall determine whether the student will progress to the next grade. [IF 04 NO PARENT OR GUARDIAN ATTENDS THE MEETING OR IF THE PARENT 05 OR GUARDIAN DOES NOT DETERMINE WHETHER THE STUDENT WILL 06 PROGRESS TO THE NEXT GRADE, THE SUPERINTENDENT OR THE 07 SUPERINTENDENT'S DESIGNEE SHALL, AFTER CONSIDERING THE 08 STUDENT'S BEST INTEREST AND WHETHER THE STUDENT HAS 09 PREVIOUSLY NOT PROGRESSED TO THE NEXT GRADE, DETERMINE 10 WHETHER THE STUDENT WILL PROGRESS TO THE NEXT GRADE.] 11 * Sec. 9. AS 14.30.765(f) is amended to read: 12 (f) If it is determined, based on a statewide screening administered in the 13 spring, that a student in grade three has a reading deficiency, and the student does not 14 demonstrate sufficient reading skills to progress to grade four under (e) of this section, 15 the student's teacher and other pertinent district staff shall notify and attempt to meet 16 with the student's parent or guardian to explain that the student is not prepared to 17 progress to grade four. School staff shall work with the parent or guardian to schedule 18 a date, time, and place for the meeting, to be held not later than 45 days before the end 19 of the school year. Following that meeting, the parent or guardian may decide that the 20 student will not progress to grade four or decide to progress the student to grade four 21 by signing a waiver developed by the department acknowledging that the student is 22 not prepared and agreeing that the student will participate in an additional 20 hours of 23 individual reading improvement plan intervention services during the summer before 24 the student enters grade four. [IF NO PARENT OR GUARDIAN ATTENDS THE 25 MEETING OR IF THE PARENT OR GUARDIAN DOES NOT DETERMINE 26 WHETHER THE STUDENT WILL PROGRESS TO THE NEXT GRADE, THE 27 SUPERINTENDENT OR THE SUPERINTENDENT'S DESIGNEE SHALL, AFTER 28 CONSIDERING THE STUDENT'S BEST INTERESTS AND WHETHER THE 29 STUDENT HAS PREVIOUSLY NOT PROGRESSED TO THE NEXT GRADE, 30 DETERMINE WHETHER THE STUDENT WILL PROGRESS TO GRADE FOUR.] 31 * Sec. 10. AS 14.30.765(h) is amended to read:
01 (h) If no parent or guardian attends the meeting, [AND A 02 SUPERINTENDENT OR SUPERINTENDENT'S DESIGNEE DECIDES THAT A 03 STUDENT IN GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THREE WILL NOT 04 PROGRESS TO THE NEXT GRADE UNDER (d) OR (f) OF THIS SECTION,] the 05 district or school in which the student is enrolled shall provide immediate oral and 06 written notification to the student's parent or guardian. The written notification must 07 explain that the parent or guardian may reschedule the meeting provided under (d) or 08 (f) of this section and that during a meeting 09 (1) for a student in grades kindergarten through two, the parent or 10 guardian may decide to progress the student; and 11 (2) for a student in grade three, the parent or guardian may decide to 12 progress the student to grade four by signing a waiver under (f) of this section. 13 * Sec. 11. AS 44.27 is amended by adding a new section to read: 14 Article 3. Strategic Recruitment Office. 15 Sec. 44.27.100. Strategic recruitment office. (a) A strategic recruitment 16 office is established in the Department of Education and Early Development. 17 (b) The office shall assist school districts and the state in recruitment and 18 retention of qualified and certificated teachers. 19 (c) The state Board of Education and Early Development shall adopt 20 regulations to implement this section. 21 * Sec. 12. Sections 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 16, 20, 23, 28, 30, 33, and 47, ch. 40, SLA 2022, are 22 repealed. 23 * Sec. 13. Section 56, ch. 40, SLA 2022, is repealed. 24 * Sec. 14. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).