CSSB 111(FIN): "An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Education and Early Development; relating to public schools and school districts; relating to early education programs; relating to funding for early education programs; relating to school age eligibility; relating to reports by the Department of Education and Early Development; relating to reports by school districts; relating to certification and competency of teachers; relating to screening reading deficiencies and providing reading intervention services to public school students enrolled in grades kindergarten through three; relating to textbooks and materials for reading intervention services; establishing a reading program in the Department of Education and Early Development; relating to the definition of 'parent' in education statutes; relating to a virtual education consortium; and providing for an effective date."
00 CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 111(FIN) 01 "An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Education and Early Development; 02 relating to public schools and school districts; relating to early education programs; 03 relating to funding for early education programs; relating to school age eligibility; 04 relating to reports by the Department of Education and Early Development; relating to 05 reports by school districts; relating to certification and competency of teachers; relating 06 to screening reading deficiencies and providing reading intervention services to public 07 school students enrolled in grades kindergarten through three; relating to textbooks and 08 materials for reading intervention services; establishing a reading program in the 09 Department of Education and Early Development; relating to the definition of 'parent' 10 in education statutes; relating to a virtual education consortium; and providing for an 11 effective date." 12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
01 * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 02 to read: 03 SHORT TITLE. This Act may be known as the Alaska Academic Improvement and 04 Modernization Act. 05 * Sec. 2. AS 14.03.040 is amended to read: 06 Sec. 14.03.040. Day in session. Each day within the school term is a day in 07 session except Saturdays, Sundays, and days designated as holidays by or according to 08 AS 14.03.050. A school board may approve Saturdays as a day in session. The day in 09 session in every school shall be at least four hours long, exclusive of intermissions, for 10 the first, second, and third grades and five hours, exclusive of intermissions, for [ALL 11 OTHER] grades four through 12. The commissioner may approve a shorter day in 12 session for any grade. The period of the day in session shall be devoted to the 13 instruction of pupils or to study periods for the pupils. 14 * Sec. 3. AS 14.03.060(e) is amended to read: 15 (e) In addition to the grades enumerated in (a) of this section, an elementary 16 school consists of an early education [A PRE-ELEMENTARY] program approved 17 or supervised by the department under AS 14.07.020(a)(8), including a program 18 operated by a head start agency [THE DEPARTMENT] as a head start program 19 under 42 U.S.C. 9831 - 9852c [AS 14.38.010, OR LOCATED IN A PUBLIC 20 SCHOOL FOR FEDERAL FUNDING PURPOSES. EXCEPT FOR A CHILD WITH 21 A DISABILITY WHO IS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION OR RELATED 22 SERVICES UNDER AS 14.30.180 - 14.30.350, PRE-ELEMENTARY STUDENTS 23 MAY NOT BE COUNTED IN A SCHOOL'S AVERAGE DAILY MEMBERSHIP 24 UNDER AS 14.17]. 25 * Sec. 4. AS 14.03.060(e), as amended by sec. 3 of this Act, is amended to read: 26 (e) In addition to the grades enumerated in (a) of this section, an elementary 27 school consists of an early education program [APPROVED OR] supervised by the 28 department under AS 14.07.020(a)(8), including a program operated by a head start 29 agency as a head start program under 42 U.S.C. 9831 - 9852c. 30 * Sec. 5. AS 14.03.072(a) is amended to read: 31 (a) Each school district shall annually provide to parents and guardians of
01 students enrolled in kindergarten through grade three in a public school in the state 02 current information on the importance of [EARLY] literacy and early reading, 03 including 04 (1) culturally responsive intervention strategies and reading 05 intervention services provided under AS 14.30.765; 06 (2) home reading [LITERACY] plans; 07 (3) grade progression [RETENTION] standards and policies for the 08 elementary school attended; 09 (4) strategies and resources to help children learn to read; 10 (5) a list of resources and organizations that specialize in 11 improving adult literacy. 12 * Sec. 6. AS 14.03.072(a), as amended by sec. 5 of this Act, is amended to read: 13 (a) Each school district shall annually provide to parents and guardians of 14 students enrolled in kindergarten through grade three in a public school in the state 15 current information on the importance of literacy and early reading, including 16 (1) culturally responsive intervention strategies [AND READING 17 INTERVENTION SERVICES PROVIDED UNDER AS 14.30.765]; 18 (2) home reading plans; 19 (3) grade progression standards and policies for the elementary school 20 attended; 21 (4) strategies and resources to help children learn to read; 22 (5) a list of resources and organizations that specialize in improving 23 adult literacy. 24 * Sec. 7. AS 14.03.078(a) is amended to read: 25 (a) The department shall provide to the legislature and school districts by 26 February 15 of each year by electronic means an annual report regarding the progress 27 of each school and school district toward high academic performance by all students. 28 The report required under this section must include 29 (1) information described under AS 14.03.120 [AS 14.03.120(d)]; 30 (2) progress of the department 31 (A) toward implementing the school accountability provisions
01 of AS 14.03.123; and 02 (B) in assisting high schools to become accredited; 03 (3) a description of the resources provided to each school and school 04 district for coordinated school improvement activities and staff training in each school 05 and school district; 06 (4) each school district's and each school's progress in aligning 07 curriculum with state education performance standards; 08 (5) a description of the efforts by the department to assist a public 09 school or district that receives a low performance designation under AS 14.03.123; 10 (6) a description of intervention efforts by each school district and 11 school for students who are not meeting state performance standards; [AND] 12 (7) the number and percentage of turnover in certificated personnel and 13 superintendents; 14 (8) a summary of the categories of certificated administrative 15 employees employed by each school district that includes the ratio of 16 (A) the number of certificated administrative employees in 17 each category employed by each school district compared to the number 18 of students enrolled in the school district on October 1 of the previous 19 year; 20 (B) the total number of certificated administrative 21 employees employed by each school district compared to the total number 22 of teachers employed by the school district on October 1 of the previous 23 year; and 24 (C) the total number of teachers employed by each school 25 district compared to the total number of students enrolled in the school 26 district on October 1 of the previous year; 27 (9) the progress made to implement the reading intervention 28 programs established under AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.780, including data on how 29 school districts are using in-service days for culturally responsive professional 30 development in reading instruction; and 31 (10) the effectiveness and participation rates of the parents as
01 teachers program established under AS 14.03.420, including measures of 02 efficiency and effectiveness that demonstrate the effects of the program on school 03 readiness. 04 * Sec. 8. AS 14.03.078(a), as amended by sec. 7 of this Act, is amended to read: 05 (a) The department shall provide to the legislature and school districts by 06 February 15 of each year by electronic means an annual report regarding the progress 07 of each school and school district toward high academic performance by all students. 08 The report required under this section must include 09 (1) information described under AS 14.03.120; 10 (2) progress of the department 11 (A) toward implementing the school accountability provisions 12 of AS 14.03.123; and 13 (B) in assisting high schools to become accredited; 14 (3) a description of the resources provided to each school and school 15 district for coordinated school improvement activities and staff training in each school 16 and school district; 17 (4) each school district's and each school's progress in aligning 18 curriculum with state education performance standards; 19 (5) a description of the efforts by the department to assist a public 20 school or district that receives a low performance designation under AS 14.03.123; 21 (6) a description of intervention efforts by each school district and 22 school for students who are not meeting state performance standards; 23 (7) the number and percentage of turnover in certificated personnel and 24 superintendents; and 25 (8) a summary of the categories of certificated administrative 26 employees employed by each school district that includes the ratio of 27 (A) the number of certificated administrative employees in 28 each category employed by each school district compared to the number of 29 students enrolled in the school district on October 1 of the previous year; 30 (B) the total number of certificated administrative employees 31 employed by each school district compared to the total number of teachers
01 employed by the school district on October 1 of the previous year; and 02 (C) the total number of teachers employed by each school 03 district compared to the total number of students enrolled in the school district 04 on October 1 of the previous year [; 05 (9) THE PROGRESS MADE TO IMPLEMENT THE READING 06 INTERVENTION PROGRAMS ESTABLISHED UNDER AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.780, 07 INCLUDING DATA ON HOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE USING IN-SERVICE 08 DAYS FOR CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN 09 READING INSTRUCTION; AND 10 (10) THE EFFECTIVENESS AND PARTICIPATION RATES OF 11 THE PARENTS AS TEACHERS PROGRAM ESTABLISHED UNDER 12 AS 14.03.420, INCLUDING MEASURES OF EFFICIENCY AND 13 EFFECTIVENESS THAT DEMONSTRATE THE EFFECTS OF THE PROGRAM 14 ON SCHOOL READINESS]. 15 * Sec. 9. AS 14.03.078 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 16 (c) Each school district shall make available to the public the portion of the 17 report under (a)(8) of this section that pertains to the school district by posting the 18 information in a prominent location on the school district's or local community's 19 Internet website or by another easily accessible method. 20 (d) In this section, "administrative employee" means an employee who does 21 not provide direct classroom instruction for students as a regular part of the 22 employee's job. 23 * Sec. 10. AS 14.03.080(c) is amended to read: 24 (c) A child under school age who is at least four years of age at the 25 beginning of the school year may be admitted to a public school in the school district 26 of which the child is a resident at the discretion of the governing body of the school 27 district if the child meets minimum standards prescribed by the board evidencing that 28 the child has the mental, physical, and emotional capacity to perform satisfactorily for 29 the educational program being offered. A district's educational program must prescribe 30 that, except for students in an early education program, under school age students 31 advance through the curriculum or grade level by the following school year. A
01 governing body may delegate the authority granted under this subsection to the chief 02 school administrator of the school district. 03 * Sec. 11. AS 14.03.080(c), as amended by sec. 10 of this Act, is amended to read: 04 (c) A child under school age [WHO IS AT LEAST FOUR YEARS OF AGE 05 AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR] may be admitted to a public 06 school in the school district of which the child is a resident at the discretion of the 07 governing body of the school district if the child meets minimum standards prescribed 08 by the board evidencing that the child has the mental, physical, and emotional capacity 09 to perform satisfactorily for the educational program being offered. A district's 10 educational program must prescribe that [, EXCEPT FOR STUDENTS IN AN 11 EARLY EDUCATION PROGRAM,] under school age students advance through the 12 curriculum or grade level by the following school year. A governing body may 13 delegate the authority granted under this subsection to the chief school administrator 14 of the school district. 15 * Sec. 12. AS 14.03.080 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 16 (g) A child who is five years of age on or before September 1 following the 17 beginning of the school year, and who is under school age, may enter a public school 18 kindergarten. 19 * Sec. 13. AS 14.03.120 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 20 (h) To the extent allowable under state and federal privacy laws, each district 21 shall annually report to the department information from the previous school year 22 regarding 23 (1) the number of students and teaching staff assigned to each 24 classroom in grades kindergarten through three; 25 (2) the number and percentage of students 26 (A) in grades kindergarten through three who demonstrated 27 improvement on expected grade-level skills on the statewide screening tool; 28 (B) in grades kindergarten through three who performed below 29 expected grade-level skills on the statewide screening tool, by grade; 30 (C) in grades kindergarten through three who did not progress 31 to the next grade and the reasons the students did not progress;
01 (D) in grade three who demonstrated sufficient reading skills to 02 progress to grade four based on the statewide screening tool; 03 (E) in grade three who progressed to grade four based on a 04 waiver under AS 14.30.765(f); 05 (F) in grade three who demonstrated sufficient reading skills to 06 progress to grade four based on an alternative standardized reading screening; 07 (G) in grade three who demonstrated sufficient reading skills to 08 progress to grade four based on a student reading portfolio; 09 (3) the performance on the statewide screening tool of students in a 10 grade above grade three who did not progress to grade four or who progressed to grade 11 four based on a waiver under AS 14.30.765(f). 12 (i) To the extent allowable under state and federal privacy laws, the 13 department shall post on the department's Internet website and make available for 14 download the information reported under this section. The department shall post the 15 information in a single downloadable comma-separated values file or a similar single 16 downloadable file that allows data storage in tabular format. The file must include the 17 comprehensive information about each public school reported under (d) and (e) of this 18 section in a single list that may be sorted and compared. 19 * Sec. 14. AS 14.03 is amended by adding new sections to read: 20 Article 4. Early Education. 21 Sec. 14.03.410. Early education programs; grants. (a) The department shall 22 provide training and assistance to develop and improve district-wide early education 23 programs that comply with standards adopted by the board under AS 14.07.165(a)(5). 24 (b) The department may award a grant to provide funding for a three-year 25 period for the development or improvement of a district-wide early education program 26 to a district that has not received a grant under this section, applies in a format 27 prescribed by the department, provides the information required under (g) of this 28 section, and is eligible for a grant as specified under (c) of this section. Unless the 29 legislature appropriates another amount, total grant funding awarded to districts under 30 this subsection may not exceed $3,000,000 in a fiscal year. 31 (c) The department shall rank the performance of each district in the state in
01 accordance with the accountability system and performance designations required 02 under AS 14.03.123. When approving grants under (b) of this section, the department 03 shall prioritize eligible districts with lower performance, based on the department's 04 ranking of districts under this subsection. A district is eligible for a grant if the 05 department determines an insufficient number of children in the district attend high 06 quality child care programs, including head start programs, early education programs 07 provided by a local government, and early education programs provided by child 08 development agencies, that 09 (1) meet or exceed the standards adopted by the board under 10 AS 14.07.165(a)(5); and 11 (2) would continue operating after development of a district early 12 education program. 13 (d) If the department does not approve the early education program of a 14 district awarded a grant under (b) of this section by the end of the district's three-year 15 grant period, the department may provide a one-year remediation grant to allow the 16 district one additional fiscal year to meet the early education program standards 17 adopted by the board under AS 14.07.165(a)(5). If the district is unable to meet the 18 early education program standards at the end of that fiscal year, the department may, 19 in the discretion of the commissioner, provide an additional remediation grant to allow 20 the district not more than one additional fiscal year to meet the standards. Nothing in 21 this section prohibits a district from using its own funds to continue the remediation 22 process. 23 (e) A student in an early education program may not be counted in a district's 24 ADM under AS 14.17.500 unless the department has approved the program. 25 (f) A grant under this section is subject to appropriation, but may not supplant 26 other early education funding available to districts. 27 (g) Before applying for a grant under (b) of this section, a district shall, to 28 avoid duplicate programs and facilitate resource sharing to improve early education 29 within the district, consult with each local and tribal head start program within the 30 district's boundaries. An application submitted under (b) of this section must include 31 documentation establishing that the district consulted with each local and tribal head
01 start program within the district and a statement signed by each head start program 02 indicating that the head start program agrees that approval of the district-wide program 03 will not jeopardize federal funding or programming. 04 (h) In this section, 05 (1) "ADM" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990; 06 (2) "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990; 07 (3) "early education program" means a program, the primary function 08 of which is educational, for children who are four and five years of age and who have 09 not attended a public school kindergarten. 10 Sec. 14.03.420. Parents as teachers program. (a) The department shall 11 design and implement a statewide parents as teachers program for the benefit of 12 children who are under five years of age. The program must provide a system of early 13 childhood education that 14 (1) is evidence-based; 15 (2) involves parents; 16 (3) is consistent with available research and best practices for high 17 quality early childhood education; 18 (4) incorporates guidelines adopted by the department for early 19 learning that 20 (A) enhance school readiness; 21 (B) increase parent understanding of child development and 22 developmental milestones; 23 (C) reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect; 24 (D) increase identification of health problems and 25 developmental delays through regular screenings; 26 (E) improve child health indicators, including immunization 27 rates; and 28 (F) increase parental involvement; and 29 (5) provides for effective and efficient coordination with or expansion 30 of early education programs operating in the state, to the extent permitted by law. 31 (b) A school district shall, to the extent space is needed and available, provide
01 for the use of a room in a school at no charge to support the program established under 02 this section. 03 (c) The department shall develop and enter into local partnerships to 04 implement the program established under this section. 05 * Sec. 15. AS 14.07.020(a) is amended to read: 06 (a) The department shall 07 (1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state 08 except the University of Alaska; 09 (2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state, 10 adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school 11 performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement 12 of the public schools; the department may consult with the University of Alaska to 13 develop secondary education requirements to improve student achievement in college 14 preparatory courses; 15 (3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school 16 governing bodies and personnel; 17 (4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public 18 schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is 19 given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language; 20 (5) establish, in coordination with the Department of Health and Social 21 Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held in juvenile 22 detention facilities or juvenile treatment facilities, as those terms are defined in 23 AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment; 24 (6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards 25 prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the 26 department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular 27 session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, 28 whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of 29 the members of each house; 30 (7) prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire 31 marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure healthful and safe
01 conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of 02 physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards for 03 private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools; 04 (8) exercise general supervision over early education programs 05 [PRE-ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS] that receive direct state or federal funding, 06 including early education programs provided by a school district for students 07 four and five years of age, approve an early education program provided by a 08 school district that complies with the standards adopted by the board under 09 AS 14.07.165(a)(5), and revoke approval of an early education program if the 10 program does not comply with the standards adopted by the board under 11 AS 14.07.165(a)(5); 12 (9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary 13 correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional 14 educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any 15 Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program; 16 (10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet 17 accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this 18 paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be 19 licensed; 20 (11) review plans for construction of new public elementary and 21 secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public 22 elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the 23 department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school 24 construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" 25 include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption 26 and costs, and final contract documents; 27 (12) provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational 28 education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who 29 are no longer attending school; the department may consult with businesses and labor 30 unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that 31 will lead to employment opportunities;
01 (13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11; 02 (14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a 03 school bus driver training course; 04 (15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary 05 and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent 06 behavior; 07 (16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, 08 under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional 09 practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15); the regulations must include 10 (A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies 11 and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department; 12 (B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in 13 AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three 14 consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent 15 increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language 16 arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A); and 17 (C) a process for districts to petition the department for 18 continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention; 19 (17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over 20 education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or 21 redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15); 22 (18) establish a reading program to provide direct support for and 23 intervention in the reading intervention programs of participating schools as 24 described in AS 14.30.765 and 14.30.770; 25 (19) annually convene, either in person or electronically, a panel to 26 review and comment on the effectiveness of the programs created by the 27 department and the regulations adopted by the board to implement AS 14.03.410, 28 14.03.420, AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.770, and 14.30.800; the panel must collectively 29 represent the regions of the state and include teachers of grades kindergarten 30 through three, school administrators, parents of students in grades kindergarten 31 through three, stakeholders from indigenous language immersion programs,
01 representatives from early education stakeholder groups, and researchers of best 02 practices for improving literacy performance, including best practices for 03 instruction of indigenous students and students whose first language is not 04 English. 05 * Sec. 16. AS 14.07.020(a), as amended by sec. 15 of this Act, is amended to read: 06 (a) The department shall 07 (1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state 08 except the University of Alaska; 09 (2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state, 10 adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school 11 performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement 12 of the public schools; the department may consult with the University of Alaska to 13 develop secondary education requirements to improve student achievement in college 14 preparatory courses; 15 (3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school 16 governing bodies and personnel; 17 (4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public 18 schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is 19 given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language; 20 (5) establish, in coordination with the Department of Health and Social 21 Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held in juvenile 22 detention facilities or juvenile treatment facilities, as those terms are defined in 23 AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment; 24 (6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards 25 prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the 26 department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular 27 session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, 28 whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of 29 the members of each house; 30 (7) prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire 31 marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure healthful and safe
01 conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of 02 physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards for 03 private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools; 04 (8) exercise general supervision over early education programs that 05 receive direct state or federal funding, including early education programs provided by 06 a school district for students four and five years of age [, APPROVE AN EARLY 07 EDUCATION PROGRAM PROVIDED BY A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT 08 COMPLIES WITH THE STANDARDS ADOPTED BY THE BOARD UNDER 09 AS 14.07.165(a)(5), AND REVOKE APPROVAL OF AN EARLY EDUCATION 10 PROGRAM IF THE PROGRAM DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE STANDARDS 11 ADOPTED BY THE BOARD UNDER AS 14.07.165(a)(5)]; 12 (9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary 13 correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional 14 educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any 15 Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program; 16 (10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet 17 accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this 18 paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be 19 licensed; 20 (11) review plans for construction of new public elementary and 21 secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public 22 elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the 23 department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school 24 construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" 25 include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption 26 and costs, and final contract documents; 27 (12) provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational 28 education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who 29 are no longer attending school; the department may consult with businesses and labor 30 unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that 31 will lead to employment opportunities;
01 (13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11; 02 (14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a 03 school bus driver training course; 04 (15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary 05 and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent 06 behavior; 07 (16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, 08 under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional 09 practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15); the regulations must include 10 (A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies 11 and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department; 12 (B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in 13 AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three 14 consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent 15 increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language 16 arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A); and 17 (C) a process for districts to petition the department for 18 continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention; 19 (17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over 20 education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or 21 redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15) [; 22 (18) ESTABLISH A READING PROGRAM TO PROVIDE DIRECT 23 SUPPORT FOR AND INTERVENTION IN THE READING INTERVENTION 24 PROGRAMS OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS AS DESCRIBED IN AS 14.30.765 25 AND 14.30.770; 26 (19) ANNUALLY CONVENE, EITHER IN PERSON OR 27 ELECTRONICALLY, A PANEL TO REVIEW AND COMMENT ON THE 28 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAMS CREATED BY THE DEPARTMENT 29 AND THE REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE BOARD TO IMPLEMENT 30 AS 14.03.410, 14.03.420, AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.770, AND 14.30.800; THE PANEL 31 MUST COLLECTIVELY REPRESENT THE REGIONS OF THE STATE AND
01 INCLUDE TEACHERS OF GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THREE, 02 SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, PARENTS OF STUDENTS IN GRADES 03 KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THREE, STAKEHOLDERS FROM INDIGENOUS 04 LANGUAGE IMMERSION PROGRAMS, REPRESENTATIVES FROM EARLY 05 EDUCATION STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, AND RESEARCHERS OF BEST 06 PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING LITERACY PERFORMANCE, INCLUDING 07 BEST PRACTICES FOR INSTRUCTION OF INDIGENOUS STUDENTS AND 08 STUDENTS WHOSE FIRST LANGUAGE IS NOT ENGLISH]. 09 * Sec. 17. AS 14.07.020(c) is amended to read: 10 (c) In this section, "early education program" ["PRE-ELEMENTARY 11 SCHOOL"] means a program [SCHOOL] for children ages three through five years if 12 the program's [SCHOOL'S] primary function is educational. 13 * Sec. 18. AS 14.07.050 is amended to read: 14 Sec. 14.07.050. Selection of textbooks. Textbooks for use in the public 15 schools of the state, including a district offered statewide correspondence study 16 program, shall be selected by district boards for district schools. Nothing in this 17 section precludes 18 (1) a correspondence study student, or the parent or guardian of a 19 correspondence study student, from privately obtaining or using textbooks or 20 curriculum material not provided by the school district; 21 (2) the department from selecting and purchasing supplementary 22 reading textbooks and materials for school districts to support reading 23 intervention services provided under AS 14.30.765 and 14.30.770. 24 * Sec. 19. AS 14.07.050, as amended by sec. 18 of this Act, is amended to read: 25 Sec. 14.07.050. Selection of textbooks. Textbooks for use in the public 26 schools of the state, including a district offered statewide correspondence study 27 program, shall be selected by district boards for district schools. Nothing in this 28 section precludes 29 [(1)] a correspondence study student, or the parent or guardian of a 30 correspondence study student, from privately obtaining or using textbooks or 31 curriculum material not provided by the school district [;
01 (2) THE DEPARTMENT FROM SELECTING AND PURCHASING 02 SUPPLEMENTARY READING TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS FOR SCHOOL 03 DISTRICTS TO SUPPORT READING INTERVENTION SERVICES PROVIDED 04 UNDER AS 14.30.765 AND 14.30.770]. 05 * Sec. 20. AS 14.07.165(a) is amended to read: 06 (a) The board shall adopt 07 (1) statewide goals and require each governing body to adopt written 08 goals that are consistent with local needs; 09 (2) regulations regarding the application for and award of grants under 10 AS 14.03.125; 11 (3) regulations implementing provisions of AS 14.11.014(b); 12 (4) regulations requiring approval by the board before a charter school, 13 state boarding school, or a public school may provide domiciliary services; 14 (5) regulations establishing standards for an early education 15 program provided by a school district for children who are four and five years of 16 age; the regulations must include 17 (A) standards for a locally designed, evidence-based 18 program that meets Head Start Program Performance Standards and 19 other federal standards required for early education programs to receive 20 federal funding; 21 (B) a requirement that a teacher in charge of a program 22 hold a valid teacher certificate issued under AS 14.20 and 23 (i) have satisfactorily completed a minimum of six 24 credit hours in early childhood education or completes the 25 minimum credit hours within two years of the date the teacher's 26 employment with the early education program begins; or 27 (ii) have two or more years of experience teaching 28 kindergarten or another early education program and have 29 completed additional coursework related to reading instruction, as 30 required by the department; 31 (C) developmentally appropriate objectives for children
01 four and five years of age rather than academic standards appropriate for 02 older children; the objectives must allow school districts to adapt the 03 content of an early education program to be culturally responsive to local 04 communities; 05 (D) accommodations for the needs of all early education 06 children and their families regardless of socioeconomic circumstances; 07 and 08 (E) standards for day in session requirements appropriate 09 for children four and five years of age; 10 (6) regulations establishing standards for day in session 11 requirements appropriate for kindergarten students [REPEALED]. 12 * Sec. 21. AS 14.07.168 is amended to read: 13 Sec. 14.07.168. Report to the legislature. Not later than the 30th legislative 14 day of each regular session of the legislature, the board shall prepare and present in 15 person to the legislative committees having jurisdiction over education an annual 16 report that describes the efforts of the board to develop, maintain, and continuously 17 improve a comprehensive quality public education system, as provided for under the 18 bylaws of the board. The report must include 19 (1) a summary of the resolves and rationales provided in support of 20 policy decisions made under AS 14.03.015; 21 (2) program and curriculum changes made, discussed, or 22 recommended in meetings held under AS 14.07.125; 23 (3) additional information relevant to efforts made to improve and 24 maintain the public education system; 25 (4) a summary of implementation and utilization of the consortium 26 established under AS 14.30.800, including a review of consortium effectiveness 27 and the participation rates of districts, teachers, and students. 28 * Sec. 22. AS 14.07.168, as amended by sec. 21 of this Act, is amended to read: 29 Sec. 14.07.168. Report to the legislature. Not later than the 30th legislative 30 day of each regular session of the legislature, the board shall prepare and present in 31 person to the legislative committees having jurisdiction over education an annual
01 report that describes the efforts of the board to develop, maintain, and continuously 02 improve a comprehensive quality public education system, as provided for under the 03 bylaws of the board. The report must include 04 (1) a summary of the resolves and rationales provided in support of 05 policy decisions made under AS 14.03.015; 06 (2) program and curriculum changes made, discussed, or 07 recommended in meetings held under AS 14.07.125; 08 (3) additional information relevant to efforts made to improve and 09 maintain the public education system [; 10 (4) A SUMMARY OF IMPLEMENTATION AND UTILIZATION 11 OF THE CONSORTIUM ESTABLISHED UNDER AS 14.30.800, INCLUDING A 12 REVIEW OF CONSORTIUM EFFECTIVENESS AND THE PARTICIPATION 13 RATES OF DISTRICTS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS]. 14 * Sec. 23. AS 14.07.180(a) is amended to read: 15 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the board shall establish 16 standards and a procedure for the review, ranking, and approval of mathematics and 17 English and language arts curricula for school districts to use in each grade level as 18 provided in this section. The board may include curricula delivered through virtual 19 education in the standards and procedure established under this subsection. Standards 20 established for the review, ranking, and approval of language arts curricula for 21 early education programs and grades kindergarten through three must be based 22 on phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, oral 23 language skills, and reading comprehension. 24 * Sec. 24. AS 14.14.115(a) is amended to read: 25 (a) To encourage cooperative arrangements between school districts and 26 between school districts and private businesses, nonprofit organizations, or 27 government agencies to provide more efficient or economical administrative or 28 educational services, a school district may receive a one-time cooperative arrangement 29 grant from the department of up to $100,000. The department shall ensure that 30 grant funds provided to districts under this section do not provide direct benefit 31 to private educational institutions.
01 * Sec. 25. AS 14.17.500 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 02 (d) Except as provided in (e) and (f) of this section, a student in a district-wide 03 early education program provided by a school district and approved by the department 04 under AS 14.07.020(a)(8) is counted as one-half of a full-time equivalent student. 05 (e) A school district may not include in a school's ADM students who are four 06 and five years of age if the students are enrolled in an early education program that 07 receives state or federal funding other than funding under this chapter. 08 (f) A school district may not include in a school's ADM students who are four 09 and five years of age if inclusion of the students would result in an increase of total 10 state aid attributable to district-wide early education programs approved under 11 AS 14.03.410 of more than $3,000,000 from the previous fiscal year. The department 12 shall prioritize the funding of district-wide early education programs, giving priority to 13 school districts with lower performance, based on the department's ranking of districts 14 under AS 14.03.410(c). When the number of students in a district-wide early 15 education program will result in an increase of total state aid attributable to district- 16 wide early education programs approved under AS 14.03.410 of more than $3,000,000 17 from the previous fiscal year, the department may identify the amount, up to 18 $3,000,000, available for the district's district-wide early education program. 19 * Sec. 26. AS 14.17.500(d), enacted by sec. 25 of this Act, is amended to read: 20 (d) A school district may not include in the school's ADM [EXCEPT AS 21 PROVIDED IN (e) AND (f) OF THIS SECTION,] a student in a district-wide early 22 education program provided by the [A SCHOOL] district [AND APPROVED BY 23 THE DEPARTMENT UNDER AS 14.07.020(a)(8) IS COUNTED AS ONE-HALF 24 OF A FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STUDENT]. 25 * Sec. 27. AS 14.17.905(a) is amended to read: 26 (a) For purposes of this chapter, the determination of the number of schools in 27 a district is subject to the following: 28 (1) a community with an ADM of at least 10, but not more than 100, 29 shall be counted as one school; 30 (2) a community with an ADM of at least 101, but not more than 425, 31 shall be counted as
01 (A) one elementary school, which includes those students in 02 grades kindergarten through six and, except as provided in AS 14.17.500, in 03 an early education program provided by a school district and approved by 04 the department under AS 14.07.020(a)(8); and 05 (B) one secondary school, which includes students in grades 06 seven through 12; 07 (3) in a community with an ADM of greater than 425, each facility that 08 is administered as a separate school shall be counted as one school, except that each 09 alternative school with an ADM of less than 175 shall be counted as a part of the 10 school in the district with the highest ADM. 11 * Sec. 28. AS 14.17.905(a), as amended by sec. 27 of this Act, is amended to read: 12 (a) For purposes of this chapter, the determination of the number of schools in 13 a district is subject to the following: 14 (1) a community with an ADM of at least 10, but not more than 100, 15 shall be counted as one school; 16 (2) a community with an ADM of at least 101, but not more than 425, 17 shall be counted as 18 (A) one elementary school, which includes those students in 19 grades kindergarten through six [AND, EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN 20 AS 14.17.500, IN AN EARLY EDUCATION PROGRAM PROVIDED BY A 21 SCHOOL DISTRICT AND APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT UNDER 22 AS 14.07.020(a)(8)]; and 23 (B) one secondary school, which includes students in grades 24 seven through 12; 25 (3) in a community with an ADM of greater than 425, each facility that 26 is administered as a separate school shall be counted as one school, except that each 27 alternative school with an ADM of less than 175 shall be counted as a part of the 28 school in the district with the highest ADM. 29 * Sec. 29. AS 14.20.015(c) is amended to read: 30 (c) The preliminary teacher certificate issued under this section must contain 31 the same endorsements as those on the current valid teacher certificate issued by the
01 other state. However, before teaching students in grades kindergarten through 02 three, a teacher certificated under this section must complete coursework, 03 training, or testing requirements, and demonstrate proficiency as determined by 04 the department, in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, 05 reading fluency, oral language skills, and reading comprehension approved by 06 the board in regulation. A teacher may apply coursework, training, or testing 07 requirements completed under this subsection toward continuing education 08 requirements established by the board in regulation. 09 * Sec. 30. AS 14.20.015(c), as amended by sec. 29 of this Act, is amended to read: 10 (c) The preliminary teacher certificate issued under this section must contain 11 the same endorsements as those on the current valid teacher certificate issued by the 12 other state. [HOWEVER, BEFORE TEACHING STUDENTS IN GRADES 13 KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THREE, A TEACHER CERTIFICATED UNDER 14 THIS SECTION MUST COMPLETE COURSEWORK, TRAINING, OR TESTING 15 REQUIREMENTS IN PHONEMIC AWARENESS, PHONICS, VOCABULARY 16 DEVELOPMENT, READING FLUENCY, ORAL LANGUAGE SKILLS, AND 17 READING COMPREHENSION APPROVED BY THE BOARD IN REGULATION. 18 A TEACHER MAY APPLY COURSEWORK, TRAINING, OR TESTING 19 REQUIREMENTS COMPLETED UNDER THIS SUBSECTION TOWARD 20 CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED BY THE 21 BOARD IN REGULATION.] 22 * Sec. 31. AS 14.20.020(i) is amended to read: 23 (i) A [BEGINNING ON JULY 1, 1998, A] person is not eligible for an initial 24 regular teacher certificate unless the person has taken and successfully completed a 25 competency examination or examinations designated, at the time the person took the 26 test, by the board. The board shall review nationally recognized examinations that are 27 designed to test the competency of new teachers and shall designate those 28 examinations that it finds adequately test the skills and abilities of new teachers. For 29 each examination designated under this subsection, the board shall establish the 30 minimum acceptable level of performance, including a passing score. The board 31 shall reevaluate the passing score for a competency examination at least once
01 every five years and shall review each examination designated by the board at 02 least once every three years. The board shall prioritize the review of those 03 examinations for which the minimum passing score deviates the most from the 04 mean passing score adopted by other jurisdictions. When reevaluating a passing 05 score for a competency examination, the board shall consider the historical effect 06 of the established passing score, the potential effect of changing the passing score, 07 and the passing score currently used for the examination by other jurisdictions. 08 The board may allow a teacher who passed a comparable competency 09 examination required by another jurisdiction to use a score from the other 10 jurisdiction to satisfy the competency examination requirements under this 11 subsection. The board shall adopt regulations to implement this subsection. A 12 regulation that changes the passing score on a competency examination takes 13 effect on the date that is one year after the date the board adopts the regulation, 14 or a later date prescribed by the board. In this subsection, "competency 15 examination" includes a basic competency examination with components in 16 reading, writing, and mathematics and a subject area examination that is specific 17 to the subject area in which the teacher will be teaching. 18 * Sec. 32. AS 14.20.020 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 19 (l) Before teaching students in grades kindergarten through three, a teacher 20 certificated under this section must complete coursework, training, or testing 21 requirements in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading 22 fluency, oral language skills, and reading comprehension approved by the board in 23 regulation. A teacher may apply coursework, training, or testing requirements 24 completed under this subsection toward continuing education requirements established 25 by the board in regulation. 26 * Sec. 33. AS 14.30 is amended by adding new sections to read: 27 Article 15. Reading Intervention. 28 Sec. 14.30.760. Statewide screening and support. (a) To implement the 29 district reading intervention services established under AS 14.30.765, the department 30 shall 31 (1) adopt a statewide screening tool to administer to students in grades
01 kindergarten through three to identify students with reading deficiencies, including 02 students with characteristics of dyslexia; the screening tool must evaluate 03 (A) phonemic awareness, letter naming fluency, letter sound 04 fluency, and letter word sound fluency of students in kindergarten; 05 (B) letter word sound fluency and oral reading fluency of 06 students in grade one; 07 (C) vocabulary and oral reading fluency of students in grades 08 two and three; 09 (2) support teachers of grades kindergarten through three by 10 (A) administering the statewide screening tool three times each 11 school year, once in the fall, once in the winter, and once in the spring, to all 12 students in grades kindergarten through three, with the exception of students 13 who demonstrate sufficient reading skills on the first screening of the school 14 year; 15 (B) providing methods to monitor student progress; 16 (C) providing targeted instruction based on student needs as 17 determined by the results of the screening tool; and 18 (D) providing additional assistance as determined by the 19 department; 20 (3) provide training to school district staff related to using the results 21 of the statewide screening tool and understanding evidence-based reading 22 interventions, including explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, 23 phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, oral language skills, and reading 24 comprehension; 25 (4) require that districts identify the early education programs attended 26 by students and report to the department the average score on each performance 27 screening tool by students in grades kindergarten through three who 28 (A) attended a state-approved early education program; 29 (B) attended a Head Start program; 30 (C) attended a private early education program; 31 (D) did not attend an early education program;
01 (5) establish a process that allows the commissioner to waive, upon 02 request, use of the statewide screening tool required under this subsection by a school 03 district if the school district has adopted an evidence-based reading screening tool and 04 the screening tool is approved by the department; 05 (6) review, approve, and assist districts developing alternative 06 standardized reading screening tools in any language for use by school districts. 07 (b) In adopting a statewide screening tool under (a)(1) of this section, the 08 department shall consider the following factors: 09 (1) the amount of time needed to administer the screening with the 10 intention of minimizing effects on instructional time; 11 (2) the time frame for reporting screening results to teachers, 12 administrators, and parents or guardians; 13 (3) the integration of the screening with student instruction and 14 department support; 15 (4) recommendations from a task force, working group, or committee 16 created by law and charged with studying issues related to reading proficiency and 17 reading deficiencies; and 18 (5) whether the screening tool is culturally responsive. 19 Sec. 14.30.765. Reading intervention services and strategies; progression. 20 (a) Each school district shall offer intensive reading intervention services to students 21 in grades kindergarten through three who exhibit a reading deficiency to assist 22 students in achieving reading proficiency at or above grade level by the end of grade 23 three. The district shall provide the intensive reading intervention services in addition 24 to the core reading instruction that is provided to all students in the general education 25 classroom. The intensive reading intervention services must, to the extent practicable, 26 (1) be provided by a district reading teacher, or paraprofessional under 27 the supervision of a reading teacher, to all students in grades kindergarten through 28 three who are determined to have a reading deficiency based on the statewide 29 screening tool adopted under AS 14.30.760(a)(1); 30 (2) provide explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, 31 phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, oral language skills, and reading
01 comprehension, as necessary; 02 (3) use evidence-based reading intervention methods that have shown 03 proven results in accelerating student reading achievement within a single school year; 04 (4) include instruction with detailed explanations, extensive 05 opportunities for guided practice, and opportunities for error correction and feedback; 06 (5) incorporate daily targeted small group reading instruction based on 07 student needs, either in person or online; 08 (6) monitor the reading progress of each student's reading skills 09 throughout the school year and adjust instruction according to student needs; 10 (7) be implemented during regular school hours through any available 11 method, including in person or through online delivery by teachers or specialty 12 reading coaches; 13 (8) be implemented outside of regular school hours, as directed in the 14 student's individual reading improvement plan under (b) of this section, for a student 15 who scores at the lowest achievement level on the statewide screening tool; 16 (9) be reviewed based on a department-approved response to 17 intervention or multi-tiered system support models, addressing additional support and 18 services needed to remedy identified needs; and 19 (10) support reading intervention at home by parents or guardians by 20 offering a list of adult literacy resources and organizations, providing opportunities for 21 parent or guardian participation in training workshops, and encouraging regular parent 22 or guardian-guided home reading activities. 23 (b) In addition to the reading intervention services provided under (a) of this 24 section, a school district shall provide an individual reading improvement plan for 25 each student in grades kindergarten through three who is determined to have a reading 26 deficiency based on the statewide screening tool. An individual reading improvement 27 plan developed under this section must 28 (1) be implemented not later than 30 days after identification of the 29 reading deficiency; 30 (2) be created by the student's reading teacher in consultation with the 31 school principal, the student's parent or guardian, and other pertinent district staff;
01 (3) describe the evidence-based reading intervention services the 02 student will receive to achieve and demonstrate sufficient reading skills; 03 (4) provide reading intervention services outside of regular school 04 hours for a student who scores at the lowest achievement level on the statewide 05 screening tool consistent with (a)(8) of this section; 06 (5) include a process for monitoring progress and adjusting the plan 07 based on student needs; 08 (6) provide to the student's parent or guardian at least 10 reading 09 progress updates each school year; 10 (7) be culturally responsive; and 11 (8) support the student reading at home with a parent or guardian by 12 offering a list of adult literacy resources and organizations, providing opportunities for 13 parent or guardian participation in training workshops, and encouraging regular parent 14 or guardian-guided home reading activities. 15 (c) If at any time during the school year a student in grades kindergarten 16 through three demonstrates a reading deficiency, the district or school shall notify the 17 student's parent or guardian. The initial notification must 18 (1) be provided to the student's parent or guardian not later than 15 19 days after identification of the reading deficiency; 20 (2) state that the district identified the student as having a reading 21 deficiency and that a reading improvement plan will be developed under (b) of this 22 section; 23 (3) describe current services that the district is providing to the student; 24 (4) describe the proposed evidence-based reading intervention and 25 supplemental instructional services and supports that the district will provide to the 26 student to improve the identified area of reading deficiency; 27 (5) explain that the district or school will inform the parent or guardian 28 orally or in writing, as selected by the parent or guardian, of the student's progress 29 toward grade level reading as outlined in the student's individual reading improvement 30 plan; 31 (6) identify strategies for the parent or guardian to use at home to help
01 the student succeed in reading; 02 (7) explain that if the student has a reading deficiency at the end of the 03 school year and is in grades kindergarten through two, the student's progression may 04 be delayed unless the student has previously not progressed to the next grade; 05 (8) explain that a student in grade three should demonstrate sufficient 06 reading skills to progress to grade four under (e) of this section, unless the student 07 receives a waiver under (f) of this section or has previously not progressed to the next 08 grade; 09 (9) explain the process and deadline to request a waiver under (f) of 10 this section; and 11 (10) identify mid-year progression as an option for students who do 12 not progress to the next grade. 13 (d) If it is determined, based on a statewide screening administered in the 14 spring, that a student in grades kindergarten through two has a reading deficiency, the 15 student's teacher and other pertinent district staff shall notify and attempt to meet with 16 the student's parent or guardian to explain that the student will not be able to maintain 17 adequate academic progress at the next grade level. School staff shall work with the 18 parent or guardian to schedule a date, time, and place for the meeting, to be held not 19 later than 45 days before the end of the school year. Following that meeting, the parent 20 or guardian shall determine whether the student will progress to the next grade. If no 21 parent or guardian attends the meeting or if the parent or guardian does not determine 22 whether the student will progress to the next grade, the superintendent or the 23 superintendent's designee shall, after considering the student's best interest and 24 whether the student has previously not progressed to the next grade, determine 25 whether the student will progress to the next grade. 26 (e) A student in grade three should demonstrate sufficient reading skills to 27 progress to grade four. A student demonstrates sufficient reading skills to progress to 28 grade four by 29 (1) scoring at grade level or higher on the statewide screening tool or 30 on the statewide summative assessment; 31 (2) achieving an acceptable score on an alternative standardized
01 reading screening as determined and approved by the department; or 02 (3) demonstrating mastery of reading standards through a student 03 reading portfolio based on criteria established by the department. 04 (f) If it is determined, based on a statewide screening administered in the 05 spring, that a student in grade three has a reading deficiency, and the student does not 06 demonstrate sufficient reading skills to progress to grade four under (e) of this section, 07 the student's teacher and other pertinent district staff shall notify and attempt to meet 08 with the student's parent or guardian to explain that the student is not prepared to 09 progress to grade four. School staff shall work with the parent or guardian to schedule 10 a date, time, and place for the meeting, to be held not later than 45 days before the end 11 of the school year. Following that meeting, the parent or guardian may decide that the 12 student will not progress to grade four or decide to progress the student to grade four 13 by signing a waiver developed by the department acknowledging that the student is 14 not prepared and agreeing that the student will participate in an additional 20 hours of 15 individual reading improvement plan intervention services during the summer before 16 the student enters grade four. If no parent or guardian attends the meeting or if the 17 parent or guardian does not determine whether the student will progress to the next 18 grade, the superintendent or the superintendent's designee shall, after considering the 19 student's best interests and whether the student has previously not progressed to the 20 next grade, determine whether the student will progress to grade four. 21 (g) A superintendent or superintendent's designee may exempt a student from 22 delayed progression when progression is in the student's best interests. When 23 determining if progression is in a student's best interests, the superintendent or 24 superintendent's designee shall consider whether 25 (1) the student has received intensive reading intervention services for 26 two or more years and still demonstrates a reading deficiency; 27 (2) the student's primary language is a language other than English; 28 and 29 (3) the student has a disability and has an individualized education 30 plan under AS 14.30.278 or a plan under 29 U.S.C. 794. 31 (h) If no parent or guardian attends the meeting, and a superintendent or
01 superintendent's designee decides that a student in grades kindergarten through three 02 will not progress to the next grade under (d) or (f) of this section, the district or school 03 in which the student is enrolled shall provide immediate oral and written notification 04 to the student's parent or guardian. The written notification must explain that the 05 parent or guardian may reschedule the meeting provided under (d) or (f) of this section 06 and that during a meeting 07 (1) for a student in grades kindergarten through two, the parent or 08 guardian may decide to progress the student; and 09 (2) for a student in grade three, the parent or guardian may decide to 10 progress the student to grade four by signing a waiver under (f) of this section. 11 (i) For a student who does not progress to the next 12 grade under (d) or (f) of this section, or who progresses to the next 13 grade with a waiver under (f) of this section, the district in which the 14 student is enrolled shall 15 (1) review the student's individual reading improvement plan; 16 (2) provide intensive reading intervention services to improve the area 17 of reading deficiency using effective instructional strategies to accelerate student 18 progress; 19 (3) provide additional services and support to improve the student's 20 identified area of reading deficiency, including 21 (A) a transitional instructional setting that is designed to 22 produce learning gains; 23 (B) supplemental tutoring offered by a person with specialized 24 reading training; 25 (C) an increase in time dedicated to the reading instruction 26 methods described in (a)(3) - (5) of this section, including more extensive 27 opportunities for guided practice and error correction and feedback; 28 (4) develop a plan for reading at home outlined in an agreement with 29 the student's parent or guardian, including parent or guardian participation in training 30 workshops and regular parent or guardian-guided home reading activities. 31 (j) For a student who does not progress to grade one, grade two, or grade three
01 under (d) of this section, the district in which the student is enrolled shall, upon 02 request by the student's parent or guardian, develop a plan for the student's mid-year 03 progression. 04 (k) A school district shall adopt a policy providing for mid-year progression of 05 a student who does not progress to grade four under (f) of this section if the student 06 (1) demonstrates sufficient reading skills to progress to grade four on 07 the fall or winter statewide screening; and 08 (2) meets additional requirements determined by the district, including 09 satisfactory achievement in other subject areas. 10 (l) A district shall, for the remainder of the academic year, and, if necessary, 11 for additional school years, continue to implement an individual reading improvement 12 plan for a student promoted mid-year under (j) or (k) of this section. 13 (m) Unless a parent or guardian decides that a student will not progress to the 14 next grade under (d) or (f) of this section, a district or school may not delay the 15 student's progression under this section if the student previously did not progress to 16 the next grade. 17 (n) In this section, "reading teacher" means a teacher who 18 (1) holds a valid teacher certificate under AS 14.20; 19 (2) has demonstrated effectiveness in instructing students to read at or 20 above grade level as measured by student reading performance data and in teacher 21 performance evaluations; and 22 (3) meets the requirements established by the state Board of Education 23 and Early Development in regulation. 24 Sec. 14.30.770. Department reading program. (a) The department shall 25 establish a reading program to provide direct support for and intervention in intensive 26 reading intervention services annually in the lowest-performing 25 percent of schools 27 serving students in grades kindergarten through three as determined under 28 AS 14.03.123. The department shall determine how many schools may be adequately 29 served by the department's reading specialists and select schools from the lowest- 30 performing 25 percent of schools to participate in the reading program. A school 31 participating in the reading program that remains in the lowest-performing 25 percent
01 of schools as determined under AS 14.03.123 may apply to participate in the reading 02 program again in the following school year. State funding provided to participating 03 schools for implementation of the reading program is in addition to the amount of 04 funding provided under AS 14.17. In conducting the program, the department shall 05 (1) use the accountability system established in AS 14.03.123 to 06 identify low performing schools; 07 (2) establish an application process for school districts to apply to 08 participate in the program; 09 (3) select low performing schools from the schools that apply to 10 participate in the program; 11 (4) employ and assign reading specialists to direct the implementation 12 of the intensive reading intervention services established under AS 14.30.765 by 13 (A) modeling effective instructional strategies for teachers by 14 working regularly with students as a class, in small groups, or individually; 15 (B) coaching and mentoring teachers and staff in reading 16 instruction with an emphasis on prioritizing time in a manner that has the 17 greatest positive effects on student achievement; 18 (C) training teachers in data analysis and using data to 19 differentiate instruction; 20 (D) leading and supporting reading leadership teams; and 21 (E) reporting on school and student performance to the 22 department; 23 (5) establish a reporting process for each reading specialist to submit 24 updates to the department on implementation of the program; 25 (6) work with reading specialists to create specific improvement goals 26 for each school selected, including measures of interim progress; 27 (7) select and purchase additional reading material for each school 28 selected to supplement the intensive reading intervention services; 29 (8) pay travel and associated costs for a reading specialist to attend 30 relevant training sessions identified by or hosted by the department; 31 (9) periodically review staff development programs for their
01 effectiveness in developing reading skills and, after consultation with school districts 02 and experts, recommend to the board for approval staff development programs that 03 (A) have been proven to assess and accelerate student progress 04 toward reaching reading competency; 05 (B) provide explicit and systematic skill development in the 06 areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading 07 fluency, oral language skills, and reading comprehension; 08 (C) are evidence-based and reliable; 09 (D) provide initial and ongoing analysis of student progress 10 toward reaching reading competency; and 11 (E) include texts on core academic content to assist students in 12 maintaining or meeting grade-appropriate proficiency in academic subjects in 13 addition to reading. 14 (b) A school selected to participate in the reading program established under 15 this section shall 16 (1) ensure that a reading specialist assigned to the school is not 17 required to perform functions that divert from the duties the department has assigned 18 to the reading specialist; 19 (2) coordinate with the reading specialist or specialists to redesign the 20 school's daily schedule to dedicate time to reading program activities, including 21 intensive reading intervention services identified in a written agreement between the 22 school and the department; 23 (3) present on the reading program established under this section and 24 the intensive reading intervention services established under AS 14.30.765 at a public 25 meeting; the presentation must include 26 (A) the data the department used to identify the school as 27 eligible for the reading program; 28 (B) a detailed overview of the reading program and intensive 29 reading intervention services; 30 (C) a timeline for implementing the intensive reading 31 intervention services and meeting reading improvement goals; and
01 (D) the implications of the program for students, families, and 02 educators; 03 (4) provide notice of the public meeting required under (3) of this 04 subsection to the parent or guardian of each student at least seven days before the date 05 of the meeting; 06 (5) present an annual update on the school's implementation of the 07 reading program and intensive reading intervention services at a public meeting with 08 notice provided to the parent or guardian of each student at least seven days before the 09 date of the meeting; 10 (6) create partnerships between the school, the families of students, 11 and the community that focus on promoting reading and increasing the amount of time 12 that students spend reading. 13 (c) The department shall publish on the department's Internet website and 14 make available to the public 15 (1) a completed application from each school selected to participate in 16 the reading program; and 17 (2) the reading program and intensive reading intervention services 18 implemented by each school selected to participate. 19 (d) The department may employ a person as a reading specialist under this 20 section if the person 21 (1) holds a valid teacher certificate issued under AS 14.20; 22 (2) has completed an approved graduate program for the preparation of 23 reading specialists at an approved institution of higher education and 24 (A) has completed a supervised practicum or internship as a 25 reading specialist; or 26 (B) has at least three years of full-time, demonstrated 27 classroom teaching experience where reading instruction was a primary 28 responsibility; 29 (3) is knowledgeable about and demonstrates competency in reading 30 instruction, including 31 (A) an understanding of phonemic awareness, phonics,
01 vocabulary development, reading fluency, oral language skills, and reading 02 comprehension; 03 (B) knowledge of and experience in implementing effective 04 reading instruction strategies and intervention methods; 05 (C) experience in designing and implementing a school-wide 06 response to intervention program or multi-tiered system support model; 07 (D) an understanding of and experience in reading screenings 08 and data analyses that inform instruction; 09 (E) knowledge of dyslexia and other learning disorders that 10 affect reading achievement; 11 (F) knowledge of and an ability to effectively articulate the 12 methods, issues, and resources involved in support of student instruction to a 13 wide variety of audiences, including staff, parents, and students whose primary 14 language is other than English; and 15 (4) meets other reading instruction coursework requirements 16 established by the department in regulation, including coursework in indigenous 17 language learning and culturally responsive education established in regulation by the 18 department in collaboration with indigenous language stakeholders. 19 Sec. 14.30.775. Regulation. The department shall, by regulation, define 20 "dyslexia" for the purposes of AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.780. The department shall 21 consider the meaning of "dyslexia" given by the International Dyslexia Association 22 when adopting the definition by regulation. 23 Sec. 14.30.780. Definitions. In AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.780, 24 (1) "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990; 25 (2) "evidence-based reading intervention" means an intervention based 26 on reliable, trustworthy, and valid evidence that has a demonstrated record of success 27 in adequately increasing a student's reading competency in the areas of phonemic 28 awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, oral language skills, 29 and reading comprehension. 30 * Sec. 34. AS 14.30 is amended by adding a new section to read: 31 Article 16. Virtual Education.
01 Sec. 14.30.800. Virtual education consortium. (a) The department shall, in 02 cooperation with school districts, establish a virtual education consortium for the 03 purpose of making virtual education and professional development resources available 04 to students and teachers in the state. The department shall establish standards for 05 consortium resources. The consortium shall create and maintain a database of virtual 06 education courses for students, training in virtual instruction for teachers, and 07 professional development courses for teachers of students throughout the state if the 08 coursework curriculum meets the state standards established by the department. The 09 database must be accessible to all school districts that participate in the consortium. 10 (b) For teachers delivering or facilitating virtual coursework to students 11 through the consortium database, the consortium shall provide training and 12 professional development on virtual instruction methods and the differences between 13 virtual instruction and instruction offered in a classroom. A teacher may not provide 14 instruction through a course for students that is in the database unless 15 (1) the teacher has completed the training or professional development 16 provided by the consortium; or 17 (2) the consortium determines that the teacher's previous experience 18 has prepared the teacher to provide virtual instruction and the teacher demonstrates the 19 skills necessary to provide virtual instruction. 20 (c) The consortium shall employ a reading specialist available to school 21 districts to provide virtual intensive reading intervention services. The duties of the 22 reading specialist include 23 (1) modeling effective instructional strategies for teachers by working 24 regularly with students as a class, in small groups, or individually; 25 (2) coaching and mentoring teachers and staff in reading instruction 26 with an emphasis on prioritizing time in a manner that has the greatest positive effects 27 on student achievement; 28 (3) training teachers in data analysis and using data to differentiate 29 instruction; 30 (4) leading and supporting reading leadership teams; and 31 (5) reporting on school and student performance to the department.
01 (d) The department may require a school district that participates in the 02 consortium to pay a fee to the consortium. If the department requires a fee, the 03 department shall establish the fee in regulations, based on a recommendation made by 04 the consortium, and may adjust the fee annually as necessary. The fees must 05 approximately equal the consortium's prorated administrative costs related to 06 reviewing and approving courses and maintaining the database. 07 (e) A school district that provides a course included in the database may 08 charge a fee to the school district in which a student who takes the course is enrolled. 09 The department shall establish the fee in regulations. 10 (f) The consortium may require, as a condition of participation, that school 11 districts that provide courses or have students participating in courses included in the 12 database under (a) of this section adopt the same school term and class schedule for all 13 or part of a school day. The school term must meet the requirements of AS 14.03.030. 14 (g) In this section, "virtual education" or "virtual instruction" means 15 instruction delivered through telecommunications or another digital or electronic 16 method. 17 * Sec. 35. AS 14.60.010 is amended by adding new paragraphs to read: 18 (9) "culturally responsive" means showing respect for and recognition 19 of the traditions, beliefs, languages, values, and practices of the local culture that has 20 historically been present in the geographic area being served; 21 (10) "parent" or "guardian" includes a natural, adoptive, and foster 22 parent, stepparent, legal guardian, relative, and other adult person with whom a 23 student has resided and who has acted as a parent in providing for the student or has 24 been responsible for the student's welfare for a continuous period. 25 * Sec. 36. AS 47.17.290(12) is amended to read: 26 (12) "organization" means a group or entity that provides care and 27 supervision for compensation to a child not related to the caregiver, and includes a 28 child care facility, pre-elementary school, early education program, head start 29 center, child foster home, residential child care facility, recreation program, children's 30 camp, and children's club; 31 * Sec. 37. AS 14.03.080(d) and 14.03.290(4) are repealed.
01 * Sec. 38. AS 14.03.120(h), 14.03.410, 14.03.420; AS 14.17.500(e), 14.17.500(f); 02 AS 14.20.020(l); AS 14.30.760, 14.30.765, 14.30.770, 14.30.775, 14.30.780, and 14.30.800 03 are repealed. 04 * Sec. 39. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 05 read: 06 VIRTUAL EDUCATION AVAILABILITY DEADLINE. The Department of 07 Education and Early Development shall make available virtual education courses and 08 professional development resources under sec. 34 of this Act on or before July 1, 2024. 09 * Sec. 40. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 10 read: 11 APPLICABILITY. Section 32 of this Act applies, 12 (1) on the effective date of sec. 32 of this Act, to teachers who begin teaching 13 students in grades kindergarten through three on and after the effective date of sec. 32 of this 14 Act; 15 (2) on July 1, 2024, to teachers who began teaching students in grades 16 kindergarten through three before the effective date of sec. 32 of this Act. 17 * Sec. 41. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 18 read: 19 REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE. Not later than the thirtieth day of the First 20 Regular Session of the Thirty-Eighth Alaska State Legislature, the Department of Education 21 and Early Development shall prepare and present to the legislative committees having 22 jurisdiction over education a report evaluating the virtual education consortium established 23 under AS 14.30.800 and the following programs established under this Act: the early 24 education program, the parents as teachers program, the reading intervention program, and the 25 department reading program. The report must include 26 (1) data analysis conducted by an independent contractor evaluating the 27 success of each program, including 28 (A) statistics measuring the effectiveness of each program in 29 accomplishing the program mission; 30 (B) the cost-effectiveness of each program; 31 (C) trends in reading screening scores by each group of students listed
01 in AS 14.30.760(a)(4) as the students progress through grade eight; 02 (2) recommendations from the panels convened under AS 14.07.020(a)(19); 03 and 04 (3) recommendations from the Department of Education and Early 05 Development addressing whether to extend, expand, contract, or repeal each program. 06 * Sec. 42. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 07 read: 08 TRANSITION. The number of district-wide early education programs that the 09 department approves under AS 14.03.410 in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022, may not 10 result in more than $3,000,000 of total state aid attributable to early education programs. In 11 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023, the number of district-wide early education programs 12 that the department approves may not result in an increase from the prior fiscal year of more 13 than $3,000,000 of total state aid attributable to early education programs. 14 * Sec. 43. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 15 read: 16 TRANSITION: REGULATIONS. The Department of Education and Early 17 Development and the state Board of Education and Early Development may adopt regulations 18 necessary to implement the changes made by this Act. The regulations take effect under 19 AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act), but a regulation may not take effect before the 20 effective date of the relevant provision of this Act implemented by the regulation. 21 * Sec. 44. Section 43 of this Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 22 * Sec. 45. Sections 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 16, 19, 22, 26, 28, 30, and 38 of this Act take effect 23 June 30, 2034. 24 * Sec. 46. Except as provided in secs. 44 and 45 of this Act, this Act takes effect July 1, 25 2023.