AB 558

Read to lead

This bill creates the Read to Lead Development Council in the Office of the

Governor. The council consists of the governor, the state superintendent of public

instruction, four legislators, and 15 additional members appointed by the governor.

The bill creates a segregated fund, designated the governor's read to lead

development fund, consisting of all contributions made to the fund. The bill

appropriates moneys in the fund to the governor and to the state superintendent to

award grants in support of literacy and early childhood development programs. The

governor may award a grant to any person other than a school board. The state

superintendent may award a grant only to a school board. The governor and the state

superintendent jointly determine the amount of each grant. The bill directs the Read

to Lead Development Council to advise the governor and state superintendent on

grant recipients.

Assessments of reading readiness

This bill directs each school board and each independent charter school

annually to assess all pupils in five-year-old kindergarten programs for reading

readiness. If the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) determines that sufficient

moneys are available, the school board and the charter school must also assess all

pupils in four-year-old kindergarten programs. The school board and charter school

must use an assessment selected by DPI. The school board and charter school must

provide a pupil whose assessment indicates that he or she is at risk of reading

difficulty with remedial reading services. The bill appropriates moneys to DPI to

provide school districts and independent charter schools with the assessments.

Teacher licensure

Beginning January 1, 2014, the bill prohibits DPI from issuing an initial

teaching license that authorizes the holder to teach in grades kindergarten to five

or in special education unless the applicant has passed an examination that tests the

applicant's knowledge of specified facets of reading development and reading

instruction. The bill provides that any teacher who passes the examination must

notify DPI in order to have a notation added to the teacher's license indicating that

he or she passed the examination.

Teacher preparatory programs

Under current law, DPI establishes standards and requirements for and

approves education programs leading to licensure as a teacher, including programs

leading to licensure as an alternative education program teacher. This bill requires

each teacher education program located in this state to, beginning on July 1, 2012,

and annually thereafter, provide DPI with a list of graduates, and their graduation

dates, from each term or semester of the program's most recently completed

academic year. The bill requires DPI to include this information about graduates of

teacher education programs in the statewide student information system.