Reading readiness assessments and making an appropriation. (FE)

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, school boards and independent charter schools must annually assess pupils enrolled in four-year-old kindergarten to second grade for reading readiness using an assessment of literacy fundamentals selected by the school board or independent charter school. The selected reading readiness assessment must evaluate whether a pupil possesses phonemic awareness and letter sound knowledge. Current law does not provide a timeline for completing the assessment. Current law also requires a school board or independent charter school to provide interventions or remedial reading services to a pupil if the reading readiness assessment indicates that the pupil is at risk of reading difficulty. Current law requires school boards and independent charter schools to report the results of a pupil's reading readiness assessment to the pupil's parent or guardian but does not require school boards and independent charter schools to report reading readiness assessment results to the Department of Public Instruction or the legislature.

This bill requires school boards and independent charter schools to 1) assess pupils in four-year-old kindergarten to second grade for reading readiness, as required under current law, by November 15 of each school year and 2) submit to DPI the number of pupils identified as at risk of reading difficulty based on the results of the reading readiness assessment by January 1 of each school year. Under the bill, DPI must submit the information it receives from school boards and independent charter schools to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature by no later than April 1. The bill also provides onetime funding in the amount of $500,000 to DPI to establish a system to track data that school boards and independent charter schools must submit to DPI. Finally, the bill authorizes DPI to promulgate rules related to the administration of the reading readiness assessment requirements.

Who's behind it

10 representatives are its authors⁠. All 10 are Republicans.

3 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.

What it would cost

State agencies filed a cost estimate. Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

• Fiscal Estimate From DPI