§ 53A-1-606.5. State reading goal -- Reading achievement plan.

(1) As used in this section:

(a) "Competency" means a demonstrable acquisition of a specified knowledge, skill, or ability that has been organized into a hierarchical arrangement leading to higher levels of knowledge, skill, or ability.

(b) "Five domains of reading" include phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.

(2)

(a) The Legislature recognizes that:

(i) reading is the most fundamental skill, the gateway to knowledge and lifelong learning;

(ii) there is an ever increasing demand for literacy in the highly technological society we live in;

(iii) students who do not learn to read will be economically and socially disadvantaged;

(iv) reading problems exist in almost every classroom;

(v) almost all reading failure is preventable if reading difficulties are diagnosed and treated early; and

(vi) early identification and treatment of reading difficulties can result in students learning to read by the end of the third grade.

(b) It is therefore the goal of the state to have every student in the state's public education system reading on or above grade level by the end of the third grade.

(3)

(a) Each public school containing kindergarten, grade one, grade two, or grade three, including charter schools, shall develop, in conjunction with all other school planning processes and requirements, a reading achievement plan for its students in kindergarten through grade three to reach the reading goal set in Subsection (2)(b).

(b) The reading achievement plan shall be:

(i) created under the direction of:

(A) the school community council or a subcommittee or task force created by the school community council, in the case of a school district school; or

(B) the charter school governing board or a subcommittee or task force created by the governing board, in the case of a charter school; and

(ii) implemented by the school's principal, teachers, and other appropriate school staff.

(c) The school principal shall take primary responsibility to provide leadership and allocate resources and support for teachers and students, most particularly for those who are reading below grade level, to achieve the reading goal.

(d) Each reading achievement plan shall include:

(i) an assessment component that:

(A) focuses on ongoing formative assessment to measure the five domains of reading, as appropriate, and inform individualized instructional decisions; and

(B) includes a benchmark assessment of reading approved by the State Board of Education pursuant to Section 53A-1-606.6;

(ii) an intervention component:

(A) that provides adequate and appropriate interventions focused on each student attaining competency in reading skills;

(B) based on best practices identified through proven researched-based methods;

(C) that provides intensive intervention, such as focused instruction in small groups and individualized data driven instruction, implemented at the earliest possible time for students having difficulty in reading;

(D) that provides an opportunity for parents to receive materials and guidance so that they will be able to assist their children in attaining competency in reading skills; and

(E) that, as resources allow, may involve a reading specialist; and

(iii) a reporting component that includes reporting to parents:

(A) at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of grade one, grade two, and grade three, their child's benchmark assessment results as required by Section 53A-1-606.6; and

(B) at the end of third grade, their child's reading level.

(e) In creating or reviewing a reading achievement plan as required by this section, a school community council, charter school governing board, or a subcommittee or task force of a school community council or charter school governing board may not have access to data that reveal the identity of students.

(4)

(a) The school district shall approve each plan developed by schools within the district prior to its implementation and review each plan annually.

(b) The charter school governing board shall approve each plan developed by schools under its control and review each plan annually.

(c) A school district and charter school governing board shall:

(i) monitor the learning gains of a school's students as reported by the benchmark assessments administered pursuant to Section 53A-1-606.6; and

(ii) require a reading achievement plan to be revised, if the school district or charter school governing board determines a school's students are not making adequate learning gains.

Amended by Chapter 466, 2013 General Session