§ 53A-1b-105. Elements of a high quality school readiness program. (Effective 5/13/2014)

(1) A high quality school readiness program run by an eligible LEA or eligible private provider shall include the following components:

(a) an evidence-based curriculum that is aligned with all of the developmental domains and academic content areas defined in the Utah Early Childhood Standards adopted by the State Board of Education, and incorporates intentional and differentiated instruction in whole group, small group, and child-directed learning, including the following academic content areas:

(i) oral language and listening comprehension;

(ii) phonological awareness and prereading;

(iii) alphabet and word knowledge;

(iv) prewriting;

(v) book knowledge and print awareness;

(vi) numeracy;

(vii) creative arts;

(viii) science and technology; and

(ix) social studies, health, and safety;

(b) ongoing, focused, and intensive professional development for staff of the school readiness program;

(c) ongoing assessment of a student's educational growth and developmental progress to inform instruction;

(d) a pre- and post-assessment, selected by the board in accordance with Section 53A-1b-110, of each student;

(e) for a preschool program run by an eligible LEA, a class size that does not exceed 20 students, with one adult for every 10 students in the class;

(f) ongoing program evaluation and data collection to monitor program goal achievement and implementation of required program components;

(g) family engagement, including ongoing communication between home and school, and parent education opportunities based on each family's circumstances;

(h) for a preschool program run by an eligible LEA, each teacher having at least obtained:

(i) the minimum standard of a child development associate certification; or

(ii) an associate or bachelor's degree in an early childhood education related field; and

(i) for a preschool program run by an eligible private provider, by a teacher's second year, each teacher having at least obtained:

(i) the minimum standard of a child development associate certification; or

(ii) an associate or bachelor's degree in an early childhood education related field.

(2) A high quality school readiness program run by a home-based educational technology provider shall:

(a) be an evidence-based and age appropriate individualized interactive instruction assessment and feedback technology program that teaches eligible students early learning skills needed to be successful upon entry into kindergarten;

(b) require regular parental engagement with the student in the student's use of the home-based educational technology program;

(c) be aligned with the Utah early childhood core standards;

(d) require the administration of the pre- and post-assessment, designated by the board in accordance with Section 53A-1b-110, of each eligible student; and

(e) require technology providers to ensure successful implementation and utilization of the technology program.

Enacted by Chapter 304, 2014 General Session