HB 1139

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to reading deficiencies; amending s.
3	1002.20, F.S.; providing certain rights to parents of
4	students with reading deficiencies; creating s. 1003.59,
5	F.S.; requiring a Reading Enhancement and Acceleration
6	Initiative to be established in each school district;
7	providing focus of the initiative to prevent the retention
8	of third-grade students and to provide accelerated reading
9	instruction to students who fail to meet certain
10	standards; specifying student and parent rights; providing
11	for oversight and enforcement for noncompliance; providing
12	an effective date.
13
14	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16	Section 1.  Subsections (11) through (22) of section
17	1002.20, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (12)
18	through (23), respectively, and a new subsection (11) is added
19	to said section to read:
20	1002.20  K-12 student and parent rights.--Parents of public
21	school students must receive accurate and timely information
22	regarding their child's academic progress and must be informed
23	of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12
24	students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory
25	rights including, but not limited to, the following:
26	(11)  STUDENTS WITH READING DEFICIENCIES.--Each elementary
27	school shall regularly assess the reading ability of each K-3
28	student. The parent of any K-3 student who exhibits a reading
29	deficiency shall be immediately notified of the student?s
30	deficiency with a description and explanation in terms
31	understandable to the parent of the exact nature of the
32	student?s struggle with reading, shall be consulted in the
33	development of a detailed academic improvement plan, as
34	described in s. 1008.25(4)(b), and shall be informed that the
35	student will be given intensive reading instruction until the
36	deficiency is corrected. This subsection operates in addition to
37	the remediation and notification provisions contained in s.
38	1008.25 and in no way reduces the rights of a parent or the
39	responsibilities of a school district under that section.
40	Section 2.  Section 1003.59, Florida Statutes, is created
41	to read:
42	1003.59  Reading Enhancement and Acceleration Initiative.--
43	(1)  ESTABLISHMENT.--A Reading Enhancement and Acceleration
44	Initiative shall be established in each school district. The
45	focus of the statewide initiative shall be to:
46	(a)  Establish a reading enhancement initiative to prevent
47	the retention of third-grade students by implementing a method
48	and system for preventing illiteracy in grades K-3.
49	(b)  Establish a reading acceleration initiative to provide
50	intensive, accelerated reading instruction to third-grade
51	students who fail to meet standards for promotion to the fourth
52	grade.
53	(2)  READING ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE REQUIREMENTS.--The
54	reading enhancement initiative shall:
55	(a)  Be provided to all K-3 students at risk of retention
56	as identified by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy
57	Skills (DIBELS), the statewide assessment system used in Florida
58	Reading First schools. DIBELS are five brief measures of the
59	important skills that form the basis for early success in
60	reading.
61	(b)  Include daily 30-minute to 45-minute intensive reading
62	instruction delivered by professional and paraprofessional staff
63	trained to provide explicit, systematic instruction in the five
64	essential components of reading as identified by Reading First,
65	which are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and
66	comprehension, and in using assessment to indicate needed
67	instruction.
68	(c)  Be provided during regular school hours in addition to
69	the regular reading instruction.
70	(d)  Provide a state-identified reading curriculum that
71	includes a method and system for preventing illiteracy that has
72	been reviewed by the Florida Center for Reading Research at
73	Florida State University and meets, at a minimum, the following
74	specifications:
75	1.  Assists struggling readers to attain reading at grade
76	level.
77	2.  Provides skill development in the five essential
78	components of reading as identified by Reading First.
79	3.  Is research based and has a proven method and system
80	for preventing illiteracy.
81	4.  Provides scientifically based and reliable assessment.
82	5.  Provides correct placement within the reading program.
83	6.  Provides initial and ongoing analysis of each student?s
84	reading progress.
85	7.  Includes a computerized management system for immediate
86	analysis and reporting to school officials and parents.
87	8.  Includes DIBELS assessment, or a completely equivalent
88	measure, which is integrated into the curriculum.
89	(3)  READING ACCELERATION INITIATIVE REQUIREMENTS.--The
90	reading acceleration initiative shall:
91	(a)  Be provided through reading acceleration centers to
92	all third-grade students who fail to meet standards for
93	promotion to the fourth grade.
94	(b)  Include daily 60-minute to 90-minute intensive,
95	accelerated reading instruction delivered by high-quality
96	instructional staff who hold certification in elementary
97	education, certification in reading, or an endorsement in
98	reading and who have extensive training in explicit, systematic
99	instruction in the five essential components of reading as
100	identified by Reading First and in using assessment to indicate
101	needed instruction.
102	(c)  Be implemented during regular school hours.
103	(d)  Offer core education services to enrolled students to
104	enable students to stay on grade level in other academic areas.
105	(e)  Adopt a reading curriculum that meets all requirements
106	set forth in paragraph (2)(d).
107	(4)  STUDENT AND PARENT RIGHTS.-?
108	(a)  A student retained pursuant to s. 1008.25 may attend a
109	reading acceleration center.
110	(b)  Each retained student shall be assessed each 9 weeks
111	and shall be promoted to fourth grade if he or she becomes a
112	successful and independent reader by achieving a passing score
113	on a nationally recognized standardized test as determined by
114	the Department of Education.
115	(c)  If a student achieves a score on a test administered
116	pursuant to paragraph (b) that does not result in the student's
117	promotion to the fourth grade, the school, in consultation with
118	the student?s parent, shall modify the student?s academic
119	improvement plan entered into pursuant to s. 1002.20(11) or s.
120	1008.25(4)(b) to reflect the student?s current level of
121	performance in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary,
122	and comprehension. During this process, the parent must be
123	informed of all instructional and support services available to
124	improve the student?s reading ability.
125	(5)  COMPLIANCE.--Any school district that fails to comply
126	with the requirements of this section shall be subject to the
127	oversight and enforcement provisions contained in s. 1008.32.
128	Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.