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Pennsylvania Statutes Title 24 P.S. Education § 15-1502-N. Evidence-based reading instruction curriculum

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) Department duties.--

(1) The department shall develop a process for a vendor to submit an evidenced-based reading instruction curriculum for review by the department, in consultation with the council, for inclusion on the list developed and maintained under paragraph (2).

(2) By June 1, 2025, the department shall develop and maintain a list of evidence-based reading instruction curricula that meets the following requirements:

(i) The curricula shall be aligned with the Commonwealth's academic standards and the science of reading.

(ii) The curricula shall include a logical scope and sequence for implementing curriculum that is systematic and cumulative.

(3) The department shall maintain all of the following on the department's publicly accessible Internet website:

(i) The current list of curricula under paragraph (2).

(ii) The criteria and rubrics used to identify high-quality curriculum under paragraph (2) and to approve universal reading screeners under subsection (b). The criteria and rubrics must be developed in consultation with the council.

(4) The department shall provide a process through which a school entity can submit an application for additional curriculum that meets the requirements under paragraph (2) for inclusion on the list developed and maintained by the department under paragraph (2).

(5) The department shall establish a reading leadership council that shall advise the department on the development and maintenance of the list of reading instruction curricula that meets the requirements under paragraph (2), a list of structured literacy professional development training programs that successfully meet the essential content requirements in section 1205.8(c)(1),  1 the list of universal reading screeners and the list of structured literacy intervention approaches that meets the requirements under subsection (b). The following shall apply:

(i) The council shall have 20 members appointed by the department who have expertise in structured literacy and shall include public school elementary school staff, including the following:

(A) Primary classroom teachers in kindergarten through third grade.

(B) Reading specialists.

(C) Literacy coaches.

(D) Elementary special education teachers.

(E) A learning support employee with experience working with subgroups as defined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114-95, 129 Stat. 1802).

(ii) Membership on the council shall reflect geographic representation of school districts, including diversity of district types, including rural, urban and suburban.

(iii) The council shall meet at least once every two months at dates and times determined by the department. Meetings of the council shall be held in accordance with 65 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 (relating to open meetings).

(iv) In performing its work, the council may consult with other professionals and nonprofit organizations with expertise in structured literacy.

(v) The council's final recommendations shall be published on the department's publicly accessible Internet website and submitted to the following:

(A) The Governor.

(B) The State Board of Education.

(C) The President pro tempore of the Senate.

(D) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(E) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the Education Committee of the Senate.

(F) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the Education Committee of the House of Representatives.

(6) This subsection shall expire five years from the effective date of this paragraph.

(b) List of screeners.--

(1) The department, in consultation with the council, shall develop, maintain and publish on the department's publicly accessible Internet website a list of universal reading screeners and a list of structured literacy intervention approaches that are aligned with the essential components of evidence-based reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Initial publication of the lists must occur by June 1, 2025.

(2) In determining which universal reading screeners to include on the list, the department shall consider the following factors:

(i) The time required to conduct the screening, with the intention of minimizing impact on instructional time.

(ii) The timeliness in reporting screening results to teachers, administrators and parents.

(iii) The integration of assessment and feedback the screener provides, including the ability to provide progress monitoring capabilities and a diagnostic tool to support teachers or a progress monitoring team with targeted instruction based on student needs.

(3) The department shall provide professional development on reading screening and literacy intervention approaches at no cost to a school entity or an educator. The professional development shall be provided during the contractual school day, inclusive of in-service days and other designated professional development days as provided for in the school entity's collective bargaining agreement. If insufficient professional development days are available, the professional development shall be provided through a separate agreement between a school entity and an employee organization at no cost to the school entity or the educator.

1 24 P.S. § 12-1205.8.
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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Pennsylvania Statutes Title 24 P.S. Education § 15-1502-N. Evidence-based reading instruction curriculum - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/pa/title-24-ps-education/pa-st-sect-24-15-1502-n/

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