Schools would provide adolescent literacy instruction and student reading support

The Department of Education would develop an adolescent literacy program, approve reading assessments and training courses, and provide coaching resources; public schools would provide specified reading instruction. The program covers students in grades four through eight, including special education students, and teachers who teach reading or English language arts in those grades. Approved assessments would include screening, diagnostic, and progress-monitoring tools and would account for accommodations and instructional time. Instructional materials would have to meet state standards, use science-of-reading methods, and not use the three-cueing model. Charter schools rated A, B, or C would be exempt from submitting the school literacy plan to the department; schools rated D or F would submit it to their chartering authorities instead. The adolescent literacy provisions would generally begin in the 2027-2028 school year. Schools would submit their first literacy skills plans beginning September 1, 2026, and every three years afterward.

Schools would assess certain students, notify their parents or guardians, create individual reading improvement plans, and provide targeted reading interventions. This applies to students who scored below mastery in English language arts on the prior school year's state assessment and to students later identified as having reading deficiencies. Schools would provide continued grade-level instruction along with extra intervention time, small-group support, appropriate remediation, and access to trained reading staff. Plans would identify the student's reading difficulties, goals, progress measures, services, and home-support strategies. Individualized education programs and accommodation plans would control if they conflict with these requirements. Schools would assess qualifying students within the first 30 days of each school year. They would notify parents within 15 days after identifying a reading deficiency and provide an improvement plan within 30 days of that identification. Plans would remain in place until the student no longer shows a deficiency under an approved assessment or the state English language arts assessment.

Approved teacher education programs would include specified early and adolescent literacy instruction, and schools or school boards would provide required professional learning during existing collaboration time. The teacher-program rules cover candidates preparing for kindergarten-through-third-grade, special education, or secondary certification. The professional-learning rules cover relevant educators and teachers who tutor students. Training would cover science-of-reading methods, intervention, student data, dyslexia, content-area literacy, and use of high-quality materials. Required courses or coaching would not increase collaboration time or extend the teacher workday or work year. Training during planning time or outside regular work hours would require compensation under the cited law. The requirements for special education and secondary teacher candidates would apply to people entering teacher education programs during or after the 2027-2028 academic year. Other adolescent literacy implementation would generally begin in that school year.