S99 - Appropriations Act of 2018. (SL 2018-5)

Overview: Sec. 7.24 of S.L. 2018-5 as amended by Sec. 2.10 of S.L. 2018-97, makes various clarifying changes and additions to the reporting and accountability requirements of the Read to Achieve Program (Program) that include the following:

• In addition to the previous requirements, each local board of education must also publish annually on its website and report in writing to the State Board of Education by September 1 of each year:
• The name of each alternative assessment used to assess reading comprehension and the number and percentage of third grade students who take and pass each alternative assessment.
• For each grade level, the number and percentage of students eligible for priority enrollment in reading camp and the number and percentage of those students who attend reading camp.
• Each local board of education must report annually in writing to the State Board of Education the following information from the prior school year by September 1 of each year:
• A description of all reading interventions provided to students who have been retained.
• The number of first and second grade students attending a reading camp offered by the local board of education.
• The license area or areas, years of licensed teaching experience, grade level assignment, and any other specific subject-area assignments of each teacher providing instruction at a reading camp.
• The number and percentage of teachers providing instruction at a reading camp who were paid a reading performance bonus during the school year immediately preceding the reading camp and the grade level on which the bonus was based.
• Each local board of education must report annually in writing to the State Board of Education the following information from the prior school year by November 15 of each year:
• The number and percentage of third grade students who did not demonstrate proficiency upon entering reading camp and who became proficient after completing reading camp.
• For each grade level, the number and percentage of first and second grade students who demonstrated reading comprehension below grade level upon entering camp and who demonstrated reading comprehension at or above grade level after completing reading camp.
• The State Board of Education shall include all of the above information in its State-level summary submitted annually by December 15. The information must be broken down by local school administrative unit.
• Local boards of education must submit all of the required information to the State Board of Education using the uniform format established by the State Board.
• The Department of Public Instruction must provide for the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) analysis all formative and diagnostic assessment data on reading proficiency for kindergarten through third grade.
• In addition to the previous requirements, each charter school must also publish annually on its website and report in writing to the State Board of Education by September 1 of each year the name of each alternative assessment used to assess reading comprehension and the number and percentage of third grade students who take and pass each alternative assessment.

This section became effective July 1, 2018, applies beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, and includes the reporting of required data from the 2017-2018 school year.