Amid growing concern about the number of children who have problems learning to read, reading and literacy have become center-stage issues across the nation and the region during the past year. In their 1997 sessions, legislatures in eight of the 15 SREB states took actions aimed at improving reading achievement in the early elementary grades. Fueled by research that shows most children not reading at grade level by the end of third grade are doomed to continued failure, much of this legislation focuses on intensive early intervention and ties promotion from grade to grade to students' reading levels.

Arkansas

        Setting a goal that all public school children should be able to read at or above grade level by the end of third grade, legislation passed requiring that students in kindergarten through grade three who fail to perform at grade level during the regular school year must attend summer school to be eligible for promotion to the next grade. School districts were also given the option of requiring summer school for students in grades four and five who are not reading at grade level by the end of the year. For the first time, school districts are permitted to provide free summer school and free transportation to summer school for students whose families are unable to pay for the services and the State Board of Education is authorized to provide funding for that purpose.
        The legislation encourages schools to identify students at risk of reading failure as early as possible and to provide these students with intensive reading instruction during the regular school year. In addition to the summer school programs, the State Board of Education is authorized to provide funds for tutoring and hiring additional certified teachers during the regular school year and for staff development programs for teachers.

(A 1996 SREB report—Getting Elementary Schools Ready for Children: Reading First— discussed the intensive one-on-one tutoring program Reading Recovery and its impact in many Arkansas public schools.)

Florida

        Declaring its intention that each student's progression from one grade to another should be linked to proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics, the legislature directed all school districts to establish a comprehensive program for pupil progression from grade to grade. The plan must include standards for evaluating each student's performance; specific performance criteria for each grade level K-12; and local goals and objectives compatible with statewide goals and standards.
        Students who fail to meet performance standards must be provided with additional diagnostic assessments to determine the nature of their difficulties and areas of academic need. In consultation with the student's parent or legal guardian, the school must develop and implement an academic improvement plan designed to assist the student. The plan must include intensive remedial instruction in the areas of weakness through activities that may include summer school, extended school day services and tutoring.
        Focusing on early intervention, the legislation specifies that any student who exhibits substantial deficiency in reading skills in grades one to three based on locally determined assessments must immediately be given intensive reading instruction and the instruction must be continued until the student's reading deficiencies are remedied. Students who continue to read at unacceptable levels at the end of grade two or three must be retained, although the local school board may exempt a student from mandatory retention for good cause.
        All provisions of this legislation became effective July 1, 1997, but implementation was made contingent on either a legislative appropriation or identification of federal funds for this purpose. At this time, no state funds have been appropriated to support the legislation.
        In separate action, the legislature appropriated $3.5 million for a home reading program targeting families with children in pre-kindergarten through third grade and $2.5 million for start-up or expansion of Reading Recovery programs in Florida during the 1997-98 school year.

Louisiana

      The 1997 legislature allocated $30 million to the department of education for development of a balanced and comprehensive approach to improve the reading and mathematics performance of students in kindergarten through third grade.
        In reading, the department was directed to develop a comprehensive and balanced reading initiative for students in kindergarten through third grade. The initiative must be research-based and must include, at a minimum: a program applicable to all K-3 students, including those in special education; a method of identifying schools with at-risk and low performing students in these grades; a plan for coordinating this initiative with existing programs and funding sources; a valid evaluation process; and a program including phonics. The effectiveness of the initiative will be evaluated through a state-level assessment that the department will develop to identify schools and school systems that are meeting statewide school accountability standards. (A comprehensive accountability plan is currently under development.)
        Beginning in the 1997-98 school year, every public elementary school in the state must implement an elementary reading program designed to teach each student to read at grade level not later than the end of first grade. Within thirty days of the start of the school year, second and third grade teachers are required to report the number of students in their classes who are not reading at grade level. School systems must report these numbers to the state board of education, which will in turn submit a report to the house and senate education committees for every elementary school and school system and for the state as a whole.
        Guidelines for use by school systems in applying for funding for the reading and math initiative were approved by the state board of education in July.

Oklahoma

        The Reading Sufficiency Act is intended to ensure that all children master necessary reading skills by the end of third grade. Beginning in the 1998-99 school year, the act requires that all first and second grade public school students must be assessed for acquisition of reading skills on an on-going basis using multiple assessments. Students not reading at grade level must be provided with a reading assessment plan including a program of intensive instruction designed to remedy reading deficiencies. The program may include additional in-school instruction and tutoring outside of regular school hours and during the summer, and the legislation strongly suggests that the program should include phonics. The program is to be continued until the student is reading at or above grade level, and the student may continue to progress from grade to grade while in the program.
        All elementary schools are required to establish a committee of educators, including a certified reading specialist if possible, to determine the reading assessment plan for each student. Parents or guardians must be involved in this process. School districts are also required to adopt annual district reading plans. Students who are on a reading assessment plan in third grade must receive tutoring, and those not reading at grade level by the end of third grade may be retained.
        The Reading Sufficiency Act also directs the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation to develop professional development programs in reading for elementary school teachers. These programs must be offered at no cost to the teachers. A total of $3.4 million was allocated to fund all new professional development requirements, and the state board of education was directed to set aside of portion of these funds specifically for intensive reading institutes.

South Carolina

        To increase the level of intensive early intervention efforts in reading, the legislature earmarked $800,000 for expansion of Reading Recovery programs in 1997-98, up from $600 million in 1996-97.

Tennessee

        As part of a bill aimed at increasing accountability in public education in Tennessee, the legislature directed the commissioner of education and the state board of education to recommend to the Joint Oversight Committee on Education by Jan. 1, 1998, a diagnostic method for evaluating reading and other basic skills in first and second grade. The legislation further specified that no state mandated test other than the new diagnostic tool may be conducted earlier than third grade.

Texas

        As part of his statewide reading initiative, Governor George Bush asked the Legislature to provide new funds for intensive reading programs. The Legislature responded by appropriating $32 million for that purpose over the current biennium. The funds are to be distributed to schools on the basis of competitive grants. They may be used for: implementation of research-based reading programs; the purchase of additional instructional and library materials; hiring additional instructional staff; and providing staff development programs in reading. To be eligible for the grants, schools must be using a reading assessment instrument approved by the Texas Education Agency and must have a plan for parental involvement.
        In separate legislation, the commissioner of education was directed to adopt a list of instruments for diagnosing problems in reading development and comprehension by Aug. 1, 1998. District-level planning committees are also permitted to adopt their own lists of reading diagnostic instruments. Any instrument on either list must be based on scientific research about reading skills development and comprehension. Beginning with the 1998-99 school year, every school district in the state must have a reading diagnosis program in place in kindergarten and grades one and two. The Texas Education Agency will develop recommendations for school districts on administration of the diagnostic instruments, training of educators, and use of results.
        The legislature also authorized the Texas Education Agency to issue specially designed "Read to Succeed" motor vehicle license plates. Fees collected for this voluntary license plate will be used exclusively to supplement appropriated funds in support of the reading diagnostic program. (A report on The Texas Reading Initiative: Mobilizing Resources for Literacy was published by SREB in October 1997.)

Virginia

        In his budget request, Governor George Allen asked the Virginia legislature to appropriate new funds for intervention reading instruction for kindergarten or first-grade students experiencing difficulties in reading. The legislature responded by appropriating $6.2 million for this purpose for the 1997-98 school year. For purposes of determining the amount to be appropriated, the percentage of first grade students eligible for the federal free lunch program was used as a proxy for the number of children who might be expected to need extra help in reading. The appropriation amount was calculated on the basis of the estimated cost of providing this number of students with an additional 2.5 hours of reading instruction per week for 36 weeks at a student to teacher ratio of 5:1. It was clearly understood, however, that the students who actually need the assistance will not all come from this group. In addition, the appropriation included $250,000 for the purchase or development of an appropriate diagnostic tool to identify students with early reading deficits.
        Funds may be used to pay teachers or aides to provide special reading services and to purchase interactive computer hardware and software that provides direct instruction in fundamental reading skills. Funds may not be used to purchase other types of materials, provide staff development programs or hire consultants.

        The flurry of new reading legislation in the SREB region during 1997 is a reflection of a growing sense of urgency about helping children who are having problems with reading. In several states, the legislation includes references to the need to provide direct instruction in phonics. This is a response to the large and growing body of research showing that many children who fail to learn to read do so because they fail to master the building blocks of written language, specifically awareness of the alphabet and of the 44 phonemes—sounds formed by letters and combinations of letters—that make up the English language. Phonics refers to the teaching of such skills, and the research clearly indicates that phonics is an essential part of any effective reading program.
        The amount of direct phonics instruction individual children require will vary over a wide range, making it important to tailor reading instruction to the needs of each child. Phonics is essential but only one part of an overall reading program. The research also makes clear that the most successful programs are those that balance direct phonics with an emphasis on reading a wide variety of literature and that teach reading as an integral part of everything that happens in the classroom.
        North Carolina dealt with this issue in 1996 when the legislature directed the state board of education to develop a comprehensive plan for improving reading instruction and specified that this plan should include provisions for direct phonics instruction. The plan was approved by the board and submitted to the legislature in early 1997 and is now being implemented. (An SREB report on the North Carolina plan is scheduled for publication in early 1998.)

For further information, please contact Joan Lord at joan.lord@sreb.org