Today's Law As Amended


Bill PDF |Add To My Favorites | print page

SB-1145 Language arts: reading: diagnostic tools and plans.(2015-2016)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.

 Chapter 15.5 (commencing with Section 53008) is added to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

CHAPTER  15.5. Golden State Reading Guarantee
53008.
 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) Reading proficiently by the end of grade 3 can be a make-or-break benchmark in a child’s educational development. Up until the end of grade 3, most children are learning to read. Beginning in grade 4, however, they are reading to learn, using their skills to gain more information in such subjects as mathematics and science.
(2) California’s long-term economic strength depends on having an educated workforce and grade-level reading proficiency is the key. By dramatically getting more California children on track as proficient readers, California can also dramatically stop the cycle of intergenerational poverty, and boost the individual earning potential, global competitiveness, and overall quality of life for all Californians.
(3) An important partnership between a parent and child begins before the child enters kindergarten, when the parent helps the child develop rich linguistic experiences, including listening comprehension and speaking, that help form the foundation for reading and writing, which are the main vehicles for content acquisition.
(b) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature that all California public schools that enroll pupils in grades 1 to 3, inclusive, will work closely with the parents and teachers of these pupils to provide them the instructional programming, intervention instruction, and support necessary to ensure that pupils, by the completion of grade 3, can demonstrate a level of proficiency in reading skills that is necessary to support them in achieving the academic standards and expectations applicable to the grade 4 curriculum.
(c) It is further the intent of the Legislature to increase the local control funding formula base rate for pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 3, inclusive, only at those schools at which 50 percent or more of pupils in grade 4 score below reading proficiency on a statewide assessment.
53008.1.
 On or before December 31, 2017, the state board shall accomplish both of the following:
(a) Identify a list of formative reading diagnostic tools that can be used by the public schools, pursuant to Section 53008.2, to assess pupils’ developmental levels of reading proficiency in grades 1 to 3, inclusive, in their ability to read proficiently by the end of grade 3 and to post a list of those diagnostic tools on the department’s Internet Web site.
(b) Define what it means for a pupil to have an appropriate “developmental reading level” in grades 1 to 3, inclusive, such that the pupil is on track to reading proficiency by the end of grade 3, as determined by the formative reading diagnostic tools.
53008.2.
 (a) On or before the beginning of the 2018–19 school year, a public school that enrolls pupils in grades 1 to 4, inclusive, at which less than 50 percent of 4th grade pupils demonstrate proficiency on English language arts standards on the statewide assessment administered the previous school year, shall ensure that each pupil’s reading proficiency is measured throughout the school year using at least one of the formative reading diagnostic tools identified by the state board pursuant to Section 53008.1 to determine if a pupil has an appropriate developmental reading level for the pupil’s grade level.
(b) A reading plan, as described in subdivision (c), shall be created for a pupil in grades 1 to 3, inclusive, who is not at the appropriate developmental reading level for the pupil’s grade level as that term is defined by the state board pursuant to Section 53008.1. The plan shall be created in collaboration with the pupil’s parent and teacher, if possible, and as soon as possible after the pupil’s developmental reading level is identified. The pupil’s reading plan shall continue to be implemented until the pupil demonstrates reading proficiency. The pupil’s reading plan shall be reviewed at least annually by the school and updated or revised as appropriate to facilitate the pupil’s progress in demonstrating reading proficiency.
(c) A reading plan shall include all of the following:
(1) The pupil’s specific developmental reading level that needs to be addressed in order for the pupil to attain reading proficiency.
(2) The goals and benchmarks for the pupil’s growth in attaining reading proficiency by the end of grade 3.
(3) The type of additional instructional services and interventions the pupil will receive in reading as determined by the school.
(4) The strategies the pupil’s parent is encouraged to use in assisting their child to achieve reading proficiency that are designed to supplement the additional instructional services and interventions described in paragraph (3).
(5) Any additional services that are deemed available and appropriate to accelerate the pupil’s reading skill development.
(d) The parent of the pupil shall be provided with a copy of their child’s reading plan along with all of the following information:
(1) The state’s goal is for all children in California to graduate from high school having attained skill levels that adequately prepare them for postsecondary studies or for the workforce, and research demonstrates that achieving reading competency by grade 3 is a critical milestone in achieving this goal.
(2) If the pupil enters grade 4 without achieving reading competency, he or she is significantly more likely to fall behind in all subject areas beginning in grade 4 and continuing in later grades. If the pupil’s reading skill deficiencies are not remediated, it is likely the pupil will not have the skills necessary to complete the coursework required to graduate from high school.
(3) The parent plays a central role in supporting the pupil’s efforts to achieve reading competency and is strongly encouraged to work with his or her child’s teacher in implementing the reading plan, and, in order to supplement the intervention instruction the pupil receives in school, the reading plan will include strategies the parent is encouraged to use at home to support the pupil’s reading success.
(e) For purposes of this section, “parent” means parent or legal guardian.
53008.3.
 It is the intent of the Legislature to increase the base rate funding pursuant to Section 42238.02 for kindergarten and grades 1 to 3, inclusive, for purposes of funding this chapter.
SEC. 2.
 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.