Ensuring Fiscal Accountability
Bringing the Science of Reading to All Arizona Classrooms
Introduced on _____________ by Senator Kelli Ward, SB___seeks to amend Arizona's Move on When Reading Laws. These laws, enacted in 2012, provide additional funding to schools teaching students in grades K-3, provided the schools adopt and submit appropriate literacy plans. The bill would add provisions to strengthen fiscal accountability and provide additional requirements that bring the undisputed science of reading instruction to all Arizona schools.
Highlights include:
Bringing the Science of Reading to All Arizona Classrooms
Introduced on _____________ by Senator Kelli Ward, SB___seeks to amend Arizona's Move on When Reading Laws. These laws, enacted in 2012, provide additional funding to schools teaching students in grades K-3, provided the schools adopt and submit appropriate literacy plans. The bill would add provisions to strengthen fiscal accountability and provide additional requirements that bring the undisputed science of reading instruction to all Arizona schools.
Highlights include:
- Every student in grades K-3 must be screened for reading difficulties using universal screening measures that target specific areas.
- Schools must implement tiered systems of supports based on the results of universal reading screenings, and target interventions to areas of difficulty.
- Schools must provide ongoing teacher training in the essential components of reading instruction -- that is: explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
- If a student shows signs of dyslexia, the student must receive a comprehensive dyslexia evaluation.
- Students identified with dyslexia cannot be required to repeat the third grade.
- Students who have dyslexia must receive intensive intervention for dyslexia that includes the essential components of reading instruction plus the additional element of multisensory instruction.
- Students retained after third grade must receive intensive reading intervention.
