1|ENGROSSED SENATE AMENDMENT |
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2|ENGROSSED HOUSE |
|BILL NO. 2679 By: Baker and West (Tammy) of |
3| the House |
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4| and |
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5| Rader of the Senate |
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7| An Act relating to teacher certification; amending 70 |
| O.S. 2021, Section 6-133, which relates to the |
8| teacher certification pathways pilot program; |
| modifying provider program requirements; updating |
9| statutory citation; requiring provider to submit |
| certain annual report; modifying end date for pilot |
10| program; providing an effective date; and declaring |
| an emergency. |
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13|AUTHOR: Add the following Senate Coauthors: Thompson (Kristen), |
| Bergstrom, Coleman, Stanley, Newhouse, Garvin, Pederson, |
14| and Daniels |
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15|AMENDMENT NO. 1. Page 1, strike the title, enacting clause and |
| entire bill and insert |
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17| "An Act relating to schools; making an appropriation |
| to the State Board of Education; providing purpose; |
18| directing the State Department of Education to |
| establish certain pilot program to employ a literacy |
19| instructional team; providing for technical |
| assistance and program implementation guidance to |
20| team members and schools; directing team members to |
| be placed regionally statewide; providing duties for |
21| team; providing training requirements for team |
| members; providing for Department oversight of team; |
22| establishing minimum criteria for team employees; |
| providing hiring preferences for team members with |
23| certain knowledge and training; requiring submission |
| of report by certain date; prescribing contents of |
24| report; providing for codification; providing an |
| effective date; and declaring an emergency. |
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3|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: |
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4| SECTION 1. There is hereby appropriated to the State Board of |
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5|Education from any monies not otherwise appropriated from the |
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6|General Revenue Fund of the State Treasury for the fiscal year |
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7|beginning July 1, 2023, the sum of Ten Million Dollars |
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8|($10,000,000.00). These monies shall be used to implement the |
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9|provisions of Section 2 of this act. |
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10| SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified |
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11|in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1210.508H of Title 70, unless |
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12|there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: |
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13| A. Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, the State |
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14|Department of Education shall establish a three-year pilot program |
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15|to employ a literacy instructional team to support school districts |
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16|in implementation of the requirements of Section 1210.508C of Title |
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17|70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The Department shall provide technical |
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18|assistance for literacy instruction, dyslexia, and related |
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19|disorders, and serve as a primary source of information and support |
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20|for schools in addressing the needs of students struggling with |
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21|literacy, dyslexia, and related disorders. |
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22| B. The Department shall employ a literacy instructional team |
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23|with team members who are placed regionally across the state. The |
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24|literacy instructional teams shall assist general education and |
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1|special education teachers in recognizing educational needs to |
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2|improve literacy outcomes for all students including those with |
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3|dyslexia or identified with the risk characteristics associated with |
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4|dyslexia. The role of the literacy instructional team shall also |
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5|include increasing professional awareness and instructional |
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6|competencies to meet the educational needs of all students including |
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7|those with dyslexia or identified with risk characteristics |
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8|associated with dyslexia. The Department shall prioritize supports |
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9|and interventions including enrollment in reading trainings and |
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10|professional development for schools which have the highest |
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11|percentage of students who do not demonstrate sufficient reading |
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12|skills as established by the State Board of Education. |
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13| C. Literacy instructional team members employed by the |
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14|Department shall have training in: |
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15| 1. The science of how students learn to read including |
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16|phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, |
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17|writing, and language; |
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18| 2. Foundation of multisensory, explicit, systematic, and |
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19|structured reading instruction; |
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20| 3. Identification of and the appropriate interventions, |
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21|accommodations, and teaching techniques for struggling students; |
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22| 4. The requirements of the Reading Sufficiency Act; |
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23| 5. Special education laws and procedures; and |
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1| 6. Appropriate interventions, accommodations, and assistive |
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2|technology supports for students with dyslexia or a related |
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3|disorder. |
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4| D. The literacy instructional team members employed by the |
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5|Department shall report to the Director of Reading Sufficiency and |
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6|have: |
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7| 1. A minimum of five regional literacy leads, at least one who |
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8|shall be designated by the Department as a dyslexia specialist to |
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9|provide school districts with support and resources that are |
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10|necessary to assist students with dyslexia. The Department shall |
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11|give preference to educators applying for regional literacy lead |
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12|who: |
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13| a. have an endorsement or certification as a certified |
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14| structured literacy dyslexia specialist or certified |
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15| academic language therapist, |
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16| b. are knowledgeable of multitiered systems of support, |
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17| and |
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18| c. have been trained in the identification of and |
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19| intervention for dyslexia and related disorders |
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20| including best practice interventions and treatment |
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21| models for dyslexia; and |
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22| 2. A minimum of ten literacy specialists. The Department shall |
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23|give preference to educators applying for literacy specialist who: |
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24| a. have training in the science of reading, |
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1| b. are knowledgeable of multitiered systems of support, |
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2| and |
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3| c. have been trained in the identification of and |
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4| intervention for dyslexia and related disorders |
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5| including best practice interventions and treatment |
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6| models for dyslexia. |
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7| E. The State Department of Education shall submit a report to |
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8|the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the |
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9|Speaker of the House of Representatives by December 31, 2026, that |
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10|includes an evaluation of the pilot program by school districts, |
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11|data on whether the program had an impact on increasing the number |
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12|of students who demonstrate proficiency in reading, and |
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13|recommendations for changes to the Reading Sufficiency Act. |
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14| SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023. |
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15| SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation |
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16|of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby |
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17|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and |
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18|be in full force from and after its passage and approval." |
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20| Passed the Senate the 27th day of April, 2023. |
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| Presiding Officer of the Senate |
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1| Passed the House of Representatives the ____ day of __________, |
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2|2023. |
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| Presiding Officer of the House |
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