Bill Text: IA HF2136 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to successful progression for early readers, including intensive summer reading programs and third grade retention of certain students.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-08 - Subcommittee, Highfill, Fry, and Mascher. H.J. 179. [HF2136 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2015-HF2136-Introduced.html

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House File 2136 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  MASCHER

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to successful progression for early readers,
  2    including intensive summer reading programs and third grade
  3    retention of certain students.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 279.68, subsection 1, paragraph c, Code
  1  2 2016, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    c.  Beginning May 1, 2017 2018, unless the school district
  1  4 is granted a waiver pursuant to subsection 2, paragraph "e",
  1  5 if the student's reading deficiency is not remedied by the
  1  6 end of grade three, as demonstrated by scoring on a locally
  1  7 determined or statewide assessment as provided in section
  1  8 256.7, subsection 31, the school district shall notify the
  1  9 student's parent or guardian in writing that the parent or
  1 10 guardian may enroll the student in an intensive summer reading
  1 11 program offered in accordance with subsection 2, paragraph "e".
  1 12 If the parent or guardian does not enroll the student in the
  1 13 intensive summer reading program and the student is ineligible
  1 14 for the good cause exemption under subsection 5, the student
  1 15 shall be retained in grade three pursuant to subsection 3.
  1 16 If the student is exempt from participating in an intensive
  1 17 summer reading program for good cause, pursuant to subsection
  1 18 5, or completes the intensive summer reading program but is
  1 19 not reading proficient upon completion of the program, the
  1 20 student may be promoted to grade four, but the school district
  1 21 shall continue to provide the student with intensive reading
  1 22 instruction until the student is proficient in reading as
  1 23 demonstrated by scoring on locally determined or statewide
  1 24 assessments.
  1 25    Sec. 2.  Section 279.68, subsection 1, Code 2016, is amended
  1 26 by adding the following new paragraph:
  1 27    NEW PARAGRAPH.  d.  If funds are appropriated by the general
  1 28 assembly for purposes of implementing this paragraph, unless
  1 29 the school district is granted a waiver pursuant to subsection
  1 30 2, paragraph "e", beginning May 1, 2018, the school district
  1 31 shall notify, in writing, the parent or guardian of a student
  1 32 enrolled in kindergarten through grade two whose reading
  1 33 deficiency is not remedied by the end of the school year, as
  1 34 demonstrated by scoring on a locally determined or statewide
  1 35 assessment as provided in section 256.7, subsection 31, that
  2  1 the parent or guardian may enroll the student in an intensive
  2  2 summer reading program offered in accordance with subsection
  2  3 2, paragraph "e".
  2  4    Sec. 3.  Section 279.68, subsection 2, paragraph e, Code
  2  5 2016, is amended to read as follows:
  2  6    e.  Offer each summer, beginning in the summer of 2017
  2  7  2018, unless the school district receives a waiver from this
  2  8 requirement from the department of education for the summer of
  2  9 2017, an intensive summer literacy reading program for students
  2 10 assessed as exhibiting a substantial deficiency in reading.
  2 11 The program shall meet the criteria and follow the guidelines
  2 12 established pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 53, paragraph
  2 13 "c", subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (g).
  2 14                           EXPLANATION
  2 15 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  2 16 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  2 17    This bill modifies provisions that require school districts
  2 18 to retain in the third grade certain students, and adds a
  2 19 provision to require school districts to offer, under certain
  2 20 conditions, an intensive summer reading program for students in
  2 21 kindergarten through grade two whose reading is deficient.
  2 22    Currently, beginning in the summer of 2017, if a student
  2 23 is identified by a school district as having a substantial
  2 24 deficiency in reading, and the student's reading deficiency is
  2 25 not remedied by the end of grade three, the school district,
  2 26 unless it has obtained a waiver from the department of
  2 27 education, must notify the student's parent or guardian that
  2 28 the parent or guardian may enroll the student in an intensive
  2 29 summer reading program.  The bill delays the requirement until
  2 30 the summer of 2018 and provides that notification must be in
  2 31 writing.
  2 32    The bill also delays to 2018 provisions relating to
  2 33 a requirement that school districts retain a student in
  2 34 grade three if the student has been identified as having a
  2 35 substantial deficiency in reading, the student's parent or
  3  1 guardian did not enroll the student in an intensive summer
  3  2 reading program, and the student does not qualify for a good
  3  3 cause exemption.
  3  4    The bill requires school districts to provide intensive
  3  5 summer reading programs, beginning in the summer of 2018,
  3  6 for students who are enrolled in kindergarten through grade
  3  7 two, but only if the general assembly appropriates funds for
  3  8 the programs.  For any year in which the general assembly
  3  9 appropriates funds for such programs, and the school district
  3 10 has not obtained a waiver from the department of education, the
  3 11 school district must, if the reading deficiency of a student
  3 12 enrolled in kindergarten through grade two is not remedied
  3 13 by the end of the school year, as demonstrated by scoring
  3 14 on a locally determined or statewide assessment, notify the
  3 15 student's parent or guardian in writing that the parent or
  3 16 guardian may enroll the student in an intensive summer reading
  3 17 program.
  3 18    For consistency, the bill changes a reference from
  3 19 "intensive summer literacy program" to "intensive summer
  3 20 reading program".
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