G.S. 115C-83.6 is set out twice. See notes.
(a)Kindergarten, first, second, and third grade students shall be assessed with valid, reliable, formative, and diagnostic reading assessments made available to local school administrative units by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C-174.11(a). Difficulty with reading development identified through administration of formative and diagnostic assessments shall be addressed with literacy interventions outlined in the student's Individual Reading Plan. Parents or guardians of first and second grade students offered a reading camp as a literacy intervention shall be encouraged to enroll their student in the reading camp provided by the local school administrative unit. Parents or guardians of a student identified as demonstrating readi
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G.S. 115C-83.6 is set out twice. See notes.
(a) Kindergarten, first, second, and third grade students shall be assessed with valid, reliable, formative, and diagnostic reading assessments made available to local school administrative units by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C-174.11(a). Difficulty with reading development identified through administration of formative and diagnostic assessments shall be addressed with literacy interventions outlined in the student's Individual Reading Plan. Parents or guardians of first and second grade students offered a reading camp as a literacy intervention shall be encouraged to enroll their student in the reading camp provided by the local school administrative unit. Parents or guardians of a student identified as demonstrating reading comprehension below grade level shall make the final decision regarding a student's reading camp attendance.
(a1) Kindergarten through third grade reading assessments shall yield data that can be used with the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) to analyze student data to identify root causes for difficulty with reading development and to determine actions to address them.
(a2) The Department of Public Instruction shall provide for EVAAS analysis all formative and diagnostic assessment data collected pursuant to this section for kindergarten through third grade. The Department shall use a uniform template for all data collected, and the template shall be used each time data is provided. The template shall include clear designations for each data component reported.
(b) Formative and diagnostic assessments and resultant literacy interventions shall address oral language, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension using developmentally appropriate practices. These assessments may be administered by computer or other electronic device.
(c) Local school administrative units are encouraged to partner with community organizations, businesses, and other groups to provide volunteers, mentors, or tutors to assist with the provision of literacy interventions that enhance reading development and proficiency. (2012-142, s. 7A.1(b); 2015-241, s. 8.48(b); 2017-57, s. 7.27(a); 2018-5, s. 7.24(b); 2018-97, s. 2.10; 2021-8, ss. 6(c), 10(b).)
§ 115C-83.6A. (Applicable beginning with the 2022-2023 school year) Approval of literacy intervention plans.
(a) Each local school administrative unit shall submit to the Department of Public Instruction a plan for the literacy interventions it will offer, including reading camps, in the following school year no later than October 1. The plan shall include information about the local school administrative unit's efforts to staff reading camps with the most qualified teachers possible, including the unit's efforts to attract teachers associated with high growth in reading based on EVAAS data and teachers who have earned a reading bonus. The plan shall incorporate any feedback received from the Department on the previous year's plan. As part of their plans, local school administrative units are encouraged to partner with other local school administrative units and with community organizations to enhance literacy interventions.
(b) The Department of Public Instruction shall review each local school administrative unit's plan and approve only those literacy interventions that (i) provide instruction that is closely aligned with the goals and meet the requirements in this Part and (ii) comply with the literacy intervention standards published by the State Board of Education. No later than February 15, the Department shall notify each local school administrative unit of approval or denial of its plan and shall provide feedback if the plan is denied. No later than February 15, the Department shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on which local school administrative units have literacy intervention plans that were (i) approved and (ii) denied. No later than March 15, if its plan was denied, a local school administrative unit may submit an amended plan to the Department of Public Instruction. The Department shall notify the local school administrative unit if the amended plan is approved or denied no later than April 15.
(c) State-provided literacy intervention funds shall not be released to any local school administrative unit for which a literacy intervention plan has not been approved by the Department of Public Instruction by April 15. Any local school administrative unit denied approval shall use local funds to fulfill the requirement to provide literacy interventions as provided in this Part. (2021-8, s. 6(d).)
§ 115C-83.6B. (Applicable beginning with the 2022-2023 school year) Individual Reading Plans.
(a) An Individual Reading Plan (IRP) shall be developed for any student in kindergarten through third grade demonstrating difficulty with reading development based on the results of either (i) the first diagnostic or formative assessment of the school year or (ii) the first diagnostic or formative assessment of the second semester of the school year. The IRP shall be continually adjusted based on multiple data sources as prescribed by the Department of Public Instruction, indicating that the student is not progressing toward grade-level standards in one or more major reading areas. Based on the most recently collected data, the IRP shall include the following information, specific to the identified student:
(1) The specific reading skill deficiencies identified by assessment data.
(2) Goals and benchmarks for growth.
(3) The means by which progress will be monitored and evaluated.
(4) The specific additional literacy interventions the student will receive.
(5) The Science of Reading-based instructional programming the teacher will implement.
(6) Any additional services the teacher deems appropriate to accelerate the student's reading skill and development.
(b) A student's parent or guardian shall be given notice that the student has been identified as having difficulty with reading development and that an IRP has been developed. The notice shall provide the parent or guardian the following:
(1) Specific strategies that can be easily understood and implemented to assist the student in reading at grade level.
(2) Encouragement to select one or more strategies for use at home that build on the student's interests and are most likely to engage the student and result in reading improvement.
(3) Direction to free online or hard copy literacy resources that can be accessed via a prominently displayed area on the homepage of the primary website maintained by the Department of Public Instruction and by the local school administrative unit.
(c) A multitiered system of support intervention may be used to satisfy the requirements of this section if all of the components of subsection (a) of this section are incorporated in the intervention.
(d) The Department shall develop the following model documentation of compliance with the requirements of this section:
(1) An IRP checklist.
(2) An alternative document for use with a multitiered system of support intervention. (2021-8, s. 6(e).)