§ 18A:6-143 — "Working Group on Student Literacy" established.

2. a. There is established in the Department of Education a Working Group on Student Literacy. The purpose of the working group shall be to provide recommendations to the department regarding the implementation of evidence-based literacy strategies, appropriate and reliable instruments for a universal literacy screening, and high-quality literacy instructional materials. b. The working group shall consist of members appointed by the Commissioner of Education. The working group shall be composed of members representing the northern, central, and southern regions of the State, and shall include, but not be limited to: (1) at least one member who is a parent of a student enrolled in a school district with expertise on how to meaningfully include parents on this topic; and (2) literacy experts and practitioners with demonstrated success implementing evidenced-based literacy strategies, including: (a) at least one member who has expertise working with students with disabilities; (b) at least one member who has expertise working with multilingual learners; (c) at least one member who is a current practitioner in grades preschool through grade three with specialized experience in foundational literacy instruction and intervention; (d) at least one member who has expertise working with students with dyslexia; (e) at least one member who is a certified school library media specialist; (f) at least one member who is a representative from the public charter schools community; and (g) at least one member who is a certified speech-language specialist. c. Appointments to the working group shall be made within 60 days after the effective date of this act. The working group shall organize as soon as practicable, but no later than the 30th day after the members are appointed. Vacancies in the membership of the working group shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. L.2024, c.52, s.2.