A. To identify students who have characteristics of dyslexia that lead to or cause reading difficulty, each student enrolled in kindergarten and first, second, and third grade in a public school in this state shall be screened at the beginning, middle, and end of each school year for reading skills including, but not limited to, phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. A screening instrument approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability and the Secretary of Education, shall be utilized for the purposes of this section. In determining which screening instrument to approve, the State Board of Education, the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability, and the Secretary of Education shall take into consideration at a minimum the following factors: 1. The time required to conduct the screening instrument with the intention of minimizing the impact on instructional time; 2. The timeliness in reporting screening instrument results to teachers, administrators, and parents and legal guardians of students; and 3. The integration of the screening instrument into reading curriculum. B. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, the State Board of Education shall approve no fewer than three screening instruments for use at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year for monitoring of progress and for measurement of reading skills as required in subsection A of this section. The screening instruments shall meet the following criteria: 1. Assess for phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; 2. Document the validity and reliability of each assessment; 3. Can be used for identifying students who are at risk for reading deficiency and progress monitoring throughout the school year; 4. Can be used to assess students with disabilities and English language learners; and 5. Accompanied by a data management system that provides profiles of each student, class, grade level, and school building. The profiles shall identify each student’s instructional point of need and reading achievement level. The State Board shall also determine other comparable reading assessments for diagnostic purposes to be used for students at risk of reading failure. C. 1. Exemptions to the screening requirements of this section may be provided to students who have documented evidence that they meet at least one of the following criteria as related to the provision of classroom instruction: a. the student participates in the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP) and is taught using alternate methods, b. the student’s primary expressive or receptive communication is sign language, c. the student’s primary form of written or read text is Braille, or d. the student’s primary expressive or receptive language is not English, the student is identified as an English learner using a state-approved identification assessment, and the student has had less than one (1) school year of instruction in an English-learner program. 2. A public school that grants an exemption pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection shall provide ongoing evidence of student progression toward English language acquisition with the same frequency as administration of screening assessments. Evidence may include, but not be limited to, student progression toward OAAP reading essential elements, proficiency in sign language and reading comprehension, and proficiency in Braille and reading comprehension. D. 1. Students who are administered a screening instrument pursuant to subsection A of this section and are found not to be meeting grade-level targets shall be provided a program of reading instruction designed to enable students to acquire the appropriate grade-level reading skills. The program of reading instruction shall be based on scientific reading research and align with the subject matter standards adopted by the State Board of Education. A program of reading instruction shall include: a. sufficient additional in-school instructional time for the acquisition of phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, b. if necessary and if funding is available, tutorial instruction after regular school hours, on Saturdays, and during summer; however, such instruction may not be counted toward the one-hundred-eighty-day or one- thousand-eighty-hour school year required in Section 1-109 of this title, c. assessments identified for diagnostic purposes and periodic monitoring to measure the acquisition of reading skills including, but not limited to, phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, as identified in the student’s program of reading instruction, d. high-quality instructional materials grounded in scientifically based reading research, and e. a means of providing every family of a student in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first, second, and third grade access to free online evidence-based literacy instruction resources to support the student’s literacy development at home. 2. A student enrolled in kindergarten or first, second, or third grade who exhibits a deficiency in reading at any time based on the screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section shall receive an individual reading intervention plan no later than thirty (30) days after the identification of the deficiency in reading. The reading intervention plan shall be provided in addition to core reading instruction that is provided to all students. The reading intervention plan shall: a. describe the research-based reading intervention services the student will receive to remedy the deficiency in reading, b. provide explicit and systematic instruction in phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, as applicable, c. monitor the reading progress of each student’s reading skills throughout the school year and adjust instruction according to the student’s needs, and d. continue until the student is determined to be meeting grade-level targets in reading based on screening instruments administered pursuant to subsection A of this section or assessments identified for diagnostic purposes and periodic monitoring pursuant to subparagraph c of paragraph 1 of this subsection. 3. The reading intervention plan for each student identified with a deficiency in reading shall be developed by a Student Reading Proficiency Team and shall include supplemental instructional services and supports. Each team shall be composed of: a. the parent or legal guardian of the student, b. the teacher assigned to the student who had responsibility for reading instruction in that academic year, c. a teacher who is responsible for reading instruction and is assigned to teach in the next grade level of the student, and d. a certified reading specialist or an individual with advanced training or specialization in literacy instruction, if one is available. 4. A school district shall notify the parent or legal guardian of any student in kindergarten or first, second, or third grade who exhibits a deficiency in reading at any time based on the screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section. The notification shall occur no later than thirty (30) days after the identification of the deficiency in reading. E. 1. Every school district shall adopt and implement a district strong readers plan which has had input from school administrators, teachers, and parents and legal guardians and if possible a reading specialist, and which shall be submitted electronically to and approved by the State Board of Education. The plan shall be updated annually. School districts shall not be required to electronically submit the annual updates to the Board if the last plan submitted to the Board was approved and expenditures for the program include only expenses relating to individual and small group tutoring, purchase of and training in the use of screening and assessment measures, summer school programs, and Saturday school programs. If any expenditure for the program is deleted or changed or any other type of expenditure for the program is implemented, the school district shall be required to submit the latest annual update to the Board for approval. The district strong readers plan shall include a plan for each site which includes an analysis of the data provided by the Oklahoma School Testing Program and other reading assessments utilized as required in this section, and which outlines how each school site will comply with the provisions of the Strong Readers Act. 2. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules for the implementation and evaluation of the provisions of the Strong Readers Act. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of the data required in subsection L of this section. F. 1. Any first-grade, second-grade, or third-grade student who demonstrates proficiency in reading through a grade-level appropriate screening instrument approved pursuant to subsection B of this section shall not require a program of reading instruction or an individual reading intervention plan. After a student has demonstrated proficiency through a screening instrument, the district shall provide notification to the parent or legal guardian of the student that he or she has satisfied the requirements of the Strong Readers Act. The district shall continue to monitor the student in the next successive grade level to ensure he or she maintains proficiency. 2. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, if a third-grade student is identified at any point of the academic year as having a significant reading deficiency, which shall be defined as not meeting grade-level targets on a screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section, the district shall provide the student with intensive intervention services for the appropriate amount of the instructional day consistent with the individual reading intervention plan developed pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection D of this section and as determined by the Student Reading Proficiency Team. Intensive intervention services shall continue until the student demonstrates proficiency at his or her grade level based on a screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section. G. Each school district shall annually report in an electronic format to the State Department of Education, the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, and the Secretary of Education the number of students in kindergarten through third grade per grade level who exhibit grade-level reading proficiency, the number of students per grade level who received intensive intervention services pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection F of this section, the number of students per grade level who attended a summer academy as provided for in Section 1210.508E of this title, the number of students per grade level who exhibited improved reading proficiency after completion of intensive intervention services, and the number of students per grade level who are still in need of intensive intervention services. The State Department of Education shall publicly report the aggregate and district-specific numbers submitted pursuant to this subsection on its website and shall provide electronic copies of the report to the Governor, Secretary of Education, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to the respective chairs of the committees with responsibility for common education policy in each legislative chamber. H. The parent of any student who is found to have a reading deficiency and is not meeting grade-level reading targets and has been provided a program of reading instruction as provided for in paragraph 1 of subsection D of this section shall be notified in writing of the following: 1. That the student has been identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading; 2. A description of the current services that are provided to the student pursuant to subsection D of this section; 3. A description of the proposed intensive intervention services and supports that will be provided to the student that are designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency as provided for in paragraph 2 of subsection F of this section; 4. That a student who is promoted to the fourth grade shall receive supplemental intensive intervention services; 5. Strategies for parents to use in helping their child succeed in reading proficiency; and 6. The grade-level performance scores of the student. I. No student may be assigned to a grade level based solely on age or other factors that constitute social promotion. J. 1. Each school district board of education shall annually publish on the school website and report electronically to the State Department of Education, the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, and the Secretary of Education by September 1 of each year the following information on the prior school year: a. the policies and procedures adopted by the school district board of education to implement the provisions of this section. The information submitted shall include expenditures related to implementing the provisions of this section, the number of staff implementing the provisions of this section, and average daily classroom time devoted to implementing the provisions of this section, b. by grade, the number and percentage of all students in kindergarten through third grade who did not meet grade-level targets based on a screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section, c. by grade, the number and percentage of all students in kindergarten through third grade who have been enrolled in the district for fewer than two (2) years, d. by grade, the number and percentage of students in kindergarten through third grade who demonstrated grade-level proficiency based on a screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section, and e. by grade, the number and percentage of students in kindergarten through third grade who are on an individualized education program (IEP) in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and who demonstrated grade-level proficiency based on a screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section or an alternative assessment prescribed by the student’s IEP. 2. The State Department of Education shall establish a uniform format for school districts to report the information required in this subsection. The format shall be developed with input from school districts and shall be provided not later than ninety (90) days prior to the annual due date. The Department shall annually compile the information required, along with state-level summary information, and electronically report the information to the public, the Governor, the Secretary of Education, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. K. The State Department of Education shall provide technical assistance as needed to aid school districts in administering the provisions of the Strong Readers Act. L. On or before January 31 of each year, the State Department of Education shall electronically submit to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and members of the committees with responsibility over common education in both houses of the Legislature a Strong Readers Report which shall include, but is not limited to, trend data detailing three (3) years of data, disaggregated by student subgroups to include economically disadvantaged, major racial or ethnic groups, students with disabilities, and English language learners, as appropriate for the following: 1. The statewide aggregate number and percentage of students in kindergarten through third grade determined to be at risk for reading difficulties compared to the total number of students enrolled in each grade; 2. The statewide aggregate number and percentage of students in kindergarten who continue to be at risk for reading difficulties as determined by the year-end administration of the screening instrument required in subsection A of this section; 3. The statewide aggregate number and percentage of students in kindergarten through third grade who have successfully completed their program of reading instruction and are reading on grade level as determined by the results of screening instruments administered pursuant to subsection A of this section; 4. The statewide aggregate and district-specific number and percentage of students that meet or do not meet grade-level targets for reading based on screening instruments administered pursuant to subsection A of this section; 5. The amount of funds received by each district for implementation of the Strong Readers Act; 6. An evaluation and narrative interpretation of the report data analyzing the impact of the Strong Readers Act on students’ ability to read at grade level; 7. The type of reading instruction practices and methods currently being used by school districts in the state; 8. Socioeconomic information, access to reading resources outside of school, and screening for and identification of learning disabilities for students not reading at the appropriate grade level in kindergarten and first through third grade; 9. By grade level, the types of intensive intervention efforts being conducted by school districts for students who are not on an IEP and who are not reading at the appropriate grade level and for students who are on an IEP and who are not reading at the appropriate grade level; and 10. Any recommendations for improvements or amendments to the Strong Readers Act. The State Department of Education may contract with an independent entity for the reporting and analysis requirements of this subsection. M. Copies of the results of the screening instruments administered pursuant to subsection A of this section shall be made a part of the permanent record of each student.
Added by Laws 1997, c. 349, § 3, eff. July 1, 1997. Amended by Laws 1998, c. 332, § 1, eff. July 1, 1998; Laws 1999, c. 176, § 2, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 2001, c. 421, § 2, eff. July 1, 2001; Laws 2004, c. 197, § 2, eff. July 1, 2004; Laws 2005, c. 1, § 124, emerg. eff. March 15, 2005; Laws 2005, c. 431, § 3, eff. Sept. 1, 2005; Laws 2011, c. 171, § 1; Laws 2012, c. 171, § 1, eff. July 1, 2012; Laws 2012, c. 250, § 1; Laws 2013, c. 15, § 96, emerg. eff. April 8, 2013; Laws 2014, c. 323, § 1, emerg. eff. May 21, 2014; Laws 2014, c. 430, § 10, emerg. eff. June 5, 2014; Laws 2015, c. 54, § 35, emerg. eff. April 10, 2015; Laws 2015, c. 364, § 1, eff. July 1, 2015; Laws 2016, c. 360, § 7, eff. July 1, 2016; Laws 2017, c. 213, § 1, emerg. eff. May 5, 2017; Laws 2019, c. 289, § 2, eff. July 1, 2019; Laws 2024, c. 411, § 5, eff. July 1, 2024; Laws 2025, c. 297, § 2, eff. July 1, 2025. NOTE: HB 2625, Laws 2014, c. 323 was vetoed by the Governor on May 20, 2014. The veto was overridden on May 21, 2014. NOTE: Laws 2004, c. 175, § 1 repealed by Laws 2005, c. 1, § 125, emerg. eff. March 15, 2005. Laws 2012, c. 354, § 9 repealed by Laws 2013, c. 15, § 97, emerg. eff. April 8, 2013. Laws 2014, c. 344, § 2 repealed by Laws 2015, c. 54, § 36, emerg. eff. April 10, 2015. Laws 2017, c. 210, § 1 repealed by Laws 2018, c. 304, § 21, emerg. eff. May 10, 2018.