HB988 - Increasing Reading Efficiency and Accountability Development (iREAD) Pilot Program; establish to increase literacy achievement outcomes.

2 Co-Sponsors

An Act To Create The Increasing Reading Efficiency And Accountability Development (iread) Pilot Program Within The State Department Of Education For The Purpose Of Improving Early Childhood Literacy In Schools With Evidentiary Data Reports Of Chronic Reading Inefficiency And Underperforming Readers Beginning With The 2024-2025 School Year; To Provide That The Program Shall Focus On Enhancing The Outputs Of Literacy Proficiency Among Elementary Students; To Require The State Board Of Education To Develop And Implement Iread Pilot Program As An Educational Technology Platform To Assist Teachers, Literacy Coaches And Parents In Promoting Reading; To Require The Board To Adopt Policies Governing The Program And Establish Minimum Criteria; To Prescribe The Minimum Criteria For Services And Program Elements To Be Provided By The Selected Technology Vendor; To Require The Legislature To Appropriate $750,000.00 To The State Department Of Education For The Implementation, Support And Continuation Of The Iread Pilot Program; To Require The State Board Of Education To Submit A Report On The Iread Pilot Program To The Education And Appropriations Committees Of The House Of Representatives And Senate By January 1, 2026; To Provide That The Pilot Program Shall Be Made Available To A Minimum Of 10,000 Elementary Students In Kindergarten Through Grade 3 In Schools Selected By The State Board Of Education In Each Of The Four Congressional Districts; To Provide That Priority For Inclusion In The Pilot Program Shall Be Given To Schools Within Each Congressional District In Eligible Schools In "d" And "f" Rated School Districts Having Proportionally The Largest Population Of Underserved At-risk Four-year-old Children; And For Related Purposes.