Bill Text: CT HB05350 | 2012 | General Assembly | Comm Sub
Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Expansion Of The Pilot Study Of Best Practices In Early Literacy And Closing Academic Achievement Gaps.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-04-23 - File Number 571 [HB05350 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2012-HB05350-Comm_Sub.html
General Assembly |
||
February Session, 2012 |
*_____HB05350APP___040412____* |
AN ACT CONCERNING THE EXPANSION OF THE PILOT STUDY OF BEST PRACTICES IN EARLY LITERACY AND CLOSING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT GAPS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 5 of public act 11-85 is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2012):
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Achievement gaps" means the existence of a significant disparity in the academic performance of students among and between (A) racial groups, (B) ethnic groups, (C) socioeconomic groups, (D) genders, and (E) English language learners and students whose primary language is English.
(2) "District performance index" means the sum of the district subject performance indices for mathematics, reading, writing and science.
(3) "District subject performance index for mathematics" means thirty per cent multiplied by the sum of the mastery test data of record, as defined in section 10-262f of the general statutes, for a district for mathematics weighted as follows: (A) Zero for the percentage of students scoring below basic, (B) twenty-five per cent for the percentage of students scoring at basic, (C) fifty per cent for the percentage of students scoring at proficient, (D) seventy-five per cent for the percentage of students scoring at goal, and (E) one hundred per cent for the percentage of students scoring at advanced.
(4) "District subject performance index for reading" means thirty per cent multiplied by the sum of the mastery test data of record, as defined in section 10-262f of the general statutes, for a district for reading weighted as follows: (A) Zero for the percentage of students scoring below basic, (B) twenty-five per cent for the percentage of students scoring at basic, (C) fifty per cent for the percentage of students scoring at proficient, (D) seventy-five per cent for the percentage of students scoring at goal, and (E) one hundred per cent for the percentage of students scoring at advanced.
(5) "District subject performance index for writing" means thirty per cent multiplied by the sum of the mastery test data of record, as defined in section 10-262f of the general statutes, for a district for writing weighted as follows: (A) Zero for the percentage of students scoring below basic, (B) twenty-five per cent for the percentage of students scoring at basic, (C) fifty per cent for the percentage of students scoring at proficient, (D) seventy-five per cent for the percentage of students scoring at goal, and (E) one hundred per cent for the percentage of students scoring at advanced.
(6) "District subject performance index for science" means ten per cent multiplied by the sum of the mastery test data of record, as defined in section 10-262f of the general statutes, for a district for science weighted as follows: (A) Zero for the percentage of students scoring below basic, (B) twenty-five per cent for the percentage of students scoring at basic, (C) fifty per cent for the percentage of students scoring at proficient, (D) seventy-five per cent for the percentage of students scoring at goal, and (E) one hundred per cent for the percentage of students scoring at advanced.
(7) "Educational reform district" means a school district that is in a town that is among the ten lowest district performance indices when all towns are ranked highest to lowest in district performance indices scores.
[The] (b) On or before April 1, 2012, the Commissioner of Education may identify schools to participate in a pilot study for the purposes of promoting best practices in early literacy and closing the academic achievement gaps. For the school year commencing July 1, 2012, and any school year thereafter in which the pilot study is conducted, the Commissioner of Education may select additional schools to participate in the pilot study, provided such schools are located in educational reform districts. The pilot study may assess the reading levels of students more than two times a year and utilize various assessment tools, including, but not limited to, assessments conducted pursuant to section 10-265g of the general statutes, as amended by public act 11-85, and assessments developed or approved pursuant to section 2 of this act. The Commissioner of Education may waive the assessments, described in said section 10-265g, for certain grade levels in participating schools. The schools participating in the pilot study shall comply with federal assessment requirements. The Department of Education may research and evaluate participating schools and such research and evaluation may be conducted in conjunction with external groups or organizations. The commissioner may accept funds from private sources and from any state or federal grants. Not later than October 1, 2013, the department shall report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on the findings of the pilot study. [For purposes of this section, "achievement gaps" means the existence of a significant disparity in the academic performance of students among and between (1) racial groups, (2) ethnic groups, (3) socioeconomic groups, (4) genders, and (5) English language learners and students whose primary language is English.]
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2012) On or before July 1, 2014, the Department of Education shall develop or approve reading assessments for use by local and regional boards of education to identify students in kindergarten to grade three, inclusive, who are reading deficient, provided any reading assessments developed or approved by the department include frequent screening and progress monitoring of students. Such reading assessments shall (1) measure phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, (2) provide opportunities for periodic formative assessment during the school year, (3) produce data that is useful for assisting in the development of individual and classroom instruction, and (4) be compatible with best practices in reading instruction and research.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2012) (a) Any local or regional board of education identified by the Department of Education that disproportionately and inappropriately identifies minority students as requiring special education services because such students have a reading deficiency in contravention of the provisions of subparagraph (A) of subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of section 10-76ff of the general statutes, shall annually submit a report to the department on the plan adopted by such board that reduces the misidentification of such minority students by improving reading assessments and interventions for students in kindergarten to grade three, inclusive.
(b) The Department of Education shall study the plans and strategies used by a local or regional board of education that demonstrate improvement in the reduction of the misidentification of minority students requiring special education under this section. Such study shall examine the correlation between improvements in teacher training in the science of reading and the reduction in misidentification of students requiring special education services.
(c) For purposes of this section, "minority students" means those whose race is defined as other than white, or whose ethnicity is defined as Hispanic or Latino by the federal Office of Management and Budget for use by the Bureau of Census of the United States Department of Commerce.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2012) (a) On or before July 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Education shall create a program of professional development in reading instruction for teachers. Such program of professional development shall (1) count towards the continuing education requirements pursuant to subsection (i) of section 10-145b of the general statutes, (2) be based on data collected from student reading assessments, (3) provide differentiated and intensified training in reading instruction for teachers, (4) be used to identify mentor teachers who will train teachers in reading instruction, and (5) outline how model classrooms will be established in schools for reading instruction.
(b) The Commissioner of Education shall annually review the continuing education training required under subdivision (1) of subsection (i) of section 10-145b of the general statutes for certified employees who hold a professional educator certificate with an early childhood nursery through grade three or an elementary endorsement and who hold a position requiring such an endorsement. The commissioner shall assess whether such training meets the state goals for student academic achievement through implementation of the common core state standards adopted by the State Board of Education, research-based interventions and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as amended from time to time. The commissioner shall submit such review to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
July 1, 2012 |
PA 11-85, Sec. 5 |
Sec. 2 |
July 1, 2012 |
New section |
Sec. 3 |
July 1, 2012 |
New section |
Sec. 4 |
July 1, 2012 |
New section |
ED |
Joint Favorable Subst. C/R |
APP |
APP |
Joint Favorable Subst. |