Bill > HB1597

This bill establishes an optional after-school and summer reading program for school entities in Pennsylvania, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, designed to improve reading proficiency for kindergarten through second-grade students. The program will utilize teen leaders (high school students grades 9-12) as one-to-one literacy tutors, who will be trained to use evidence-based phonics curricula and work with younger students in 90-minute sessions that include 45 minutes of direct tutoring and 45 minutes of reading enrichment. School entities can collaborate with businesses, educational organizations, and nonprofits to implement the program, and may use federal, state, or private funding, with state funds prioritized for schools where students are not meeting grade-level reading benchmarks. By December 2025, the Department of Education must develop guidance including model curriculum and training modules, and starting September 2027, participating school entities must submit annual reports detailing program data such as number of students served, teen leaders employed, reading proficiency assessments, partnerships, and funding utilized. The bill defines several key terms like "decoding strategy," "evidence-based phonics curriculum," and "structured literacy" to provide clear implementation guidelines for the program.

Education

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1597