Bill > HB41

This bill, titled "School grade promotion & retention," aims to revise how students are promoted or retained in grades kindergarten through eighth grade, with a particular focus on reading proficiency in the early elementary years. It introduces new definitions for terms like "district reading plan," "intensive targeted instruction" (meaning at least 20 minutes of extra instruction daily, five days a week), "intervention" (targeted instruction aligned with assessments), "reading improvement plan" (a document outlining specific reading standards a student hasn't met and remediation programs), "reading proficiency" (scoring above the lowest level on a statewide assessment), "remediation programs" (including summer school, tutoring, etc.), "school district" (including charter schools), "screening assessment" (measuring reading skills like phonics and comprehension), "student assistance team" (a group including teachers, parents, and administrators), and "valid and reliable assessments" (thoroughly tested and accepted evaluations). The bill mandates that by the 2015-2016 school year, schools must establish baseline reading proficiency data for kindergarten through third grade and provide intervention and remediation programs for students not meeting reading standards, with promotion decisions at the end of third grade being contingent on reading proficiency, potentially leading to retention if proficiency isn't achieved after remediation, though no student can be retained more than once for reading deficiency between kindergarten and third grade. For grades four through eight, promotion decisions will be based on overall academic proficiency, with intervention plans developed for students not meeting standards, and specific exemptions from these promotion and retention rules are outlined for students with disabilities, English language learners, and those who have already been retained once.