K-12 Technology-Based Reading Intervention for English Learners Act

Section 1. Title.

This Act shall be known as the “K-12 Technology-Based Reading Intervention for English Learners Act.”

Section 2.

(A) The State Department of Education shall initiate a request for proposal (RFP) to select at least one literacy and language development software program to be made available to all K-12 Students identified as an English Language Learner. This software must differentiate instruction for each pupil and perform critical functions such as:

(1) The software program must include instruction individualized to teach each pupil the five strands of literacy; Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Fluency. Activities in the software must be built specifically for the Core State Standards. The software must be aligned to the Core State Standards and the {insert state} English Language Proficiency Standards.

(2) The software program must contain internal assessments, tracking, and reports for teachers, administrators and parents.  The software program must have additional resources to enable the teacher to more effectively meet the needs of each pupil.

(3) The software program must provide immediate feedback to students and automatically remediate when needed.

(4) The software program must include grade-level appropriate digital books with literature text and informational text. Students should be able practice reading on the computer by recording their readings and comparing themselves to the reading model.

(5) The software program must provide explicit instruction. The program should teach the core areas of listening and reading comprehension, including inter-textual comprehension so that students will be more prepared for the Core State Standards.

(6)  The software program must explicitly teach students academic vocabulary related to core content areas and provide language development activities for those pupils requiring this assistance.

(7) The program must directly utilize Principle Based Approach (PBA).

(8) Parents may request their child be exempt from these services.

Section 3. {Severability clause.}

Section 4. {Repealer clause.} 

Section 5. {Effective date.}

Approved by the ALEC Board of Directors January 9, 2014.