HB 114 Summary - Alaska Reads Act

• Establishes comprehensive reading intervention programs for grades K-3, including statewide screening tools, intensive intervention services, and individual reading improvement plans with parent notifications.

• Creates early education programs for 4-5 year-old students with department oversight, approval standards, and grant funding up to $3,000,000 annually for district-wide programs.

• Implements a parents as teachers program for children under five with evidence-based early childhood education services focused on school readiness and developmental support.

• Requires teachers in grades K-3 to complete coursework in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension before teaching; increases base student allocation to $5,960.

• Establishes a virtual education consortium for statewide access to virtual courses and professional development resources, available by July 1, 2024, with reading specialists providing remote intervention services.