SB22-004 Summary

• Requires principals and administrators in schools serving kindergarten through grade 3 to complete evidence-based training in the science of reading by the 2024-25 school year, including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.

• Mandates reading interventionists teaching grades 4-12 to complete evidence-based training in teaching reading and pass an end-of-course assessment by the 2024-25 school year.

• Establishes that the Department of Education must provide free training (in-person or online) to elementary school administrators and reading interventionists to meet these requirements.

• Allows local education providers to request one-year extensions from the State Board based on demonstrated good cause for inability to comply with training requirements.

• Appropriates $251,139 from the early literacy fund for the 2022-23 fiscal year to fund program administration and technical support, including an additional 0.8 FTE for the Department of Education.