CS/HB 7011 - Student Literacy Summary

• Establishes the Reading Achievement Initiative for Scholastic Excellence (RAISE) Program within the Department of Education, creating at least 20 literacy support regions with regional support teams to assist schools with low reading scores.

• Requires implementation of a statewide coordinated screening and progress monitoring system for students from Voluntary Prekindergarten through grade 8, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, to identify reading deficiencies and inform instruction.

• Mandates that school districts provide intensive reading interventions immediately upon identifying students with substantial reading deficiencies in kindergarten through grade 3, including an additional hour of daily intensive reading instruction for students in the 300 lowest-performing elementary schools.

• Requires reading endorsements for instructional personnel teaching reading in kindergarten through grade 3 and establishes competency-based pathways for educators to earn reading endorsements by the 2022-2023 school year.

• Updates teacher preparation programs and professional development requirements to prioritize evidence-based reading instruction strategies and creates a tutoring program using trained high school students (designated as "New Worlds Scholars") to support struggling elementary readers.