HB3147 Summary: Literacy and Justice for All Act

• State Board of Education must adopt by January 31, 2024 a rubric for districts to evaluate and select evidence-based reading instruction programs addressing phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, oral language, and reading comprehension with cultural inclusivity.

• State Board must develop by September 1, 2024 training opportunities including microcredentials in literacy instruction, evaluation tools for professional development programs, and online training modules aligned with state literacy standards.

• State Board must develop by January 31, 2024 a comprehensive statewide literacy plan addressing phonemic awareness through comprehension, recommending district curricula transparency, and considering practices for diverse learners, multilingual learners, and bidialectal students.

• Reading Improvement Block Grant Program funds are limited to Tier 1 or Tier 2 districts when appropriations fall below $15,000,000, prioritizing planning grants and implementation grants with teacher training and coaching for kindergarten through grade 3 and special education teachers.

• Educator licensure requirements now mandate coursework in evidence-based reading methods aligned with state literacy standards and plan; new reading foundations test (starting July 1, 2026) for early childhood through principal candidates assesses phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and literacy assessment for diverse student populations.