SB 2347 Summary

• Establishes the "Literacy-Based Promotion Act" requiring school districts to provide intensive reading instruction to students in kindergarten through third grade with substantial reading deficiencies.

• Prohibits promotion of third-grade students to fourth grade beginning in 2014-2015 school year if reading deficiency is not remediated, as demonstrated by state assessment scores or approved alternative assessments.

• Creates five "good cause exemptions" allowing third-grade promotion despite reading deficiency: limited English proficient students with less than two years of instruction, students with disabilities (certain IEP circumstances), students performing acceptably on alternative assessments, and students with two or more years of intensive intervention and prior retentions.

• Requires school districts to provide retained third-grade students with minimum 90 minutes daily of scientifically research-based reading instruction, high-performing teachers, parent contracts for home reading, and support services such as tutoring, transition classes, and summer reading camps.

• Mandates school districts publish annual reports in local newspapers and to the state showing student reading performance by grade level, retention rates, and good cause exemption data; requires State Board of Education to establish Mississippi Reading Panel to recommend alternative standardized assessments.