NY A08315

Establishes statewide standards for early education programs for children ages 4-5, requiring teachers to hold valid New York teaching certificates and complete minimum 6 credit hours in early childhood education within 2 years or have 2+ years teaching experience with reading instruction coursework.

Creates a statewide "parents as teachers" program for children under 5 that is evidence-based, involves parents, and coordinates with existing early education programs, with school districts providing rooms at no charge to support the program.

Establishes a reading intervention program targeting the lowest-performing 25% of schools serving kindergarten through grade 3, employing reading specialists to model strategies, coach teachers, analyze data, and support reading leadership teams.

Requires all school districts to provide intensive reading intervention services to students in kindergarten through grade 3 with reading deficiencies, delivered by reading teachers or paraprofessionals, using evidence-based methods focusing on phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

Mandates adoption of a statewide screening tool administered three times yearly (fall, winter, spring) to identify reading deficiencies; requires individual reading improvement plans within 30 days; and allows grade 3 students with reading deficiencies to progress to grade 4 only with parental waiver agreeing to 20 hours of summer intervention services.