NY A08320

Requires the commissioner of education to establish regulations mandating a literacy endorsement for all certified teachers providing literacy instruction to students in kindergarten through grade five.

Teachers receiving certification on or after January 1, 2025 must obtain the literacy endorsement within three years of certification; teachers certified before that date must obtain it by January 1, 2028.

Literacy endorsement requires completion of evidence-based science of reading training, coursework determined by the commissioner, and passing an assessment demonstrating ability to teach foundational reading skills, implement high-quality instructional materials, and provide interventions for students with reading deficiencies including dyslexia.

All approved educator preparation programs in childhood and early childhood education must include courses necessary to obtain the literacy endorsement beginning January 1, 2024.

School districts may request exemptions from the literacy endorsement requirement for individual teachers based on classroom observations and student achievement data demonstrating sufficient literacy instruction knowledge.