ENR. H.B. NO. 2497 Summary

• State Board of Education shall promulgate rules providing limited exemptions from mandatory tests for students facing exceptional emergency circumstances, defined to include serious accidents or medical emergencies involving the student or their family members.

• Amends the Reading Sufficiency Act to require students be screened for reading skills in kindergarten and assessed at the beginning of each school year in grades K-3 using State Board-approved instruments.

• Third-grade students scoring at unsatisfactory level on state reading tests shall be retained and provided intensive reading instruction unless they qualify for good-cause exemptions (including limited-English-proficient students, students with disabilities, or those demonstrating grade-level proficiency through alternative assessments or portfolios).

• State Department of Education shall conduct ongoing study of reading instruction practices and student retention, gathering data on socioeconomic factors, reading resources, and learning disabilities, with annual reports due by December 31 to the Governor and Legislature.

• Act takes effect immediately upon passage and approval with emergency declaration.