SB 966 - This act modifies current law regarding reading success plans, formerly known as reading intervention programs. Each local school district and charter school shall have on file a policy for reading success plans for any pupils of the district in grades kindergarten through four, rather than through grade three. Each policy shall be aligned with the guidelines developed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for reading intervention plans. Authority to develop guidelines to assist school districts and charter schools in formulating policies for reading intervention plans is transferred from the State Board of Education to the Department. Any guidelines for instruction shall meet the needs of the student by ensuring that instruction is explicit and systematic and diagnostic, and based on certain elements set forth in the act. The guidelines shall emphasize that frequent assessments are necessary to measure student progress. Each local school district and charter school is required to include individual and small group reading development activities in an individual pupil's reading success plan. The plan shall be developed after consultation with the pupil's parent or legal guardian. Under current law, such provisions are not mandatory. (Section 167.268) Under current law, each school district and charter school shall administer a reading assessment to each student within 45 days of the end of the third-grade year, unless a student has been determined in the current school year to be reading at grade level or above. Under this act, each school district and charter school shall administer a reading assessment or set of assessments to each student within the first 30 days of school for grades one through four, and by January 31 for kindergarten, unless a student has been determined in the previous school year to be reading at grade level or above. School districts and charter schools shall provide reading success plans to students with an individualized education plan (IEP) that have a reading deficiency, and to students receiving services under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 whose services plan includes an element addressing reading. This act repeals the requirement that school districts and charter schools design a reading success plan for the student's fourth-grade year if the student's third-grade reading assessment determines the student is reading below second-grade level. The provision is replaced with a requirement that school districts and charter schools offer a reading success plan to each K-4 student who exhibits a reading deficiency that has been identified as being at risk for dyslexia in the statewide dyslexia screening requirement, or has a formal diagnosis of dyslexia. The reading success plan shall be provided in addition to the core reading instruction provided to all students, and shall meet criteria set forth in the act. Any K-4 student who exhibits a deficiency in reading at any time, based upon local or statewide screening assessments, shall receive an individual reading success plan no later than 45 days after the identification of the deficiency. Such plan shall be created by the teacher and other pertinent school personnel, along with the parent or legal guardian, and shall describe the evidence-based reading improvement services the student shall receive. The reading success plan shall specify if a student was found to be at risk for dyslexia in the statewide dyslexia screening requirement or if the student has a formal diagnosis of dyslexia. Under this act, beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, students who are not reading at grade level by the end of the second grade shall receive appropriate reading intervention to remedy the student's specific reading deficiency. Each school district and charter school shall conduct a review of student reading success plans for all students who are not reading at grade level by the end of the second grade, and shall address additional support services needed to remedy the areas of deficiency. School districts and charter schools shall provide improvement and support services set forth in the act. School districts and charter schools are required, under this act, to provide reading intervention for any student not reading proficient or above on a local or statewide third-grade reading assessment in the child's third-grade year, or at proficient or above in the child's subsequent grade level starting in the fourth grade, and who has a reading success plan, and shall meet certain criteria set forth in the act. Under current law, each student for whom a reading success plan has been designed shall be given another reading assessment to be administered within 45 days of the end of the student's fourth-grade year. If such student is determined to be reading below third-grade level, the student shall be required to attend summer school. This act repeals such requirement, and instead requires such student to be referred for an evaluation for an IEP plan and the district shall provide appropriate intensive structured literacy instruction on an individualized basis. If the student does not qualify for an IEP, the student shall continue to receive appropriate, intensive structured literacy instruction on an individualized basis until the student is reading at grade level. The mandatory process of additional reading intervention for reading support outside the regular school day and school year shall cease at the end of the sixth grade. If the student is still not reading at grade level upon completion of the sixth grade, the school district and charter school shall continue to provide a reading success plan to be implemented during the regular school day until such time as the student is reading at grade level, or upon graduation from high school. Appropriate documentation of a student's reading success plan shall be provided to an enrolling district within 10 school days of a student's transfer to a public or charter school. This act repeals the provision requiring the permanent record of students determined to be reading below the fifth-grade level at the end of sixth grade to carry a notation that the student has not met minimal reading standards, and the requirement that such notation shall stay on the record until such standards are met. Each school district and charter school is required to offer summer school reading instruction to any student with a reading success plan. Districts may fulfill the requirement through cooperative arrangements with neighboring districts. The parent or legal guardian of any student who exhibits a deficiency in reading shall be notified in writing no later than 30 school days after identification of the deficiency. The written notification shall meet certain requirements set forth in the act. This act requires the board of each school district and charter school to post, by September 1 of each year, by building, the number and percentage of all students in grades 3-8 scoring at each proficiency level on the English language arts statewide assessment; by building, the number and percentage of all students in grades 3-8 in each demographic category scoring proficiency level on the English language arts statewide assessment; by district, the number and percentage of all students in grades 3-8 scoring at each proficiency level on the English language arts statewide assessment; and by district, the number and percentage of all students in grades 3-8 in each demographic category scoring at each proficiency level on the English language arts statewide assessment. The Department is also required to report the information in a state-level summary to the State Board of Education, the public, the Governor, and the Joint Committee on Education by October 1 of each year. This act permits the State Board of Education to recommend that institutions of higher education and the Department align with literacy and reading instruction course work with knowledge and practice standards from the Center for Effective Reading Instruction. This act is substantially similar to HB 1336 (2020), SCS/HCS/HB 1540 (2020), and HB 2470 (2020), and is similar to SCS/SB 349 (2019), HCS/SS/SB 218 (2019), SB 73 (2019), HCS/HB 464 (2019), HCS/SCS/SB 949 (2018), HB 1417 (2018). JOSIE BUTLER