House Bill 353

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-13-10, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THAT STUDENTS IN GRADES 1 THROUGH 3 BE TAUGHT THREE HOURS OF READING EACH DAY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-13-10, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-13-10. (1) The State Board of Education shall develop and implement a Reading Sufficiency Program of Instruction beginning with the 1998-1999 school year, designed to enable each student to acquire the appropriate grade level of reading skills. In order to implement the Reading Sufficiency Program of Instruction, each local school board shall develop a Reading Sufficiency Plan for its school district which may include the following components:

(a) Sufficient additional in-school instructional time for the development of reading and comprehension skills of the student;

(b) Readiness intervention programs, such as kindergarten programs, extended school day or school year programs, and program initiatives to reduce class size;

(c) Utilization of research-based teaching methodologies or strategies for providing direct instruction in phonics, vocabulary and comprehension development, including systematic, intensive, explicit phonics, using decodable vocabulary-controlled texts (texts in which ninety-five percent (95%) of the words are decodable), as is determined appropriate by the State Board of Education; and

(d) Professional development for assistant teachers, teachers and administrators to assist students in implementing the Reading Sufficiency Program.

(2) Pursuant to appropriation by the Legislature specifically for such purpose, the State Department of Education shall provide in-service training, computer software and certified reading instructor personnel for training local school district certificated personnel to assist students in implementing the Reading Sufficiency Program required under this section.

(3) The State Board of Education, beginning on January 1, 1999, and annually on January 1 of each succeeding year, shall develop a report on the implementation of the Reading Sufficiency Program in each school district as required under this section, which shall include an assessment of the acquisition of reading skills by each student for the appropriate grade level in which the student is enrolled.

(4) Students in Grades 1 through 3 shall be taught three (3) hours of reading each day.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2006.