TITLE 33

EDUCATION

CHAPTER 18

IDAHO LITERACY ACHIEVEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

33-1807.  literacy intervention program. (1) Each school district and public charter school shall establish an extended time literacy intervention program for students who score basic or below basic on the fall reading screening assessments or alternate reading screening assessment in kindergarten through grade 3 and submit it to the state board of education.

(2)(a)  The program shall provide:

(i)   Proven effective evidence-based substantial intervention and shall include phonemic awareness, decoding intervention, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency as applicable to the student based on a formative assessment designed to, at a minimum, identify such weaknesses;

(ii)  A minimum of sixty (60) hours of supplemental instruction for students in kindergarten through grade 3 who score below basic on the reading screening assessment; and

(iii) A minimum of thirty (30) hours of supplemental instruction for students in kindergarten through grade 3 who score basic on the reading screening assessment.

(b)  The program may include adaptive learning technology literacy intervention tools as part of the literacy intervention program, must include parent input, be in alignment with the Idaho comprehensive literacy plan, and be from the state board of education-approved provider list established pursuant to subsection (3) of this section. Online or digital instructional materials that are not part of a comprehensive program do not have to be from the approved provider list.

(3)(a)  The state board of education shall select adaptive learning technology literacy intervention providers through a request for proposals process to provide adaptive learning technology literacy intervention tools for school districts and charter schools to use as part of their literacy intervention programs for students in kindergarten through grade 3 that:

(i)   Include an academic program focused on building age-appropriate literacy skills that, at a minimum, include phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary;

(ii)  Use an evidence-based early intervention model;

(iii) Include a parental engagement and involvement component that allows parents to participate in their student’s use of the tool at school or at home; and

(iv)  Address early reading and literacy intervention through the use of an interactive and adaptive computer software program.

(b)  To remain on the approved provider list after the first year of identification, programs must be evaluated each year to determine effectiveness by an independent external evaluator. The evaluation will be based on a full academic year of implementation of tools implemented with fidelity and will include, at a minimum, growth toward proficiency measures.

(4)  The state board of education shall identify national evidence-based best practices and proven effective state intervention practices. The state department of education shall share state board of education-identified intervention practices with school districts and charter schools throughout the state and maintain a resource center of best practices for literacy intervention for students in kindergarten through grade 3. The resource center shall include, at a minimum, resources for parents and schools.

(5)  Of the funds appropriated for the purpose of this section, no more than one hundred dollars ($100) per student may be used for transportation costs.

(6)  For the purpose of program reimbursement, the state department of education shall adopt reporting forms, establish reporting dates, and adopt such additional guidelines and standards as necessary to accomplish the program goals that every child will read fluently and comprehend printed text on grade level by the end of grade 3.

(7)  Subject to appropriation, the state department of education shall, over a multi-year period, provide professional development to all teachers and elementary administrators serving students in kindergarten through grade 3. Such professional development shall be based on the science of reading and shall include embedded coaching that integrates evidence-based best practices supporting early literacy intervention, including but not limited to data literacy, the statewide reading assessment, and best practices as outlined in the Idaho comprehensive literacy plan. Information regarding participation in the intervention program by school districts and public charter schools and the effectiveness of such program shall be presented annually to the state board of education, the legislature, and the governor.

(8)  The state board of education or its delegate shall annually evaluate the cost and efficacy of literacy interventions used throughout Idaho.

(9)  The state board of education may promulgate rules implementing the provisions of this section. At a minimum, such rules shall include student trajectory growth to proficiency benchmarks and a timeline for reaching such benchmarks.

History:

[33-1807, added 2021, ch. 292, sec. 5, p. 877; am. 2025, ch. 91, sec. 1, p. 407.]