§ 38–2265. Supporting competency in structured literacy instruction.

(a) OSSE shall:

(1) No later than July 1, 2024:

(A) Generate a preliminary list of approved structured literacy trainings and distribute the list to LEAs;

(B) Create and publish an approved list of high-quality instructional materials rooted in the science of reading, which it shall periodically update; and

(C) Develop and publish a walkthrough observation tool for structured literacy instruction to create consistent expectations about what structured literacy instruction looks like in practice and to support administrators, academic coaches, and teachers in providing effective feedback as part of a cycle of continuous improvement for structured literacy instruction;

(2) No later than April 1, 2025:

(A) Develop or identify one or more structured literacy competency assessments or evaluations; and

(B) Provide related professional development modules on the science of reading on its Learning Management System or a similar online system;

(3) No later than June 1, 2025, update the list of approved structured literacy trainings to ensure it includes all approved vendors for structured literacy training, consistent with research-based best practices, including best practices for meeting the needs of adolescent, adult, and diverse learners, which it shall endeavor to update by June 1 of each subsequent year; and

(4) Starting in School Year 2025-26, provide LEAs with a communications toolkit that will support them in communicating with families about students' early reading skills.

(b)(1) Beginning in School Year 2024-25, each LEA shall provide OSSE with information it requests related to literacy instruction including:

(A) The name of the Tier 1 literacy curriculum in use by each school within the LEA serving students in grades kindergarten through 5, disaggregated by school, grade, and teacher;

(B) Classroom-level student academic performance growth and proficiency in literacy as measured by any uniform assessment for students in grades kindergarten through 3, as available;

(C) Teacher and administrator feedback on OSSE-approved structured literacy trainings, structured literacy competency assessments or evaluations identified or developed by OSSE, and the coaching pilot administered by OSSE pursuant to subsection (c) of this section;

(D) Teacher and administrator completion data of OSSE-approved structured literacy training, including the name of the training, completion date of the training, unique teacher identification number, and the teacher grade level and subject area, from the previous 5 years (or since 2019, for educators meeting the 2026-27 deadline); and

(E) Teacher and administrator results and completion data of an OSSE-approved structured literacy competency assessment or evaluation, including the name of the assessment, completion date of the assessment, passage rate for the assessment, and the results by teacher grade level, and subject area.

(2) No later than December 15, 2025, OSSE shall publish in a conspicuous location on its website a list of the Tier 1 literacy curriculum in use by each school within the LEA serving students in grades kindergarten through 5, disaggregated by school.

(c)(1) In School Years 2025-26 and 2026-27, OSSE shall administer a pilot program to support educators' use of new structured literacy instructional skills. Through the program, literacy coaches shall provide direct, intensive support and individualized instructional feedback to classroom teachers across LEAs, prioritizing schools with the lowest performance on statewide assessments and that demonstrate other factors indicating need.

(2) Beginning in the first year of the pilot, OSSE shall maintain and support no fewer than 4 literacy coaches to support up to 20 schools.

(3) OSSE shall collect data to determine the effectiveness of the pilot, which may include data on student growth and proficiency in literacy, pre-and post-tests of educator structured literacy knowledge and skills, classroom observations, and LEA administrator feedback.