COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
H. B. 4438
(By Delegates Williams, Manuel, Hubbard, Anderson,
Osborne, Beach and Stemple)
(Originating in the Committee on Education)
[February 27, 1998]
A BILL to amend article two-e, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated section three-c,
relating to establishment of a competitive grant "Reading
Excellence Accelerates Deserving Students" program; providing
legislative intent and purposes; specifying priorities for
grant awards; and providing procedures for grant application
and selection.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article two-e, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section three- c, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2E. HIGH QUALITY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.
§18-2E-3c. Summer school READS grant program created; legislative
findings and purpose of section.
(a) The Legislature hereby finds and acknowledges that if
remediation is necessary, it should be provided when students are
younger and before patterns of failure are established. The
Legislature further acknowledges that the people of West Virginia
would be better served if the state acted to ensure that all public
school students were able to read at or above grade level upon
exiting grade four, that county boards of education are in the best
position to determine if remediation is necessary for students in
kindergarten through grade four and that the counties should have
the option of providing summer school for students and requiring
attendance to be eligible for promotion to the next grade.
The Legislature further finds that not all students are
financially able to pay for summer school, nor do all county
schools hold summer school. It is therefore the purpose of this
section to help the county boards of education of West Virginia to
either individually or cooperatively provide free summer school and
summer school transportation for those students in kindergarten
through grade four who did not perform at grade level during the
regular school year and to also help students in kindergarten
through grade four who are identified as in danger of not being
able to read at grade level by the end of the school year receive
intensive reading instruction during their regularly scheduled
reading time throughout the regular school year.
(b) Subject to appropriation by the Legislature, the state board shall establish a competitive grant program as set forth in
this section to provide reading programs for students in
kindergarten through grade four who are not performing at grade
level. The program shall be designated and known as the "Reading
Excellence Accelerates Deserving Students" program and, along with
such designation, may be referred to as "West Virginia READS".
Priorities for awarding the grants shall include, but are not
limited to:
(1) Schools that have test scores below the state standards;
and
(2) Schools that receive federal funds for the improvement of
reading.
Competitive grant applications must be submitted by the county
boards of education and describe how the program will:
(1) Employ strategies and proven methods for student learning,
teaching and school management that are based on reliable research
and effective practices, and can be replicated in other schools to
improve the reading skills of students;
(2) Contain measurable goals for the improvement of student
reading skills and benchmarks for meeting those goals;
(3) Include a plan for the evaluation of student progress
toward achieving the state's high standards;
(4) Identify how other federal, state, local and private
resources, including volunteers, will be utilized to further the intent of this section;
(5) Link summer reading improvement programs with reading
instruction and remediation throughout the school year; and
(6) Accomplish other objectives as deemed necessary by the
state board.
(c) Any county receiving a grant may require students in
kindergarten through grade four who did not perform at grade level
during the regular school year to attend summer school to be
eligible for promotion to the next grade and shall provide
intensive reading instruction during regularly scheduled reading
time throughout the regular school year to students in kindergarten
through grade four who are identified by the classroom teacher as
in danger of not being able to read at grade level by the end of
the school year. Nothing in this section shall prohibit county
boards from permitting students to participate in reading programs
on a student fee basis.
(d) The state board of education shall approve procedures for
the implementation of this section. The procedures shall provide
for:
(1) The appointment of a grant review and selection panel by
the state board consisting of persons with expertise and practical
experience in delivering programs to increase the reading skills of
young students, not more than one-half of whom may be employees of
the state department of education;
(2) Notice to all schools of the grant competition and the
availability of applications on or before the thirtieth day of
September, in each fiscal year for which grant funds are available;
(3) A grant application deadline postmarked on or before the
fifteenth day of December, in each fiscal year for which grant
funds are available;
(4) Notice of grant awards on or before the first day of
March, in each fiscal year for which grant funds are available; and
(5) Other such requirements as deemed necessary by the state
board.
(e) The state board of education may fund, from any other
funds available for such purposes, the programs required by this
section for students in kindergarten through grade four and any
programs required by state board of education rules such as, but
not limited to, the following:
(1) Tutoring;
(2) Summer school educational services;
(3) Additional certified personnel to provide intensive
instruction in reading throughout the school year;
(4) Staff development for teachers; and
(5) Hot meal programs.
(f) Nothing in this section shall supersede the individualized
education program (IEP) of any student.
(g) Nothing in this section may be construed to require any specific level of funding by the Legislature.