CHAPTER 61
IOWA READING RESEARCH CENTER
281—61.1(256) Establishment. There is established an Iowa reading research center. The director of the department of education shall select a public education entity to serve as the host for the Iowa reading research center. Preference shall be given to a school district, an area education agency, or the joint area education agencies system. The selection of a host shall be for a specified period of time.
[ARC 0475C, IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13]
281—61.2(256) Purpose. The purpose of the center shall be to apply current research on literacy to provide for the development and dissemination of all of the following, although each of the following will not necessarily be of equal priority or immediacy:
	1.	Instructional strategies for prekindergarten through grade 12 to achieve literacy proficiency that includes reading, reading comprehension, and writing for all students.
	2.	Strategies for identifying and providing evidence-based interventions for students, beginning in kindergarten, who are at risk of not achieving literacy proficiency.
	3.	Models for effective school, parent, and community partnerships to improve student literacy.
	4.	Reading assessments.
	5.	Professional development strategies and materials to support teacher effectiveness in student literacy development.
	6.	Data reports on attendance center, school district, and statewide progress toward literacy proficiency in the context of student, attendance center, and school district demographic characteristics.
	7.	An intensive summer literacy program, referred to in rule 281—61.3(256).
[ARC 0475C, IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13]
281—61.3(256) Intensive summer literacy program. The center hereby establishes program criteria and guidelines for voluntary implementation of the program by school districts.
	61.3(1) Program criteria: summer reading programs pursuant to Iowa Code section 279.68 as amended by 2017 Iowa Acts, House File 642. Each district that chooses to implement a summer reading program as part of its implementation of Iowa Code section 279.68(2)“a”(6) shall comply with the requirements of that section and 281—Chapter 62, including a recommendation to use an evidence-based curriculum, the requirement to employ appropriately licensed and supervised teachers and paraprofessionals, and the requirement to monitor student progress.
	61.3(2) Additional voluntary program criteria: intensive summer literacy program. Each district’s voluntary intensive summer literacy program is encouraged to meet, in addition to the requirements of subrule 61.3(1), the following program criteria.
	a. 	Criterion 1. Each district is encouraged to adopt instructional practices or programs that have some evidence of success and that include explicit and systematic instruction in foundational reading skills based on student need, consistent with Iowa Code section 279.68.
	b. 	Criterion 2. Each district shall ensure that its program employs skilled, high-quality instructors. For the purposes of this paragraph, a district may “hire” or “employ” personnel directly, through an agreement with one or more other districts, through an agreement with one or more accredited nonpublic schools, through an agreement with one or more state agencies or governmental subdivisions, through an agreement with one or more private not-for-profit community agencies, or some combination thereof.
	c. 	Criterion 3. Each district is encouraged to allow sufficient time for meaningful reading instruction and student learning.
	d. 	Criterion 4. Each district is encouraged to provide instruction in small classes and small groups. To meet this criterion, a district is encouraged to employ the same instructional grouping formats described in the evidence-based intervention chosen. In the absence of specifications from the intervention chosen, a district is encouraged to ensure that it delivers whole-class instruction in class sizes of 15 or fewer students and that it delivers targeted intervention based on student need in small groups of 5 or fewer students.
	e. 	Criterion 5. Each district is encouraged to monitor and promote student attendance.
	f. 	Criterion 6. Each district is encouraged to evaluate student outcomes and the quality of program implementation, including implementation of these voluntary criteria.
	g. 	Criterion 7. Each program shall be under the leadership and supervision of at least one appropriately licensed teacher and at least one appropriately licensed administrator. The two roles may be filled by the same individual. Nonlicensed personnel shall be supervised by an appropriately licensed teacher. It is encouraged that either the teacher or the administrator hold a reading (K-8) endorsement or a reading specialist endorsement.
	h. 	Option to use private providers. A district may enter into an agreement with a private provider that uses evidence-based instructional strategies to provide summer literacy instruction under this chapter and 281—Chapter 62, at the election of a parent and in lieu of programming provided by the district. Any election under this paragraph shall be at the parent’s sole cost.
	61.3(3) Guidelines for implementation by school districts. The center shall publish guidelines to assist school districts in applying the program criteria contained in subrule 61.3(1) and the voluntary criteria contained in subrule 61.3(2) and in improving the performance of intensive summer literacy programs. The center shall make such guidelines available on its Web site.
[ARC 0475C, IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13; ARC 2343C, IAB 1/6/16, effective 2/10/16; ARC 3290C, IAB 8/30/17, effective 10/4/17]
281—61.4(256) First efforts of the center. The first efforts of the center shall focus on improving reading performance and instruction in kindergarten through grade 3.
[ARC 0475C, IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13]
281—61.5(256) Nature of the center’s operation. The center shall govern its work according to the following requirements.
	61.5(1) Use of expertise. The center shall draw upon national and state expertise in the field of literacy proficiency, including experts from Iowa’s institutions of higher education and area education agencies with backgrounds in literacy development.
	61.5(2) Data and report development. The center and its director shall seek support from the Iowa research community in methodologies for the collection of student literacy data and in data report development, the analysis of available information from Iowa education data sources, and the analysis of progress toward literacy proficiency.
	61.5(3) Coordination with the department. The center and its director shall work with the department of education to identify additional needs for tools and technical assistance for Iowa schools to help schools achieve literacy proficiency goals and seek public and private partnerships in developing and accessing necessary tools and technical assistance.
[ARC 0475C, IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13]
281—61.6(256) Nature of the center’s products. The center’s strategies, models, materials, and assessments, including the products referred to in subrule 61.6(3), shall be judged by and subject to the following requirements:
	61.6(1) Research-based. To the extent possible, strategies, models, materials, and assessments shall be research-based.
	61.6(2) Replicable. The strategies, models, materials, and assessments produced by the center shall contain evidence establishing that they are replicable by Iowa school districts, area education agencies, and accredited nonpublic schools.
	61.6(3) Sustainable. The strategies, models, and materials produced by the center shall contain evidence establishing that they are capable of sustainable implementation.
	61.6(4) Publicly available. Due to the nature of the center, its products shall be widely and liberally distributed and used.
	a. 	Regardless of any intellectual property right that may accrue to the center, the department of education shall have a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, nonexclusive, nontransferable license to use any of the strategies, models, and materials produced by the center.
	b. 	Regardless of any intellectual property right that may accrue to the center, each school district, area education agency, and accredited nonpublic school shall have a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, nonexclusive, nontransferable license to use any of the strategies, models, and materials produced by the center.
	c. 	Regardless of any intellectual property right that may accrue to the center, each school district, area education agency, accredited nonpublic school, and practitioner preparation program approved by the department of education shall have a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, nonexclusive, nontransferable license to use any of the strategies, models, and materials produced by the center to provide training to current and prospective teachers and administrators.
	d. 	Notwithstanding paragraphs 61.6(4)“a” through “c,” the center may seek reimbursement from a school district, area education agency, accredited nonpublic school, or practitioner preparation program approved by the department of education for the actual cost of delivering the center’s products. For purposes of this paragraph, actual costs may include printing, telecommunications expenses, personnel time, postage, and other costs, but shall not include any amount that represents a royalty or other compensation for the use of the center’s intellectual property.
[ARC 0475C, IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13]
281—61.7(256) Governance and leadership of the center. The center shall be governed in the following manner.
	61.7(1) Director and other personnel. The center shall have a director who shall be an employee of the host referred to in rule 281—61.1(256). The director of the department of education or the director’s designee, in consultation with the host and the advisory council, shall select, determine the compensation of, and annually evaluate the director of the center.
	a. 	Responsibilities of the director of the center will include the following:
	(1)	Enacting the priorities of the reading research center, as defined by the department;
	(2)	Achieving the Iowa reading research center’s mission and purpose;
	(3)	Directing the center’s budget;
	(4)	Managing the center’s staff;
	(5)	Managing and overseeing the request for proposal (RFP) or contracting process or both to enact priorities of the center;
	(6)	Providing oversight and management of all contracts and projects initiated by the center;
	(7)	Establishing models for an intensive summer literacy program replicable in Iowa schools;
	(8)	Disseminating literacy research and its application; and
	(9)	Submitting required reports to the department and the general assembly.
	b. 	The center may employ such other personnel as may be necessary to fulfill its responsibilities, upon approval of such positions by the director of the department of education.
	61.7(2) Advisory council. When setting priorities for the center, the department of education shall seek advice and assistance from an advisory council. The advisory council shall establish its bylaws and shall govern itself by the following paragraphs:
	a. 	The advisory council shall consist of representatives of the department, school districts, area education agencies, accredited nonpublic schools, institutions of higher education, organizations representing reading and literacy teachers, community-based nonprofit organizations that are focused on literacy, statewide literacy organizations, and parents. Members who offer other perspectives may be appointed. Members may serve in more than one role. Members shall be appointed by the director of the department of education or the director’s designee. Actual expenses for members of the advisory council may be assumed by the reading research center.
	b. 	The advisory council shall recommend and continually review center priorities, which shall be consistent with these rules. The advisory council shall annually submit to the department a recommended set of projects and priorities for the reading research center.
	c. 	The advisory council shall provide input to the director of the department on the desired qualifications for the position of director of the reading research center.
	d. 	The advisory council shall advise and assist the center in preparing the annual report required by rule 281—61.9(256).
	e. 	The advisory council shall foster collaboration across the Iowa reading research and evaluation community and serve as a facilitator in identifying additional research needs and ways to apply research to practice in Iowa schools and communities.
	f. 	The advisory council shall stay abreast of emerging trends, research, and effective literacy practices.
	g. 	The advisory council shall assist the director of the center in reviewing proposals for quality, viability, and statewide impact.
	h. 	Meetings of the advisory council are public meetings subject to statutory open meetings requirements.
	61.7(3) Use of advisory council recommendations. The department shall consider the priorities established by its advisory council in determining which projects or activities to direct the center to enact, consistent with these rules and with the center’s funding.
	61.7(4) Contracts and awards. In the furtherance of its work, the center may contract with other entities or may make awards by competitive bid. The rules in this chapter shall be a term of any contract or award under this subrule. Any product produced pursuant to a contract or award shall be subject to these rules, including subrule 61.6(4).
[ARC 0475C, IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13]
281—61.8(256) Financing of the center. The center will be financed in the following manner:
	61.8(1) Host as fiscal agent. The host shall be the fiscal agent for the center.
	61.8(2) Public or private funds. The host and the center may solicit and accept funds from public and private sources for the fulfillment of the mission and purpose of the center.
	61.8(3) Oversight by the department. The department shall have oversight responsibilities for the financial operations of the center.
[ARC 0475C, IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13]
281—61.9(256) Annual report. The center shall submit a report of its activities to the general assembly by January 15 annually.
[ARC 0475C, IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13]
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code sections 256.7(31) and 256.9(53)“c.”
[Filed ARC 0475C (Notice ARC 0389C, IAB 10/3/12), IAB 11/28/12, effective 1/2/13]
[Filed ARC 2343C (Notice ARC 2186C, IAB 10/14/15), IAB 1/6/16, effective 2/10/16]
[Filed ARC 3290C (Notice ARC 3148C, IAB 7/5/17), IAB 8/30/17, effective 10/4/17]