HF 2334 (LSB 5219HV (2) 85)

HOUSE FILE 2334

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 555)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to professional development services for elementary teachers to improve students’ literacy skills.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 279.68, subsection 2, paragraph d, subparagraph (3), subparagraph division (a), Code 2014, is amended to read as follows:
   (a)  Assists students assessed as exhibiting a substantial deficiency in reading to develop the skills to read at grade level.  Assistance shall include but not be limited to strategies that formally address dyslexia. For purposes of this section, “dyslexia” means a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin and is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
    Sec. 2.  Section 279.68, subsection 4, Code 2014, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  c.  The department of education shall collaborate with the area education agencies and the Iowa reading research center established pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 53, to develop and offer at no cost to school districts professional development services to enhance the skills of elementary teachers in the use of evidence-based strategies to improve the literacy skills of all students. From any moneys appropriated to the department of education for purposes of paragraph “b”, the department may use a reasonable amount to cover the administrative costs of developing and deploying these professional development services.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with

the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill directs the department of education to collaborate with the area education agencies and the Iowa reading research center, which the director of the department was required to establish in legislation enacted in 2012, to develop and offer at no cost to school districts professional development services to enhance the skills of elementary teachers in the use of evidence-based strategies to improve the literacy skills of all students. The bill permits the department to use, from any moneys appropriated to the department and allocated to school districts to provide professional development services to enhance the skills of elementary teachers to respond to children’s reading needs, a reasonable amount to cover the administrative costs of developing and deploying the professional development services.
   Currently, school districts are directed to establish an initiative to offer intensive accelerated reading instruction to each kindergarten through grade three student who is assessed as exhibiting a substantial deficiency in reading. The reading curriculum under the initiative must assist students to develop skills to read at grade level. Under the bill, such assistance shall include but not be limited to strategies that formally address dyslexia, which the bill defines.