Senate File 2195 - Introduced SENATE FILE 2195 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 3069) A BILL FOR An Act relating to reading instruction, including modifying 1 provisions related to the language arts instruction provided 2 to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade three and 3 the preparation in reading theory provided by practitioner 4 preparation programs, and including applicability 5 provisions. 6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 7 TLSB 5449SV (2) 90 jda/jh

S.F. 2195 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsections 2 and 3, Code 2024, 1 are amended to read as follows: 2 2. a. The kindergarten program shall include experiences 3 designed to develop healthy emotional and social habits 4 and growth in the language arts , skills related to encoding 5 and decoding words, and communication skills, as well as a 6 capacity for the completion of individual tasks, and protect 7 and increase physical well-being with attention given to 8 experiences relating to the development of life skills and, 9 subject to section 279.80 , age-appropriate and research-based 10 human growth and development. A kindergarten teacher shall be 11 licensed to teach in kindergarten. An accredited nonpublic 12 school must meet the requirements of this subsection only if 13 the nonpublic school offers a kindergarten program; provided, 14 however, that section 279.80 shall not apply to a nonpublic 15 school. 16 b. Commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2026, 17 the experiences designed to develop growth in the language arts 18 shall include evidence-based early reading instruction that 19 follows a scope and sequence and that is direct, systematic, 20 explicit, responsive, and that consists of all of the 21 following: 22 (1) Phonemic awareness and phonological awareness. 23 (2) Phonics, including decoding and encoding and 24 instruction in writing. 25 (3) Fluency, including oral language development. 26 (4) Vocabulary. 27 (5) Comprehension, including building background knowledge. 28 c. Commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2026, 29 the experiences designed to develop growth in the skills 30 related to encoding and decoding words shall not include 31 instruction related to any strategies or approaches that are 32 designed to teach students to read words based on meaning drawn 33 from context, structure and syntax, visual cues and pictures, 34 or rote memorization, including the instruction model commonly 35 -1- LSB 5449SV (2) 90 jda/jh 1/ 6

S.F. 2195 known as the three-cueing system. 1 d. For purposes of this subsection, “evidence-based” means 2 instruction based on studies that use rigorous methods to 3 control common threats to internal and external validity, 4 measures found to be reliable and valid indicators of literacy, 5 and research findings or positive evaluation that such 6 activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve 7 student outcomes or other relevant outcomes and includes 8 ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, 9 strategy, or intervention. 10 3. a. The following areas shall be taught in grades 11 one through six: English-language arts, social studies, 12 mathematics, science, health, physical education, traffic 13 safety, music, visual art, and, subject to section 279.80 , 14 age-appropriate and research-based human growth and 15 development. Computer science instruction incorporating 16 the standards established under section 256.7, subsection 17 26 , paragraph “a” , subparagraph (4), shall be offered in 18 at least one grade level commencing with the school year 19 beginning July 1, 2023. The health curriculum shall include 20 the characteristics of communicable diseases. The state board 21 as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum 22 definitions for implementing the elementary program. 23 b. Commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 24 2026, the English-language arts curriculum taught in grades 25 one through three shall include evidence-based early reading 26 instruction that follows a scope and sequence and that is 27 direct, systematic, explicit, responsive, and that consists of 28 all of the following: 29 (1) Phonemic awareness and phonological awareness. 30 (2) Phonics, including decoding and encoding and 31 instruction in writing. 32 (3) Fluency, including oral language development. 33 (4) Vocabulary. 34 (5) Comprehension, including building background knowledge. 35 -2- LSB 5449SV (2) 90 jda/jh 2/ 6

S.F. 2195 c. Commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2026, 1 the English-language arts curriculum focused on encoding and 2 decoding words in grades one through three shall not include 3 instruction related to any strategies or approaches that are 4 designed to teach students to read words based on meaning drawn 5 from context, structure and syntax, visual cues and pictures, 6 or rote memorization, including the instruction model commonly 7 known as the three-cueing system. 8 d. For purposes of this subsection, “evidence-based” means 9 instruction based on studies that use rigorous methods to 10 control common threats to internal and external validity, 11 measures found to be reliable and valid indicators of literacy, 12 and research findings or positive evaluation that such 13 activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve 14 student outcomes or other relevant outcomes and includes 15 ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, 16 strategy, or intervention. 17 Sec. 2. Section 256.16, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 18 2024, is amended to read as follows: 19 a. (1) Include preparation in reading theory, knowledge, 20 strategies, and approaches; and for integrating literacy 21 instruction into content areas. 22 (2) Such preparation shall address all students, including 23 but not limited to students all of the following: 24 (a) Students with disabilities ; students . 25 (b) Students who are at risk of academic failure ; students . 26 (c) Students who have been identified as gifted and talented 27 or English learners ; and students . 28 (d) Students with dyslexia, whether or not such students 29 have been identified as children requiring special education 30 under chapter 256B . 31 (3) Such preparation shall include evidence-based early 32 reading instruction and practical application that follow a 33 scope and sequence that are direct, systematic, explicit, 34 responsive, and that consist of all of the following: 35 -3- LSB 5449SV (2) 90 jda/jh 3/ 6

S.F. 2195 (a) Phonemic awareness and phonological awareness. 1 (b) Phonics, including decoding and encoding and 2 instruction in writing. 3 (c) Fluency, including oral language development. 4 (d) Vocabulary. 5 (e) Comprehension, including building background knowledge. 6 (4) Such preparation shall not include instruction or 7 practical application that is designed to teach students to 8 encode and decode words based on meaning drawn from context, 9 structure and syntax, visual cues and pictures, or rote 10 memorization, including the instruction model commonly known as 11 the three-cueing system. 12 (5) For purposes of this paragraph, “ evidence-based” means 13 instruction based on studies that use rigorous methods to 14 control common threats to internal and external validity, 15 measures found to be reliable and valid indicators of literacy, 16 and research findings or positive evaluation that such 17 activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve 18 student outcomes or other relevant outcomes and includes 19 ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, 20 strategy, or intervention. 21 Sec. 3. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, paragraph g, Code 22 2024, is amended to read as follows: 23 g. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 24 256.7, subsection 21 , and the educational standards of section 25 256.11 , unless specifically waived by the state board during 26 the application process ; provided, however, that the state 27 board shall not waive the educational standards related to 28 language arts instruction in kindergarten through grade three 29 established in section 256.11, subsections 2 and 3 . 30 Sec. 4. APPLICABILITY. The following applies to students 31 admitted to an approved practitioner preparation program on or 32 after July 1, 2025: 33 The section of this Act amending section 256.16, subsection 34 1, paragraph “a”. 35 -4- LSB 5449SV (2) 90 jda/jh 4/ 6

S.F. 2195 EXPLANATION 1 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 2 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 3 This bill relates to reading instruction, including 4 modifying provisions related to the language arts instruction 5 provided to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 6 three and the preparation in reading theory provided by 7 practitioner preparation programs. 8 The bill requires the kindergarten program to include 9 experiences designed to develop growth in skills related to 10 encoding and decoding words. The bill modifies provisions 11 related to the language arts instruction provided to 12 students enrolled in kindergarten through grade three in 13 school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and charter 14 schools. The bill provides that, commencing with the school 15 year beginning July 1, 2026, such instruction shall include 16 evidence-based early reading instruction that follows a 17 scope and sequence and that is direct, systematic, explicit, 18 responsive, and that consists of phonemic and phonological 19 awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 20 Additionally, the bill prohibits such instruction from 21 incorporating any strategies or approaches that are designed 22 to teach students to read words based on meaning drawn from 23 context, structure and syntax, visual cues and pictures, or 24 rote memorization, including the instruction model commonly 25 known as the three-cueing system. 26 The bill modifies provisions related to preparation in 27 reading theory, knowledge, strategies, and approaches provided 28 in practitioner preparation programs. The bill requires 29 that such preparation include evidence-based early reading 30 instruction and practical application that follow a scope and 31 sequence that are direct, systematic, explicit, responsive, 32 and that also consist of phonemic and phonological awareness, 33 phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The bill 34 prohibits such preparation from including instruction or 35 -5- LSB 5449SV (2) 90 jda/jh 5/ 6

S.F. 2195 practical application that is designed to teach students 1 to encode and decode words based on meaning drawn from 2 context, structure and syntax, visual cues and pictures, or 3 rote memorization, including the instruction model commonly 4 known as the three-cueing system. The bill provides that 5 these provisions apply to students admitted to an approved 6 practitioner preparation program on or after July 1, 2025. 7 The bill defines “evidence-based” to mean instruction 8 based on studies that use rigorous methods to control common 9 threats to internal and external validity, measures found to 10 be reliable and valid indicators of literacy, and research 11 findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, 12 or intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or other 13 relevant outcomes and includes ongoing efforts to examine the 14 effects of such activity, strategy, or intervention. 15 -6- LSB 5449SV (2) 90 jda/jh 6/ 6