(a) The department shall establish a reading program to provide direct support for and intervention in intensive reading intervention services annually in the lowest-performing 25 percent of schools serving students in grades kindergarten through three as determined under Alaska Stat. § 14.03.123. The department shall determine how many schools may be adequately served by the department’s reading specialists and select schools from the lowest-performing 25 percent of schools to participate in the reading program. A school participating in the reading program that remains in the lowest-performing 25 percent of schools as determined under Alaska Stat. § 14.03.123 may apply to participate in the reading program again in the following school year. State funding provided to participating schools for implementation of the reading program is in addition to the amount of funding provided under Alaska Stat. Chapter 14.17. In conducting the program, the department shall

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Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 14.30.770

  • board: means the state Board of Education and Early Development. See Alaska Statutes 14.60.010
  • culturally responsive: means showing respect for and recognition of the traditions, beliefs, languages, values, and practices of the local culture that has historically been present in the geographic area being served. See Alaska Statutes 14.60.010 v2
  • department: means the Department of Education and Early Development. See Alaska Statutes 14.60.010
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • guardian: includes a natural, adoptive, and foster parent, stepparent, legal guardian, relative, and other adult person with whom a student has resided and who has acted as a parent in providing for the student or has been responsible for the student's welfare for a continuous period. See Alaska Statutes 14.60.010 v2
  • person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association, organization, business trust, or society, as well as a natural person. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • state: means the State of Alaska unless applied to the different parts of the United States and in the latter case it includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
(1) use the accountability system established in Alaska Stat. § 14.03.123 to identify low performing schools;
(2) establish an application process for school districts to apply to participate in the program;
(3) select low performing schools from the schools that apply to participate in the program;
(4) employ and assign reading specialists to direct the implementation of the intensive reading intervention services established under Alaska Stat. § 14.30.765 by

(A) modeling effective instructional strategies for teachers by working regularly with students as a class, in small groups, or individually;
(B) coaching and mentoring teachers and staff in reading instruction with an emphasis on prioritizing time in a manner that has the greatest positive effects on student achievement;
(C) training teachers in data analysis and using data to differentiate instruction;
(D) leading and supporting reading leadership teams; and
(E) reporting on school and student performance to the department;
(5) establish a reporting process for each reading specialist to submit updates to the department on implementation of the program;
(6) work with reading specialists to create specific improvement goals for each school selected, including measures of interim progress;
(7) select and purchase additional reading material for each school selected to supplement the intensive reading intervention services;
(8) pay travel and associated costs for a reading specialist to attend relevant training sessions identified by or hosted by the department;
(9) periodically review staff development programs for their effectiveness in developing reading skills and, after consultation with school districts and experts, recommend to the board for approval staff development programs that

(A) have been proven to assess and accelerate student progress toward reaching reading competency;
(B) provide explicit and systematic skill development in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, oral language skills, and reading comprehension;
(C) are evidence-based and reliable;
(D) provide initial and ongoing analysis of student progress toward reaching reading competency; and
(E) include texts on core academic content to assist students in maintaining or meeting grade-appropriate proficiency in academic subjects in addition to reading.
(b) A school selected to participate in the reading program established under this section shall

(1) ensure that a reading specialist assigned to the school is not required to perform functions that divert from the duties the department has assigned to the reading specialist;
(2) coordinate with the reading specialist or specialists to redesign the school’s daily schedule to dedicate time to reading program activities, including intensive reading intervention services identified in a written agreement between the school and the department;
(3) present on the reading program established under this section and the intensive reading intervention services established under Alaska Stat. § 14.30.765 at a public meeting; the presentation must include

(A) the data the department used to identify the school as eligible for the reading program;
(B) a detailed overview of the reading program and intensive reading intervention services;
(C) a timeline for implementing the intensive reading intervention services and meeting reading improvement goals; and
(D) the implications of the program for students, families, and educators;
(4) provide notice of the public meeting required under (3) of this subsection to the parent or guardian of each student at least seven days before the date of the meeting;
(5) present an annual update on the school’s implementation of the reading program and intensive reading intervention services at a public meeting with notice provided to the parent or guardian of each student at least seven days before the date of the meeting;
(6) create partnerships between the school, the families of students, and the community that focus on promoting reading and increasing the amount of time that students spend reading.
(c) The department shall publish on the department’s Internet website and make available to the public

(1) a completed application from each school selected to participate in the reading program; and
(2) the reading program and intensive reading intervention services implemented by each school selected to participate.
(d) The department may employ a person as a reading specialist under this section if the person

(1) holds a valid teacher certificate issued under Alaska Stat. Chapter 14.20;
(2) has completed an approved graduate program at an approved institution of higher education and

(A) has completed a supervised practicum or internship as a reading specialist; or
(B) has at least three years of full-time, demonstrated classroom teaching experience where reading instruction was a primary responsibility;
(3) is knowledgeable about and demonstrates competency in reading instruction, including

(A) an understanding of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, oral language skills, and reading comprehension;
(B) knowledge of and experience in implementing effective reading instruction strategies and intervention methods;
(C) experience in designing and implementing a school-wide response to an intervention program or multi-tiered system support model;
(D) an understanding of and experience in reading screenings and data analyses that inform instruction;
(E) knowledge of dyslexia and other learning disorders that affect reading achievement;
(F) knowledge of and an ability to effectively articulate the methods, issues, and resources involved in support of student instruction to a wide variety of audiences, including staff, parents, and students whose primary language is other than English; and
(4) meets other reading instruction coursework requirements established by the department in regulation, including coursework in indigenous language learning and culturally responsive education established in regulation by the department in collaboration with indigenous language stakeholders.
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