H.B. 8

1

CHILD LITERACY PROGRAMS
2 1999 GENERAL SESSION
3 STATE OF UTAH
4 Sponsor: Sheryl L. Allen
5 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION; PROVIDING FOR A THREE-LEVEL CHILD
6 LITERACY PROGRAM TO ASSIST CHILDREN IN ACQUIRING LITERACY SKILLS;
7 ESTABLISHING LITERACY GOALS AT EACH LEVEL; ESTABLISHING ROLES FOR
8 SCHOOLS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES; PROVIDING FOR COLLABORATION;
9 PROVIDING FOR AN ANNUAL REPORT; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
10 This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
11 ENACTS:
12 53A-1-801, Utah Code Annotated 1953
13 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
14 Section 1. Section 53A-1-801 is enacted to read:
15 Part 8. Child Literacy Programs
16 53A-1-801. Child literacy programs -- Levels -- Goals -- Collaboration -- School,
17 family, and community roles -- Annual report.
18 (1) The Legislature recognizes that effective, collaborative child literacy programs have
19 a dramatic long-term impact on each child's ability to succeed in school, to successfully compete
20 in a global society, and to become a productive, responsible citizen.
21 (2) The State Board of Education, through the state superintendent of public instruction,
22 shall implement a three-level literacy program.
23 (3) (a) Level one of the literacy program shall:
24 (i) focus on children from birth to age five;
25 (ii) involve the families of children in this age group, public elementary schools, and
26 communities in a collaborative effort; and
27 (iii) have as its goal to assist families in understanding the need for and establishing an

28 environment to support literacy, which would include reading aloud to children on a regular basis.
29 (b) (i) The role of the family at level one of the program is to create an environment that
30 supports literacy learning.
31 (ii) The role of elementary schools and communities at level one is to collaborate with
32 each other to identify children up to age five, to facilitate high quality literacy training and to
33 provide literacy support and resources for parents of children within this age group.
34 (4) (a) Level two of the program shall:
35 (i) focus on children ages five through eight; and
36 (ii) have as its goal to provide research-based instruction and support so that all children
37 read on or above grade level by the end of the third grade.
38 (b) (i) The role of the family at level two is to:
39 (A) collaborate and communicate closely with school and community resources on
40 childhood literacy; and
41 (B) maintain an environment that supports literacy learning.
42 (ii) The role of elementary schools at level two is to:
43 (A) provide high quality research-based instruction to each student;
44 (B) provide additional resources to English as a second language students and other at risk
45 students; and
46 (C) collaborate and communicate closely with families and community resources on
47 childhood literacy.
48 (iii) The role of communities at level two is to:
49 (A) identify key players and community groups to develop and implement plans for
50 literacy projects that impact children ages five through eight;
51 (B) implement high quality training programs and provide resources to support literacy
52 projects for this age group; and
53 (C) coordinate the collaboration of literacy programs for children ages five through eight
54 among families, communities, and elementary schools.
55 (5) (a) Level three of the program shall:
56 (i) focus on children age nine and above; and
57 (ii) have as its goal to provide high quality literacy intervention and support for nonreaders
58 and those reading below grade level.

59 (b) (i) The role of the family at level three is to collaborate closely with school and
60 community resources and to implement high quality practices for extra literacy support at home.
61 (ii) The role of elementary and secondary schools at level three is to:
62 (A) identify nonreaders and those reading below grade level;
63 (B) provide research-based instruction to those identified under Subsection (b)(ii)(A); and
64 (C) collaborate and communicate closely with family and community resources.
65 (iii) The role of communities at level three is to:
66 (A) identify key players and community groups to develop and implement literacy projects
67 that will assist nonreaders in learning to read or improve the reading level of those who are reading
68 below level or do both;
69 (B) coordinate training and resources for literacy intervention programs required at level
70 three;
71 (C) work with schools and families to identify those individuals needing additional support
72 in acquiring or developing literacy skills; and
73 (D) coordinate the collaboration required among communities, schools, and families to
74 successfully implement level three.
75 (6) The State Board of Education shall work closely with the Department of Workforce
76 Services as to the involvement of communities, including the training of child care providers, in
77 the programs established under this section.
78 (7) The State Board of Education shall provide the Legislature and the governor with an
79 annual report on the effectiveness of the program, together with any recommendations for
80 modifications in or additions to each level.
81 (8) Implementation of the program authorized under this section is contingent upon an
82 appropriation made to the State Board of Education in the General Appropriations Act or in the
83 Minimum School Finance Act to fund the program.
84 Section 2. Effective date.
85 This act takes effect on July 1, 1999.

Legislative Review Note
as of 11-23-98 9:53 AM

A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel

Committee Note

The Workforce Services Interim Committee recommended this bill.