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H.B. 63

             1     

READING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CENTER

             2     
1999 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Sponsor: Karen W. Morgan

             5      AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION; PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A
             6      READING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH;
             7      PROVIDING THAT THE CENTER ASSIST SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN IDENTIFYING,
             8      ASSESSING, AND PROVIDING INSTRUCTIONAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR
             9      STUDENTS WITH READING DIFFICULTIES; PROVIDING FOR A PROFESSIONAL
             10      TEACHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM; PROVIDING A $1,000,000 APPROPRIATION FOR
             11      THE CENTER; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
             12      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             13      ENACTS:
             14          53A-3-402.10, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             15      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             16          Section 1. Section 53A-3-402.10 is enacted to read:
             17          53A-3-402.10. Reading Skills Development Center -- Purpose.
             18          (1) The Legislature recognizes the critical importance of identifying, assessing, and
             19      assisting students with reading difficulties at an early age in order for them to have successful and
             20      productive school and life experiences.
             21          (2) In order to help accomplish this, there is established a Reading Skills Development
             22      Center, hereafter referred to as the "center", at the University of Utah to:
             23          (a) assist school districts in detecting reading difficulties in students in the early grades;
             24      and
             25          (b) provide instructional intervention to enable the students to overcome their reading
             26      difficulties.
             27          (3) (a) The center shall assist school districts by providing expertise in the assessment of


             28      reading difficulties and designing effective instructional interventions to overcome those
             29      difficulties.
             30          (b) The assessment and intervention programs shall focus primarily on grades one through
             31      three in order to correct any detected difficulties by the end of the third grade, but assessment and
             32      instructional intervention services shall be available to public education students of all ages.
             33          (c) School districts may use the assessment and intervention programs on site at the center,
             34      at the student's school, or by using interactive technology.
             35          (4) (a) The center shall provide school districts with a professional development program
             36      for reading endorsements that can be added to active elementary certificates.
             37          (b) Each school district may allow its teachers to participate in the program through:
             38          (i) programs taught on-site at local schools;
             39          (ii) distance education with videotaped classes and on-site facilitators; and
             40          (iii) interactive delivery by computers and video.
             41          (c) Each school district shall use this professional teacher development program in an
             42      effort to place at least one reading specialist in each of its elementary schools.
             43          (5) The center shall provide school district administrators, school administrators, and
             44      school teachers with the most current research-based knowledge about reading and reading
             45      instruction through nationally and internationally recognized reading researchers and instructional
             46      specialists.
             47          Section 2. Appropriation.
             48          (1) Except as provided in H.B. 4, Appropriations Coordination Act, there is appropriated
             49      from the General Fund for fiscal year 1999-2000, $1,000,000 to the University of Utah to help
             50      fund the activities of the Reading Skills Development Center at the university.
             51          (2) The money appropriated in Subsection (1) is nonlapsing.
             52          Section 3. Effective date.
             53          This act takes effect on July 1, 1999.





Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-4-99 12:11 PM


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

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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