H.B. 99

1

READING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CENTER
2 AMENDMENTS
3 2001 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Sponsor: Karen W. Morgan
6 This act modifies provisions related to the State System of Public Education by changing the
7 Reading Skills Development Center into a clinic to assist educators and parents of students
8 in assessing elementary school students who do not demonstrate satisfactory progress in
9 reading. The act requires the clinic to provide professional development programs in
10 reading to help educators and parents become better prepared to assist all students in
11 becoming better readers.
12 This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
13 AMENDS:
14 53A-3-402.10, as enacted by Chapter 338, Laws of Utah 1999
15 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
16 Section 1. Section 53A-3-402.10 is amended to read:
17 53A-3-402.10. Reading Clinic -- 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] Clinic, hereafter referred to as the ["center,"] "clinic," at the University of Utah to assist
23 educators and parents of students statewide in:
24 [(a) assist school districts in detecting reading difficulties in students in the early grades;
25 and]
26 (a) assessing elementary school students who do not demonstrate satisfactory progress in
27 reading;

28 (b) [provide] providing instructional intervention to enable the students to overcome [their]
29 reading difficulties[.]; and
30 (c) becoming better prepared to help all students become successful readers by providing
31 them with professional development programs in reading that are based on best practices and the
32 most current, scientific research available h THROUGH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY
32a RECOGNIZED READING RESEARCHERS AND INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALISTS h .
33 [(3) (a) The center shall assist school districts by providing expertise in the assessment of
34 reading difficulties and designing effective instructional interventions to overcome those
35 difficulties.]
36 [(b) The assessment and intervention programs]
37 (3) (a) The clinic shall focus primarily on students in grades one through three [in order
38 to correct any detected difficulties by the end of the third grade, but] since research shows the need
39 for students to become successful readers by the end of the third grade.
40 (b) The clinic shall make assessment and instructional intervention services [shall be]
41 available to public education students of all ages.
42 [(c) School districts may use the assessment and intervention programs on site at the
43 center, at the student's school, or by using interactive technology.]
44 [(4) (a) The center shall provide school districts with a professional development program
45 for reading endorsements that can be added to active elementary certificates.]
46 [(b) Each school district may allow its teachers to participate in the program through:]
47 [(i) programs taught on-site at local schools;]
48 [(ii) distance education with videotaped classes and on-site facilitators; and]
49 [(iii) interactive delivery by computers and video.]
50 [(c) Each school district may use this professional teacher development program in an
51 effort to place at least one reading specialist in each of its elementary schools.]
52 [(5)] (4) The [center] clinic shall provide [school district administrators, school
53 administrators, and school teachers with the most current research-based knowledge about reading
54 and reading instruction through nationally and internationally recognized reading researchers and
55 instructional specialists] these services on-site at the University of Utah and through remote access
56 interactive technology to reach educators, parents, and students throughout the state.

Legislative Review Note
as of 1-11-01 10:37 AM

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

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel