Special Education Leadership Institute
Literacy-Based Promotion Act Update
September 26, 2013
Agenda
• Public School Requirements
• Mississippi Reading Panel
• Social Promotion
• Intervention
• Good Cause Exemptions
• Key Reporting Requirements
• Funding
• Literacy Personnel
• Timeline
Literacy-Based Promotion Act
Statute Overview: Senate Bill 2347
Requirements for Public Schools
• Inform parents or legal guardians of the
student’s academic progress
• Provide intensive reading instruction and
immediate intervention to each K - 3 student
who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading
at any time, as demonstrated by performance on
an MDE-approved reading screener or locally
Parent Notification Requirements
If a K - 3 student has been identified with a substantial deficit in
reading, the teacher will immediately, and with each quarterly
progress report, notify parents or legal guardians of the following
in writing:
• Determination of a substantial deficit in reading
• Description of student services and supports presently provided
• Description of proposed supplemental instruction and support to
remediate the student’s deficit areas
• Strategies for parents to use to help students at home
• Notification that student will not be promoted to 4
thgrade if
reading deficiency can not be remediated by the end of 3
rdgrade
Mississippi Reading Panel
MDE has established a Mississippi Reading Panel to
collaborate with the department on:
• Recommending appropriate comparable alternate
assessments
• Establishing cut scores to determine promotion to 4
thgrade
• Establishing a make-up opportunity for those who
Mississippi Reading Panel Members
• State Superintendent of Education or designee
• Chair of the House of Education Committee or designee
• Chair of the Senate Education Committee or designee
• Member appointed by the Governor
• Two additional members appointed by the State
Superintendent of Education
Social Promotion and
Third Grade Gateway
• A student may not be assigned a grade level based solely on
age or any other factor that constitutes social promotion.
• Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, a student scoring at
the lowest achievement level in reading on the established
state assessment for 3
rdgrade will not be promoted to 4
thgrade.
• A 3
rdgrade student who fails to meet the academic
requirements for promotion to the 4
thgrade may be
Intensive Instructional Services for
3
rd
Graders Not Promoted
• Intensive instructional services progress
monitoring measures, and supports to remediate
the identified reading deficiency
• Minimum of 90 minutes per day scientifically
research-based reading instruction
– Phonemic awareness
– Phonics
– Fluency
– Vocabulary
– Comprehension
Good Cause Exemptions
• Limited English Proficient students who have
had less than two (2) years of instruction in
English Language Learner program
• Students with disabilities whose Individualized
Education Program (IEP) indicates that
Good Cause Exemptions
• Students with a disability who participate in the
accountability assessment and who have an IEP
or Section 504 plan that reflects that the student
has received intense remediation in reading for
two (2) years but still demonstrates a deficiency
and was previously retained
Good Cause Exemptions
• Students who demonstrate an acceptable level
of reading proficiency on an alternative
assessment approved by the State Board of
Education
• Students who receive intensive intervention for
two or more years but still demonstrate
deficiency in reading, and who previously were
retained for two (2) years in any grade
• Teacher submits documentation to the principal
indicating promotion is appropriate based on the
student’s record
• Documentation must indicate the good cause
exemption being requested and clearly show the
student is eligible
• Principal reviews and discusses the documentation
with the teacher and parents and determine whether
or not to promote the student based on the statute
requirements
Request for a 3
rd
Grade Student
Request for a 3
rd
Grade Student
Good Cause Exemptions
If the principal determines the student should be
promoted…
• Principal makes recommendation in writing to
the school district superintendent, who may or
may not accept the principal’s recommendation
• The parents of any student promoted may choose
Interventions for Students with
Good Cause Exemptions
Students promoted to 4
th
grade based on
good cause exemptions shall be provided
intensive reading instruction and
intervention informed by data and
delivered through specific strategies in
order to meet the students’ needs.
Key Reporting Requirements of the
Literacy-Based Promotion Act
The school board of each school district must publish, in a newspaper
that has general circulation within the school district, and report to the
State Board of Education and the Mississippi Reading Panel the
following information:
• The number and percentage of students given an approved
alternate standardized reading assessment and the percentage of
these students performing at each competency level of the
alternate standardized assessment
• By grade, the number and percentage of all students retained in K-8
• Information on the total number and percentage of students who
Funding for K-3 Literacy and
Third Grade Gateway
The $9.5 M appropriation from the 2013 legislative session may be
used for the following:
• Training all K - 3 teachers (~ 9,900 participants)
• Training all K - 3 principals (~ 500 participants)
• Training school- or district-based literacy coaches
• Employing and training literacy coaches and regional literacy
coordinators
• Employing State literacy director
• Training IHL faculty
Literacy Personnel
The MDE has been actively screening applications and
interviewing individuals to work as literacy coaches.
• 560 completed applications
• 251 telephone interviews
• 107 face-to-face interviews
A list of FAQs is available online. Please visit
Literacy Efforts
Tentative Timeline
July - August
Date Activity
July 2013 For the 2013-2014 SY the following statement should be added
as an addendum to the District Handbook: “Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, a student scoring at the lowest
achievement level in reading on the established State
assessment for 3rd grade will not be promoted to 4th grade unless the student meets the good cause exemptions for promotion.”
Identify target schools based on 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 data
August 2013 Principal and literacy coach training on the Literacy-Based
Promotion Act
October - April
Date Activity
October 2013 State Board of Education approval of MS K-3 Literacy
Professional Development Training System proposal
November 2013 Training provided for literacy coaches
December 2013 Initial training of the MS K-3 Literacy Professional Development
Training System for K-3 teachers, principals, school-based literacy coaches, and IHL faculty
January – April 2014 Training for K-3 teachers, principals, school-based literacy
coaches, and IHL faculty on the MS Literacy Professional Development Training System
May – June
Date Activity
June 2014 Follow-up literacy training for K-3 teachers, principals, literacy
coaches, and IHL faculty, based upon evaluation of implementation data
2015-2016 The school board of each district must publish, in a newspaper
that has general circulation within the school district, and report to the State Board of Education and the Mississippi Reading panel the following: 1) the number and percentage of students given alternative standardized reading assessment and the percentage of these students performing at each
