Sec. 4. Early Literacy and Dyslexia Intervention Pilot Program
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Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an Early Literacy and Dyslexia Intervention Pilot Program (hereinafter referred to as the Pilot Program ), in accordance with this Act, to award grants to State educational agencies to provide evidence-based early screening, multi-tier support systems, and comprehensive literacy education, using evidence-based methods of screening and intensive intervention identified in accordance with subsection
(d), for students served by the participating local educational agencies in such States. The early screening and support systems identified in accordance with subsection
(d)and carried out under the Pilot Program shall screen and support students for potential risk factors for early reading deficiencies and dyslexia, such as low phonemic awareness, low letter and symbol naming, and inability to remember sequences. The Secretary shall award grants under this Act to 5 State educational agencies to participate in the Pilot Program. The Secretary shall ensure that the State educational agencies awarded grants under this Act serve geographically, racially, and economically diverse student populations. A grant awarded to a State educational agency under this Act shall be for a period of 3 consecutive school years, and shall be for not more than $500,000 for each school year of the grant period. Each State educational agency awarded a grant under this Act shall select no fewer than 2 local educational agencies in the State to participate in the Pilot Program under this Act. To be eligible to be selected as a participating local educational agency, a local educational agency shall— have a total enrollment of at least 3,000 students; provide full-day kindergarten; and submit an application to the State educational agency at such time and containing such information as may be required by the Secretary and the State educational agency. Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, in consultation with recognized, expert organizations described in section 5(a)(1) , State educational agencies the Secretary is consulting with in accordance with section 5(b) , and the State educational agencies selected to participate in the Pilot Program, identify— one or more intensive interventions for students in kindergarten through grade 3, which shall include— phonological awareness and phonemic awareness; sound symbol recognition; alphabet knowledge; decoding skills; encoding skills; and rapid naming; and best practices to instruct educators on— the science of reading; how to execute the intensive interventions identified in accordance with paragraph
(1); understanding and identifying early reading deficiencies and dyslexia, including how to execute methods of screening identified in accordance with paragraph
(3); and how to execute the intensive intervention identified in accordance with paragraph
(4); one or more evidence-based methods of screening appropriate for students in kindergarten through grade 3 for potential risk factors for early reading deficiencies and dyslexia, which may include the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills tests and phonological and phonemic processing and rapid automatized naming tests; evidence-based intensive intervention for students identified as being at risk for, suspected of having, or having early reading deficiencies or dyslexia, or both; and a methodology for evaluating the effects of the Pilot Program on the students identified as having early reading deficiencies or dyslexia, or both. Each State educational agency participating in the Pilot Program shall ensure that the following activities are carried out using the methods of screening and intensive intervention identified in accordance with subsection
(d): Provide intensive interventions identified in accordance with subsection (d)(1) that develop basic reading skills and incorporate systematic phonics instruction to every student in kindergarten through grade 3 who is served by a participating local educational agency in the State. Three times during each school year during the grant period, including at the beginning of the school year, during the middle of the school year, and during the final academic period of the school year, use evidence-based methods of screening identified in accordance with subsection (d)(3) to screen each student in kindergarten through grade 3 enrolled in each participating local educational agency in the State for low phonemic awareness and other evidence-based risk factors for early reading deficiencies and dyslexia. For each student who is suspected of having an early reading deficiency or dyslexia, or both, based on the results of a screening conducted in accordance with paragraph
(2)— notify the parent or guardian of such student that the student was screened, the results of the student’s screening, and that the student is eligible to receive reading intervention services as part of the Pilot Program; provide to the parent or guardian of such student information about additional screening and services available through the Pilot Program, and information on other resources available through the local educational agency and State to parents and students about early reading deficiencies and dyslexia, and recommended evidence-based resources and interventions; and in order to provide additional screening, diagnostic assessments, or services to the student under the Pilot Program, require consent from the parent or guardian of such student indicating that the parent or guardian voluntarily and knowingly consents to the continued participation of the student in the Pilot Program. For each student suspected of having an early reading deficiency or dyslexia based on the results of a screening whose parent or guardian has consented to continued participation in the Pilot Program— conduct diagnostic assessments that— are nationally standardized, norm-referenced screening assessments of phonological awareness, alphabetic knowledge, concept of word and grapheme phoneme correspondence; and are proven to have predictive validity and classification accuracy; and provide intensive intervention identified in accordance with subsection (d)(4) in areas identified by the screening, diagnostic assessments, or progress monitoring data collected by intervention teachers, that includes timely targeted instruction and strategic reteaching of specific unlearned material or concepts until mastery is achieved. Participation of a student in the Pilot Program, including participation in screening and receipt of intensive intervention, shall not at any time preclude a parent or guardian from requesting or receiving an evaluation of such student for special education services, including during the course of intensive intervention carried out under the Pilot Program. At the end of each school year of the Pilot Program, each participating State educational agency shall report to the Secretary on the activities of the State educational agency, and each participating local educational agency in the State, carried out under the Pilot Program, including any data and information the Secretary may require.