Senate Bill No. 10–Joint Rules Committee

 

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AN ACT relating to education; expressing the sense of the Nevada Legislature regarding available methods to improve the reading proficiency of Nevada’s school children at an early grade level; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

   Section 1. 1.  The Nevada Legislature declares that:

   (a) It is essential to the educational success of the children who are

 enrolled in Nevada’s public schools that they learn to read with

 proficiency at an early grade level;

   (b) The acquisition of reading and literacy grants provided through the

 Reading Excellence Act, 20 U.S.C. §§ 6661 et seq., would greatly enhance

 the ability of this state to increase the reading proficiency of Nevada’s

 school children;

   (c) The intended goal of the Nevada Legislature is to increase the

 reading proficiency of Nevada’s school children at an early grade level

 and to establish the optimal conditions for the receipt of reading and

 literacy grants provided through the Reading Excellence Act; and

   (d) In furtherance of its intended goal, the Nevada Legislature hereby

 states that it is in support of:

     (1) The establishment of a plan pursuant to which the Governor and

 the Department of Education will establish a reading and literacy

 partnership in accordance with the requirements of 20 U.S.C. § 6661b(d)

 to ensure that all applications and proposals for reading and literacy grants

 provided through the Reading Excellence Act are presented in such a

 manner as to produce an outcome resulting in the maximum financial and

 educational benefit for this state;

     (2) The availability and delivery of professional development

 activities for the teachers who are employed in this state that are:

        (I) Related to providing instruction in reading;

        (II) Based upon scientifically based reading research; and

        (III) Founded on a balanced approach to providing instruction in

 reading that prepares teachers in the major components of reading,

 including, without limitation, phonemic awareness, systematic phonics,

 spelling, vocabulary, fluency, reading comprehension and writing;

     (3) The use of technology, as appropriate, to enhance the professional

 development activities described in subparagraph (2);

     (4) The participation of parents and legal guardians in activities

 related to reading and literacy in a manner that will enhance the ability of

 their children to learn;

     (5) The provision of family literacy services that are based upon

 programs such as the Even Start Family Literacy Program; and

     (6) The development of mechanisms to assess and evaluate, on a

 regular basis, the progress made by the school districts in this state in

 enhancing the reading proficiency of Nevada’s school children at an early

 grade level.

   2.  As used in this section:

   (a) “Reading” has the meaning ascribed to it in 20 U.S.C. § 6661a(4).

   (b) “Scientifically based reading research” has the meaning ascribed to

in 20 U.S.C. § 6661a(5).

   Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective upon passage and approval.

 

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