(a) Each local and regional board of education for a priority school district shall offer a summer reading program, as described in subsection (d) of section 10-265f, to children enrolled in kindergarten in the schools under its jurisdiction who are determined by their school to be substantially deficient in reading based on measures established by the State Board of Education.

(b) For the school year commencing July 1, 2011, and each school year thereafter, each local and regional board of education for a priority school district shall require the schools under its jurisdiction to assess the reading level of students enrolled in (1) kindergarten at the end of the school year, and (2) grades one to three, inclusive, at the beginning, middle and end of the school year. A student shall be determined to be substantially deficient in reading based on measures established by the State Board of Education. Each school shall provide instruction for such students that incorporates the competencies required for early reading success and effective reading instruction as delineated in section 10-221l. If a student is determined to be substantially deficient in reading based on the beginning, middle or end of the school year assessment, the school shall notify the parents or guardian of the student of such result and the school shall develop and implement an individual reading plan for such student.

(c) The individual reading plan shall include assessment results, applicable federal requirements and additional instruction, within available appropriations, such as tutoring, an after school, school vacation, or weekend program or a summer reading program as described in subsection (d) of section 10-265f. Individual reading plans pursuant to this section shall be (1) reviewed and revised as appropriate after each assessment or state-wide examination, as appropriate, (2) monitored by school literacy teams that shall consist of, but not be limited to, teachers, school reading specialists, internal or external reading consultants, the school principal and the provider of the additional instruction, and (3) given to the parent or guardian of the student, in accordance with the provisions concerning notice to parents or legal guardians pursuant to section 10-15b, and include specific recommendations for reading strategies that the parent or guardian can use at home. For purposes of providing additional instruction, boards of education for priority school districts shall give preference first to elementary schools and then to middle schools, with the highest number of students who are substantially deficient in reading.

(d) Educational and instructional decisions for students with individual reading plans from kindergarten, first, second or third grade shall be based on documented progress in achieving the goals of the individual reading plan or demonstrated reading proficiency. If a decision is made to promote a student who is substantially deficient in reading from kindergarten, first, second or third grade, the school principal shall provide written justification for such promotion to the superintendent of schools.

(e) An individual reading plan that incorporates the competencies required for early reading success and explicit reading instruction as delineated in section 10-221l shall be maintained for a student who is substantially deficient in reading until the student achieves grade level proficiency, as determined by a reading assessment pursuant to subsection (b) of this section or a mastery examination, pursuant to section 10-14n.

(f) Subject to the provisions of this subsection and within available appropriations, each local and regional board of education for a priority school district shall require for the school year commencing July 1, 2011, and each school year thereafter, students in kindergarten to grade three, inclusive, who, based on an end-of-the-year assessment pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, are determined to be substantially deficient in reading, to attend school the summer following such evaluation. The superintendent of schools may exempt an individual student from such requirement, upon the recommendation of the school principal, based on the student's progress with the student's individual reading plan. If a student does not receive such an exemption, has been offered the opportunity to attend a summer school program and fails to attend summer school, the local or regional board of education shall not promote the student to the next grade.

(g) The superintendent of schools shall report to the Commissioner of Education the information such superintendent receives pursuant to subsection (d) of this section regarding the number of students who are substantially deficient in reading and are promoted from kindergarten, first, second or third grade to the next grade. The State Board of Education shall prepare and publish a report containing such information.

(P.A. 98-243, S. 5, 25; P.A. 99-288, S. 5, 6; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1, S. 22, 54; P.A. 06-135, S. 14; P.A. 11-85, S. 4; P.A. 13-207, S. 10.)

History: P.A. 98-243 effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-288 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), amended Subsec. (b) to substitute substantially deficient in reading for “reading below grade level” and deleted requirement to include information in the strategic school profile on the number of students promoted from third to fourth grade who are reading below grade level and added Subsec. (c) re report on number of students promoted from third to fourth grade who are substantially deficient in reading, effective July 1, 1999; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 amended Subsec. (b) to add requirements for reading program and personal reading plan to incorporate the competencies delineated in Sec. 10-221l, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 06-135 amended Subsec. (b) by requiring, for each school year commencing on or after July 1, 2006, that evaluation be performed at the middle or end of the school year and that plans be implemented, by designating existing language describing the plan as new Subsec. (c) and amending same to expand description, replace transition class with after school, school vacation or weekend instruction and include a plan evaluation process, by designating existing language re promotion as new Subsec. (d) and amending same by changing the grade levels to grades first through third, and by designating existing language re maintenance of the plan as Subsec. (e) and amending same by keying proficiency to mastery examinations, added new Subsec. (f) re students determined to be deficient in reading and redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (g) and amended same to change the grade levels to grades first through third and make conforming changes, effective June 6, 2006; P.A. 11-85 replaced “evaluate” and “evaluation” with “assess” and “assessment”, replaced “personal reading plan” with “individual reading plan”, amended Subsec. (a) by replacing provision re teacher determination for enrollment in summer reading program with provision re school determination based on State Board of Education measures, amended Subsec. (b) by changing commencement date of program from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2011, adding Subdiv. (1) re assessment of kindergarten students at end of school year, designating existing language re assessment of students in grades 1 to 3 as Subdiv. (2), replacing “a reading program” with “instruction”, adding provisions re assessment to occur at beginning of school year and making conforming changes, amended Subsec. (c) by including assessment results and applicable federal requirements in individual reading plans, adding provision re school literacy teams in Subdiv. (2) and adding “specific” re recommendations for reading strategies, amended Subsec. (d) by replacing “Promotion of” with “Educational and instructional decisions for” and adding “kindergarten”, amended Subsec. (e) by replacing “effective” with “explicit” re reading instruction, deleting “a satisfactory” re standard for grade level proficiency and adding reference to Subsec. (b), amended Subsec. (f) by changing commencement of requirement that students attend summer school from the 2006-2007 school year to school year commencing July 1, 2011, and expanding such requirement to include kindergarten, and amended Subsec. (g) by adding “kindergarten” re students promoted to next grade, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-207 amended Subsec. (e) by replacing “state-wide mastery examination” with “mastery examination” and making a technical change, effective July 1, 2013.