SB 517

                     As Amended by Senate Committee
 Session of 2026
                       SENATE BILL No. 517
                      By Committee on Ways and Means
                                    2-24
1 AN ACT concerning education; relating to the Kansas blueprint for
2   literacy; expanding reporting requirements in the every child can read
3   act; requiring members of the literacy advisory committee to have
4   certain expertise; aligning literacy fluency goals with the state board of
5   education's assessment cut scores; requiring school districts to employ
6   reading specialists and develop individual student literacy plans for
7   certain high-risk students; requiring the state board of education to
8   designate best literacy practices and include a literacy practicum in the
9   requirements for teacher licensure; requiring the development of a
10   comprehensive literacy implementation plan; providing requirements
11   for educator preparation programs; amending K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 72-
12   3262, 74-32,290, 74-32,291, 74-32,292, 74-32,293, 74-32,294 and 74-
13   32,295 and repealing the existing sections; also repealing K.S.A. 2025
14   Supp. 74-32,296.
15
16 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
17     Section 1. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 72-3262 is hereby amended to read as
18 follows: 72-3262. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the
19 every child can read act.
20     (b) The legislature hereby affirms that third grade marks a pivotal
21 grade level in which students must attain proficiency in reading or risk
22 continued learning losses throughout their academic career. To ensure that
23 all students move toward grade-level proficiency in literacy, especially by
24 the third grade level, the board of education of each school district shall
25 provide opportunities for students to participate in targeted educational
26 interventions to promote proficiency in literacy. Reading literacy shall be
27 attained through the science of reading and evidence-based reading
28 instruction and shall include such competencies as may be necessary to
29 attain reading proficiency. The necessary competencies, best practices and
30 screening tools used by school districts shall follow the framework of the
31 dyslexia handbook developed by the state department of education. To
32 ensure that such competencies are achieved, the board of education of each
33 school district shall include as part of instruction in literacy:
34     (1) Phonics, phonological and phonemic awareness;
35     (2) vocabulary development;
36     (3) silent and oral reading fluency; and
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1     (4) reading comprehension.
2     (c) To promote the goals of the every child can read act, the board of
3 education of each school district shall:
4     (1) Measure student achievement by participation in the state
5 assessment program, use of a single statewide universal screening tool
6 recommended by the state board of education and through other universal
7 screening and assessment tools that are approved by a board of education
8 of a school district or by the state department of education;
9     (2) provide targeted and tiered interventions that are designed to
10 match a student's individual deficiencies through additional contact hours
11 with such student, including, but not limited to, one-on-one instruction,
12 small group instruction, tutoring and summer school programs for all
13 students and especially for those students who are at and below the third
14 grade level who are identified as having a literacy deficit; and
15     (3) ensure that the teacher of each third grade student communicates
16 with the parent or guardian of each such student to provide information on
17 the student's literacy proficiency or deficiencies and any recommended
18 interventions for such student to achieve proficiency. Such communication
19 shall occur at least once during the fall semester and once during the
20 spring semester. When a teacher provides the communications required
21 pursuant to this paragraph, each such communication shall provide the
22 parent or guardian with:
23     (A) A summary of the every child can read act and the literacy goals
24 of the act;
25     (B) any assessment data relating to literacy that pertains to the
26 student;
27     (C) any recommended interventions for the student; and
28     (D) how the school district tracks the outcomes of any such
29 interventions.
30     (d) (1) On or before June 30 of each school year, each school district
31 shall report to the state department of education on the school district's
32 implementation of the every child can read act, the interventions that the
33 school district is using to attain the goals of such act and the resulting
34 outcomes of such interventions. Such report shall include:
35     (A) The number of third grade students in such school district;
36     (B) the screening and assessment data from at least the preceding two
37 school years that the school district is using as a baseline to evaluate
38 student progress in literacy; and
39     (C) the percentage of students that are proficient, moving toward
40 proficiency or deficient, with percentages provided for all students and
41 student subgroups;
42     (D) the number of students in prekindergarten through grade eight
43 who performed in the high-risk category on the fall screening measure;
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1     (E) the number of students in kindergarten through grade three with
2 an individual student literacy plan; and
3     (F) the number of students in kindergarten through grade three who
4 exited the high-risk category or such student's individual student literacy
5 plan by the end of the school year.
6     (2) The state department of education shall compile such reports and
7 shall submit a summary report to the governor and, the legislature, literacy
8 advisory committee and the state board of education on or before January
9 15 October 1 of each year.
10     (e) This section shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
11 2023.
12     Sec. 2. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,290 is hereby amended to read as
13 follows: 74-32,290. (a) K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,290 through 74-32,296
14 74-32,295, and amendments thereto, shall be known and may be cited as
15 the Kansas blueprint for literacy.
16     (b) Each provision of K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,290 through 74-
17 32,296 74-32,295., and amendments thereto, that requires the expenditure
18 of moneys shall be subject to legislative appropriations therefor.
19     (c) As used in K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,290 through 74-32,296, and
20 amendments thereto the Kansas blueprint for literacy:
21     (1) "Field experience" means structured, supervised learning
22 opportunities where pre-service educators observe, interact with students
23 and apply evidence-aligned reading practices in authentic and diverse
24 classroom settings.
25     (2) "In-service" means a licensed individual who is employed by a
26 school district or accredited nonpublic school as a teacher.
27     (3) "Literacy practicum" means field experience that provides
28 explicit, guided, hands-on practice delivering evidence-based instructional
29 practices in one-on-one or small group instruction, administering literacy
30 assessments, designing and implementing diagnostic and prescriptive
31 instructional plans with joint supervision and mentorship by literacy
32 faculty and an experienced mentor teacher.
33     (4) "Mentor teacher" means a licensed teacher who has earned the
34 Kansas seal of literacy and models evidence-aligned literacy instruction to
35 ensure pre-service educators gain meaningful, high-impact teaching
36 experience that bridges theory and practice.
37     (2)(5) "Postsecondary educational institution" means:
38     (A) A state educational institution as defined in K.S.A. 76-711, and
39 amendments thereto;
40     (B) a municipal university; and
41     (C) any not-for-profit institution of postsecondary education that has
42 its main campus or principal place of operation in Kansas, is operated
43 independently and not controlled or administered by a state agency or
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1 subdivision of this state, maintains open enrollment and is accredited by a
2 nationally recognized accrediting agency for higher education in the
3 United States.
4     (3)(6) "Ongoing professional learning" means continuous, job-
5 embedded process to improve teaching effectiveness and student
6 achievement, including active collaborative learning that integrates new
7 knowledge and skills into daily practice.
8     (7) "Pre-service" means an individual who is receiving the education
9 and training to become a licensed teacher but is not yet licensed.
10     (4)(8) "Science of reading" means the teaching of reading using
11 evidence-based research that an interdisciplinary body of evidence that
12 informs how students learn to read and write proficiently. "Science of
13 reading" informs evidence-based practices and includes phonemic
14 awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
15     (5)(9) "Structured literacy" means the application of knowledge from
16 the science of reading that teaches reading in an evidence-based and
17 systematic way a comprehensive instructional approach that guides how
18 reading and writing are taught by providing direct, explicit, sequential,
19 data-driven and systematic instruction leading to mastery of reading and
20 writing.
21     Sec. 3. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,291 is hereby amended to read as
22 follows: 74-32,291. (a) There is hereby established a literacy advisory
23 committee. The committee shall be composed of:
24     (1) 15 voting members as follows:
25     (A) The director of literacy education, appointed pursuant to K.S.A.
26 2025 Supp. 74-32,292, and amendments thereto, who shall serve as
27 chairperson of the committee;
28     (B) one member appointed by the governor;
29     (C) one member of the house of representatives or a literacy expert
30 appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
31     (D) one member of the house of representatives or a literacy expert
32 appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives;
33     (E) one member of the senate or a literacy expert appointed by the
34 president of the senate;
35     (F) one member of the senate or a literacy expert appointed by the
36 minority leader of the senate;
37     (G) one member appointed by and representing the Kansas national
38 education association;
39     (H) one member appointed by and representing a school of education
40 from Emporia state university, Fort Hays state university or Pittsburg state
41 university;
42     (I) one member appointed by and representing a school of education
43 from the university of Kansas, Kansas state university or Wichita state
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1 university;
2     (J) one member appointed by and representing Washburn university
3 school of education;
4     (K) one member appointed by the Kansas association of community
5 colleges to represent community colleges;
6     (L) one member appointed by the Kansas independent colleges
7 association to represent a not-for-profit institution of postsecondary
8 education school or college of education;
9     (M) one member appointed by the state board of education;
10     (N) one member of the state board of regents appointed by the state
11 board of regents; and
12     (O) one member who is an English for speakers of other languages
13 literacy expert appointed by the united school administrators of Kansas;
14 and
15     (2) nonvoting members as follows:
16     (A) The commissioner of education or the commissioner's designee;
17 and
18     (B) any number of members appointed by the director of literacy
19 education pursuant to K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,292, and amendments
20 thereto.
21     (b) (1) Members appointed to the committee pursuant to subsection
22 (a)(1) shall be appointed on or before July 1, 2024 have expertise in
23 evidence-based literacy practices, educator preparation, science of
24 reading research and evaluation, dyslexia research, literacy intervention,
25 implementation science or literacy policy development.
26     (2) Except for the director of literacy education, voting members shall
27 serve for a term of four years.
28     (3) Any vacancy in the membership of the committee shall be filled
29 by appointment in the same manner prescribed by this section for the
30 original appointment.
31     (4) A quorum of the committee shall be a majority of the voting
32 members. All actions of the committee may be taken by a majority of the
33 voting members present when there is a quorum.
34     (5) The committee may meet at any time and at any place within the
35 state upon the call of the chairperson.
36     (6) If any member of the committee fails to attend three meetings of
37 the committee within any 12-month period, such member's appointment
38 shall terminate and a new member shall be appointed in the same manner
39 prescribed by this section for the original appointment.
40     (c) The literacy advisory committee shall:
41     (1) Monitor progress of literacy training for in-service and pre-service
42 teachers and literacy education of elementary and secondary students;
43     (2) designate best practices for literacy training for in-service and pre-
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1 service teachers and literacy education of elementary and secondary
2 students;
3     (3) be responsible for the attainment of the transformational goal to
4 have 100% of the Kansas special education, English for speakers of other
5 languages and elementary teacher workforce achieve a micro-credential in
6 the science of reading and structured literacy by 2030, leading to at least
7 50% 90% of students in each of the grades three through eight achieving
8 level 3 or above and at least 90% of students in each of the grades three
9 through eight achieving level 2 or above on the English language arts state
10 assessment by 2033. Scores and other data on such assessment shall be
11 disaggregated for each grade level and all defined subgroups, including,
12 but not limited to, English language learners, students receiving free
13 meals pursuant to the national school lunch act, students in the custody of
14 the secretary for children and families and race and ethnicity subgroups;
15     (4) make recommendations to the director of literacy education;
16     (5)(4) make recommendations to the state board of education, the
17 state board of regents and the postsecondary educational institution
18 presidents or chancellors on:
19     (A) Literacy training for in-service and pre-service teachers and
20 literacy education of elementary and secondary students; and
21     (B) reading instruction methods based on the science of reading;
22     (6)(5) make recommendations to the house of representatives
23 standing committee on education and the senate standing committee on
24 education on the implementation of the goals of the Kansas blueprint for
25 literacy and any changes necessary to achieve such goals; and
26     (7)(6) (A) submit a an annual progress report to the legislature on:
27     (i) English language arts state assessment scores for each grade level
28 and all defined subgroups, including, but not limited to, English language
29 learners, students receiving free meals pursuant to the national school
30 lunch act, students in the custody of the secretary for children and families
31 and race and ethnicity subgroups;
32     (ii) literacy training for in-service and pre-service teachers; and
33     (iii) the literacy advisory committee's goals and requirements
34 provided in the Kansas blueprint for literacy;
35     (B) Such progress report shall be provided at the following times
36 each calendar year:
37     (i) Once on or before February 1 to the senate committee on
38 education and the house of representatives committee on education;
39     (ii) once on or before May 1 to the senate committee on education
40 and the house of representatives committee on education; and
41     (iii) once on or before December 1 to any interim, special, or select
42 committee, task force or commission that has membership that includes
43 legislators, is related to education, has been approved by the legislative
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1 coordinating council and requests such report; and
2     (8) submit a plan to the state board of regents education and the
3 legislature, including the house of representatives standing committee on
4 education and the senate standing committee on education, on the
5 establishment of centers of excellence in reading pursuant to K.S.A. 2025
6 Supp. 74-32,296, and amendments thereto, on or before January 1, 2025
7 on or before January 31 of each year.
8     (d) The committee shall be subject to the Kansas open records act,
9 K.S.A. 45-419 et seq., and amendments thereto, and the Kansas open
10 meetings act, K.S.A. 75-4317 et seq., and amendments thereto. The
11 committee shall publish each meeting agenda and any available meeting
12 documents online prior to each scheduled meeting of the committee.
13     (e) (1) Legislative members of the committee and members appointed
14 by a member of the legislature who attend meetings of the committee shall
15 be paid for expenses, mileage and subsistence as provided in K.S.A. 75-
16 3223(e), and amendments thereto.
17     (2) Members of the committee who are not members of the
18 legislature may be paid for expenses, mileage and subsistence by the entity
19 each such member was appointed by and represents.
20     (f) (1) The director of literacy education shall provide executive
21 support to the committee.
22     (2) The staff of the state board of regents, office of revisor of statutes,
23 the legislative research department and the division of legislative
24 administrative services shall provide such assistance as may be requested
25 by the committee.
26     Sec. 4. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,292 is hereby amended to read as
27 follows: 74-32,292. (a) On or before July 1, 2024, the executive officer of
28 the state board of regents shall appoint a director of literacy education.
29     (b) The director of literacy education shall be an employee of the
30 state board of regents in the unclassified service who serves at the pleasure
31 of the state board of regents. The compensation of the director shall be
32 determined by the executive officer of the state board of regents.
33     (c) The director of literacy education shall:
34     (1) Serve as chairperson of the literacy advisory committee
35 established in K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,291, and amendments thereto;
36     (2) implement and administer the Kansas blueprint for literacy;
37     (3) provide executive support to the literacy advisory committee;
38     (4) appoint nonvoting members of the literacy advisory committee as
39 the director deems necessary;
40     (5) work with the state board of education and the state board of
41 regents to ensure:
42     (A) Progress on the initiatives, objectives and desired outcomes in the
43 Kansas blueprint for literacy;
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1     (B) the development and utilization of the comprehensive assessment
2 system; and
3     (C) that state educational institutions and elementary and secondary
4 schools are using tier I literacy methodologies structured literacy and
5 evidence-based practices;
6     (6) encourage independent institutions referred to in K.S.A. 2025
7 Supp. 74-32,290(c)(2)(C), and amendments thereto, to use such tier I
8 methodologies;
9     (7) establish a program to track the science of reading and structured
10 literacy training progression of in-service and pre-service early childhood
11 and elementary teachers, special education teachers and paraprofessionals,
12 reading specialists and early childhood and elementary administrators for
13 all school districts in the state; and
14     (8) on or before January 15 of each year, prepare and present a report
15 to the senate standing committee on education and the house of
16 representatives standing committee on education, or any successor
17 committees, on the implementation and administration of the Kansas
18 blueprint for literacy, including, but not limited to, an implementation
19 timeline, progress of initiatives, development and utilization of the
20 comprehensive assessment system, progress toward the goal established in
21 K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,291(c), and amendments thereto, use of tier I
22 methodologies, outcomes and any proposed changes; and
23     (9) report to the house of representatives standing committee on
24 education and the senate standing committee on education on or before
25 January 31, 2025, on the progress of the state board of regents on
26 utilization of the science of reading, elimination of discredited
27 methodologies, use of universal screening measures and assessments in
28 elementary and secondary schools in the state.
29     Sec. 5. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,293 is hereby amended to read as
30 follows: 74-32,293. (a) Postsecondary educational institutions shall
31 designate practices based on the science of reading through structured
32 literacy as the official tier I literacy methodology and shall prohibit the use
33 or teaching of any discredited methodologies, such as the three-cueing
34 system.
35     (b) (1) The state board of regents, in collaboration with postsecondary
36 educational institutions and research experts, shall establish a
37 comprehensive reading and literacy assessment system with universal
38 screening measures, diagnostic, formative and summative assessments to
39 be used in teacher preparation programs in the state. Such assessment
40 system shall allow teachers to adjust instruction to meet the specific needs
41 of students, including with regard to reading difficulties and the
42 remediation of reading and literacy skill gaps. The state board of regents
43 shall make recommendations to the state board of education on such
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1 assessment system and ensure that such assessment system is available on
2 or before May 1, 2025. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to
3 include the English language arts statewide assessment.
4     (2) The state board of regents shall:
5     (A) Develop training modules for the assessments on or before July
6 1, 2025;
7     (B) support state board of education action to officially designate the
8 science of reading as the official tier I literacy methodology;
9     (C) support elementary and secondary schools as necessary to
10 eliminate any discredited methodologies;
11     (D) recommend literacy-specific universal screening measures and
12 diagnostic, formative and summative assessments to the state board of
13 education; and
14     (E) approve reading instruction methodologies recommended by the
15 literacy advisory committee for state educational institutions.
16     (3) On and after July 1, 2025,Beginning in school year 2029-2030,
17 each school district shall employ, either through direct employment,
18 shared cooperative agreement or by contract, a licensed reading
19 specialist for each elementary school of the school district.
20     (b) (1) Each school district shall develop individual student literacy
21 plans for all students in kindergarten through grade three who perform at
22 a high-risk level on fall literacy screening measures. Such plans shall be
23 developed in partnership with the student's parent or person acting as
24 parent. Each such plan shall include:
25     (A) A minimum of 90 minutes of targeted and tiered interventions
26 designed to match address the student's individual deficiencies per week in
27 one-on-one instruction, small group instruction, tutoring or a summer
28 school program; and
29     (B) a diagnostic assessment, progress monitoring and interventions
30 until the student achieves grade level performance.
31     (2) The teacher of any student requiring an individual student
32 literacy plan shall communicate with such student's parent or person
33 acting as parent and provide the information required by the every child
34 can read act, K.S.A. 72-3262, and amendments thereto, to such parent or
35 person acting as parent.
36     (c) No school district shall use any textbooks or instructional
37 materials that utilize:
38     (A)(1) The three-cueing system model of reading as the primary basis
39 for teaching word recognition;
40     (B)(2) visual memory as the primary basis for teaching word
41 recognition; or
42     (C)(3) the three-cueing system model of reading based on meaning,
43 structure and syntax and visual cues, commonly known as MVS.
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1     (c) The director of literacy education shall report to the house of
2 representatives standing committee on education and the senate standing
3 committee on education on or before January 31, 2025, on the progress of
4 the state board of regents on utilization of the science of reading,
5 elimination of discredited methodologies, use of universal screening
6 measures and assessments in elementary and secondary schools in the
7 state.
8     Sec. 6. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,294 is hereby amended to read as
9 follows: 74-32,294 (a) The state board of education shall:
10     (1) Designate best practices based on the science of reading through
11 structured literacy as the literacy methodology and prohibit the use or
12 teaching of any discredited methodologies, including the three-cueing
13 system;
14     (2) require applicants for licensure as a prekindergarten through
15 grade eight general education teacher or special education teacher to
16 complete a minimum of 45 clock hours in a literacy practicum that is
17 designed to increase skills and expertise in screening, diagnostic and
18 formative assessments, developing instructional plans and applying
19 evidence-based practices in an elementary and secondary school setting;
20     (3) require reading specialists to complete a minimum of 45 clock
21 hours in a literacy clinical focused on assessment progress monitoring,
22 lesson planning and delivery practicum that utilizes assessment tools and
23 data interpretation and applies evidence-based practices in small or
24 whole group instruction under the supervision of a literacy expert with a
25 minimum certification as a certified structured literacy dyslexia
26 interventionist that demonstrates expertise in structured literacy;
27     (4) ensure that school districts develop individual student literacy
28 plans as required in K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,293, and amendments
29 thereto;
30     (5) ensure that educator preparation programs provide evidence that
31 teacher candidates can demonstrate mastery of competency to:
32     (A) Literacy assessment tools and data interpretation;
33     (B) utilization of literacy screening;
34     (C) diagnostic, progress monitoring and formative assessment tools
35 recommended by the state department of education;
36     (D) skills to administer and interpret a variety of assessments to
37 effectively instruct students in small groups and individually in authentic
38 school settings; and
39     (E) develop plans to guide instruction based on the needs of diverse
40 learners; and
41     (6) submit an annual report to the literacy advisory committee on or
42 before November 1 of each year. Such report shall be published on the
43 state department of education website and include:
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1     (A) Literacy screening measures and English language arts state
2 assessment scores for each grade level and all defined subgroups,
3 including, but not limited to, English language learners, students receiving
4 free meals pursuant to the national school lunch act, students in the
5 custody of the secretary for children and families and race and ethnicity
6 subgroups; and
7     (B) literacy training for in-service and pre-service teachers.
8     (b) The state board of regents shall:
9     (1) Support state board of education action to officially designate
10 best practices based on the science of reading through structured literacy
11 as the official literacy methodology;
12     (2) support elementary and secondary schools as necessary to
13 eliminate any discredited methodologies;
14     (3) recommend literacy-specific universal screening measures and
15 diagnostic, formative and summative assessments to the state board of
16 education; and
17     (4) approve reading instruction methodologies recommended by the
18 literacy advisory committee for state educational institutions.
19     (c) The state board of regents and the state board of education shall
20 collaborate have joint oversight of and responsibility to:
21     (a)(1) Jointly Approve micro-credential credential requirements for
22 in-service teachers or certification requirements for pre-service teachers at
23 state educational institutions in the science of reading and structured
24 literacy;
25     (b)(2) develop or make accessible professional development
26 programs and micro-credential credential courses for all in-service early
27 childhood teachers, general education teachers and special education
28 Kansas licensed and practicing teachers at low or no cost to such teachers.
29 Such programs and courses shall be delivered by national online learning
30 programs or accredited Kansas postsecondary educational institutions;
31     (c)(3) ensure that all pre-service teacher preparation programs at state
32 educational institutions are based on the science of reading and structured
33 literacy in accordance with the state board of education accreditation of
34 undergraduate elementary licensure programs, reading specialists, special
35 education, school psychologists, curriculum and instruction specialists
36 and education leadership graduate programs. State educational
37 institutions shall provide evidence that such programs are exclusively
38 utilizing science of reading and evidence-based practices;
39     (d)(4) be responsible for the attainment of the transformational
40 goal to have 100% of the Kansas special education, English for speakers
41 of other languages and elementary teacher workforce achieve a
42 credential in the science of reading and structured literacy by 2030,
43 leading to at least 90% of students in each of the grades three through
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1 eight achieving a level 3 or above on the English language arts
2 assessment by 2033. Scores and other data on such assessment shall be
3 disaggregated for each grade level and all defined subgroups, including,
4 but not limited to, English language learners, students receiving free
5 meals under the national school lunch act, students in the custody of the
6 secretary for children and families and race and ethnicity subgroups;
7     (5) publish standards and course progressions to achieve transparency
8 of Kansas reading education programs; and
9     (e)(5)(6) provide data for the program to the director of literacy
10 education that tracks the science of reading and structured literacy training
11 progression, course materials and rigor of application of in-service and
12 pre-service early childhood and elementary teachers, special education
13 teachers and paraprofessionals, reading specialists and early childhood and
14 elementary administrators for all school districts in the state all Kansas
15 licensed and practicing teachers and administrators;
16     (6)(7) make recommendations to the state board of education on
17 vetted high quality instructional materials that include tier 1 curriculum
18 resources and intervention curriculum. A list of such instructional
19 materials and resources shall be available to school district boards of
20 education;
21     (7)(8) at least once every three years, review undergraduate literacy
22 courses, materials and resources and make recommendations for
23 improvements to such courses, materials and resources;
24     (8)(9) implement ongoing professional learning in evidence-based
25 practices in literacy, at low or no cost for reading specialists, special
26 education teachers, paraeducators, school psychologists and school and
27 school district leaders; and
28     (9)(10) accept certifications from the international multisensory
29 structured language council, international dyslexia association and
30 academic language therapy association-accredited programs for
31 licensure as a reading specialist;
32     (11) implement reciprocity for advanced degrees, licensure and
33 certifications from accredited institutions recognized by one of the six
34 regional United States department of education accrediting
35 organizations; and
36     (12) (A) in partnership with the legislature, develop a
37 comprehensive literacy implementation plan for prekindergarten through
38 grade 12 and postsecondary education. In developing such plan, input
39 from educators, families, research and evidence-based practices shall be
40 considered. Such plan shall:
41     (i) Address all policy requirements of the Kansas blueprint for
42 literacy, including timelines and resources; and
43     (ii) include educator preparation, high-impact ongoing professional
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1 learning and high quality instructional materials, assessment intervention,
2 multi-tiered systems of support and family resources and support.
3     (B) The annual report on the comprehensive literacy implementation
4 plan shall be presented to the state board of education, the state board of
5 regents and the senate education committee and the education and higher
6 education budget committees of the house of representatives. The initial
7 report on such plan shall be submitted to such legislative committees on or
8 before May 1, 2026. A full comprehensive literacy plan shall be submitted
9 to such boards and committees on or before January 15, 2027.
10     Sec. 7. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-32,295 is hereby amended to read as
11 follows: 74-32,295. The president or chancellor, provost and, dean of the
12 college or school of education of each postsecondary educational
13 institution and the state board of regents shall jointly have oversight and
14 supervision of undergraduate and graduate level reading and literacy
15 courses at their respective institution and shall:
16     (a) EnsureIntegrate explicit courses and ensure candidate
17 competency in the science of learning, science of reading and structured
18 literacy, including the five pillars of reading, for all undergraduate early
19 childhood and elementary teacher preparation programs at state
20 educational institutions;
21     (b) appoint one representative from each postsecondary educational
22 institution to conduct an annual a systemwide analysis of the curriculum
23 maps across all literacy courses at least once every three years as part of
24 the accreditation process. Such analysis shall include identifying clear
25 evidence of instructional approaches and the core components of reading
26 development. Such evidence shall include, but not be limited to:
27     (1) Curriculum maps demonstrating:
28     (A) Literacy coursework addresses phonemic awareness, phonics,
29 fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension; and
30     (B) where screening, diagnostic assessment, progress monitoring
31 and intervention are addressed;
32     (2)    documentation showing that language structures related to
33 reading development, including phonology, morphology, syntax and
34 semantics are addressed;
35     (3) data demonstrating pre-service teacher competency regarding
36 evidence-based literacy instruction through course assessments and
37 clinical evaluations;
38     (4) pre-service teacher performance on literacy-related licensure
39 assessments or competency measures;
40     (5) observation or evaluation data demonstrating a pre-service
41 teacher's ability to deliver explicit and systematic reading instruction;
42     (6) documentation of ongoing faculty professional learning related
43 to current research on reading development and literacy instruction;
 SB 517—Am. by SC  14
1 and
2     (7) documentation of program revisions or instructional changes
3 made in response to pre-service teacher performance data, licensure
4 outcomes or workforce feedback;
5     (c) provide evidence that at least 80% of pre-service teachers pass
6 the licensure exam in literacy instruction approved by the state board of
7 education and practicum supervisors demonstrate expertise in structured
8 literacy, evidence-based practices and supervision;
9     (d) present a report on such systemwide analysis and any results from
10 such analysis to the literacy advisory committee, state board of education
11 and state board of regents; and
12     (d)(e) design and implement two three-credit hour applied application
13 courses that shall be included within the approved graduation requirements
14 to earn a degree in elementary education on or before August 2024;
15     (e) implement a common performance-based assessment for such
16 courses to be used by all postsecondary educational institutions on or
17 before August 2024;
18     (f) assist in the development of a science of reading and structured
19 literacy micro-credential for early childhood teachers, elementary
20 education teachers, English for speakers of other languages teachers,
21 reading specialists, special education teachers and paraprofessionals, early
22 childhood and elementary administrators that focuses on research-based
23 fundamentals of reading instruction; and
24     (g) provide information, advice and recommendations to the literacy
25 advisory committee.
26     Sec. 8. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 72-3262, 74-32,290, 74-32,291, 74-
27 32,292, 74-32,293, 74-32,294, 74-32,295 and 74-32,296 are hereby
28 repealed.
29     Sec. 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
30 publication in the statute book.