1.1Senator Cwodzinski moved to amend
H.F. No. 4492 as follows:
1.2Delete everything after the enacting clause and insert:
1.5 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.119, subdivision 7, is amended to read:
1.6 Subd. 7.
Literacy specialist. "Literacy specialist" means a person licensed by the
1.7Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board
as a teacher of reading, a special
1.8education teacher, or a kindergarten through grade 6 teacher, who has completed professional
1.9development approved by the Department of Education in structured literacy.
1.10 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 120B.119, subdivision 10, is amended
1.11to read:
1.12 Subd. 10.
Oral language. "Oral language," also called " expressive language"
or and
1.13"receptive language," includes speaking and listening, and consists of five components:
1.14phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Oral language also includes
1.15sign language, in which speaking and listening skills are defined as expressive and
receptive
1.16skills, and consists of phonology, including sign language phonological awareness,
1.17morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
1.18 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.119, is amended by adding a subdivision
1.19to read:
1.20 Subd. 10a. Parent. "Parent" means a student's parent or legal guardian.
1.21 Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 120B.12, subdivision 2, is amended
1.22to read:
1.23 Subd. 2.
Identification; report. (a) Each school district must screen every student
1.24enrolled in kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 using a screening tool approved
by
1.25the Department of Education three times each school year: (1) within the first six
weeks of
1.26the school year; (2) by February 15 each year; and (3) within the last six weeks of
the school
1.27year. Students enrolled in kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3, including
multilingual
1.28learners, students receiving special education services, and students enrolled in
dual language
1.29immersion programs, must be universally screened for mastery of foundational reading
1.30skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, oral language, and
for
1.31characteristics of dyslexia as measured by a screening tool approved by the Department
of
2.1Education. The screening for characteristics of dyslexia may be integrated with universal
2.2screening for mastery of foundational skills and expressive
or and receptive language
2.3mastery. The screening tool used must be a valid and reliable universal screener that
is
2.4highly correlated with foundational reading skills.
For students reading at grade level,
2.5beginning in the winter of grade 2, the oral reading fluency screener may be used
to assess
2.6reading difficulties, including characteristics of dyslexia, without requiring a separate
2.7screening of each subcomponent of foundational reading skills. A district must submit data
2.8on student performance in kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 on foundational
2.9reading skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, and oral
language
2.10to the Department of Education in the annual local literacy plan submission due on
June
2.1115.
2.12(b) For students enrolled in dual language immersion programs:
2.13(1) if students are screened in the partner language, they must be screened at the
same
2.14interval as the screenings in English under paragraph (a);
2.15(2) if the program provides instruction in foundational reading skills in English,
the
2.16students receiving that instruction must be screened in English;
2.17(3) if the program provides instruction in foundational reading skills in the partner
2.18language, the students receiving that instruction must be screened in the partner
language;
2.19(4) if no screener is available in the partner language, the districts must identify
how
2.20students' reading proficiency is assessed and how the districts determine and provide
targeted
2.21reading instruction in the partner language and supports to students identified as
needing
2.22additional support in developing mastery of foundational reading skills; and
2.23(5) the partner language screening tool must be approved by the district for kindergarten
2.24through grade 3 students.
2.25 (c) Students in grades 4 and above, including multilingual learners and students receiving
2.26special education services, who are not reading at grade level must be screened for
reading
2.27difficulties, including characteristics of dyslexia, using a screening tool approved
by the
2.28Department of Education, and must continue to receive evidence-based instruction,
2.29interventions, and progress monitoring until the students achieve grade-level proficiency.
2.30A parent, in consultation with a teacher, may opt a student out of the literacy screener
if the
2.31parent and teacher decide that continuing to screen would not be beneficial to the
student.
2.32In such limited cases, the student must continue to receive progress monitoring and
literacy
2.33interventions.
3.1 (d) Reading screeners in English, and in the predominant languages of district students
3.2where practicable, must identify and evaluate students' areas of academic need related
to
3.3literacy. The district also must monitor the progress and provide reading instruction
3.4appropriate to the specific needs of multilingual learners. The district must use
an approved,
3.5developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive screener and annually report
summary
3.6screener results to the commissioner by June 15 in the form and manner determined
by the
3.7commissioner.
3.8 (e) An English language learner must be screened for characteristics of dyslexia according
3.9to the vendor's assessment guidelines.
3.10 (e) (f) The district also must include in its local literacy plan under subdivision 4a, a
3.11summary of the district's efforts to screen, identify, and provide interventions to
students
3.12who demonstrate characteristics of dyslexia as measured by a screening tool approved
by
3.13the Department of Education. Districts are strongly encouraged to use a MTSS framework.
3.14With respect to students screened or identified under paragraph (a), the report must
include:
3.15 (1) a summary of the district's efforts to screen for characteristics of reading difficulties,
3.16including dyslexia;
3.17 (2) the number of students universally screened for that reporting year;
3.18 (3) the number of students demonstrating characteristics of dyslexia for that year;
and
3.19(4) an explanation of how students identified under this subdivision are provided
with
3.20alternate instruction and interventions under section
125A.56, subdivision 1.
3.21 Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 120B.12, subdivision 2a, is amended
3.22to read:
3.23 Subd. 2a.
Parent notification and involvement. (a) A district must administer an
3.24approved reading screener to students in kindergarten through grade 3 within the first
six
3.25weeks of the school year, by February 15 each year, and again within the last six
weeks of
3.26the school year.
A district must administer an approved reading screener to students in
3.27grades 4 and above who are not reading at grade level at least once per year until
the student
3.28reaches grade-level proficiency. Schools, after administering each screener, must follow
3.29the language access plan under section
123B.32 and give the parent of each student who is
3.30not reading at or above grade level information from the screener about:
3.31(1) the student's reading proficiency as measured by a screener approved by the
3.32Department of Education;
4.1(2) reading-related services currently being provided to the student and the student's
4.2progress; and
4.3(3) strategies for parents to use at home in helping their student succeed in becoming
4.4grade-level proficient in reading in English and in their native language.
4.5(b) For students enrolled in dual language immersion programs, the district must measure
4.6the student's reading proficiency in English or in the program's partner language,
if available,
4.7according to subdivision 2. Following the district's language access plan under section
4.8123B.32, the district must notify families with timely information about students' reading
4.9proficiency, including how the student's reading proficiency is assessed, any reading-related
4.10services or supports provided to the student and the student's progress, and strategies
for
4.11families to use at home in helping students succeed in becoming grade-level proficient
in
4.12reading in English or the partner language. The dual language immersion program may
4.13provide information about national research on reading proficiency for students in
dual
4.14language immersion programs in the parent notification.
4.15(c) A district may not use this section to deny a student's right to a special education
4.16evaluation.
4.17 Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 120B.12, subdivision 4a, is amended
4.18to read:
4.19 Subd. 4a.
Local literacy plan. (a) Consistent with this section, a school district must
4.20adopt a local literacy plan to have every child reading at or above grade level every
year
4.21beginning in kindergarten and to support multilingual learners and students receiving
special
4.22education services in achieving their individualized reading goals. A district must
update
4.23and submit the plan to the commissioner by June 15 each year. The plan must be consistent
4.24with the Read Act, and include the following:
4.25(1) a process to assess students' foundational reading skills, oral language, and
level of
4.26reading proficiency and the approved screeners used, by school site and grade level,
under
4.27section
120B.123;
4.28(2) a process to notify and involve parents;
4.29(3) a description of how schools in the district will determine the targeted reading
4.30instruction that is evidence-based and includes an intervention strategy for a student
and
4.31the process for intensifying or modifying the reading strategy in order to obtain
measurable
4.32reading progress;
5.1(4) evidence-based intervention methods for students who are not reading at or above
5.2grade level and progress monitoring to provide information on the effectiveness of
the
5.3intervention;
5.4(5) identification of staff development needs, including a plan to meet those needs;
5.5(6) the curricula used by school site and grade level and, if applicable, the district
plan
5.6and timeline for adopting evidence-based curricula and materials starting in the 2025-2026
5.7school year;
5.8(7) a statement of whether the district has adopted a MTSS framework;
5.9(8) student data using the measures of foundational literacy skills and mastery identified
5.10by the Department of Education for the following students:
5.11(i) students in kindergarten through grade 3;
5.12(ii) students who demonstrate characteristics of dyslexia; and
5.13(iii) students in grades 4 to 12 who are identified as not reading at grade level;
5.14(9) the number of teachers and other staff who have completed training approved by
the
5.15department;
5.16(10) the number of teachers and other staff proposed for training in structured literacy;
5.17(11) how the district used funding provided under the Read Act to implement the
5.18requirements of the Read Act;
5.19(12) beginning as soon as practicable after the end of fiscal year 2026, how the district
5.20used literacy aid funding received under section
124D.98;
and
5.21(13) beginning on December 31, 2025, for a district with a dual language immersion
5.22program:
5.23(i) the program's partner language;
5.24(ii) grade levels included in the program;
5.25(iii) the language used to screen students' foundational reading skills;
5.26(iv) the percentage of grade 3 students taking the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments;
5.27and
5.28(v) the number of students in the program in grades 4 to 12 who are identified as
not
5.29reading at grade level
.; and
6.1(14) beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, a description of how schools in the
6.2district will use the school library media center to complement students' foundational
reading
6.3skills.
6.4(b) Annually by June 15, the district must post its literacy plan on the official
school
6.5district website and submit it to the commissioner of education using the template
developed
6.6by the commissioner of education.
6.7(c) Districts must use a streamlined template developed by the commissioner of education
6.8for local literacy plans that meets the requirements of this subdivision and requires
all
6.9reading instruction and teacher training in reading instruction to be evidence-based.
The
6.10template must require a district to report information using the student categories
required
6.11in the commissioner's report under paragraph (d). The template must focus district
resources
6.12on improving students' foundational reading skills while reducing paperwork requirements
6.13for teachers.
6.14(d) By December 1, 2025, the commissioner of education must submit a report to the
6.15legislative committees with jurisdiction over prekindergarten through grade 12 education
6.16summarizing the local literacy plans submitted to the commissioner. The summary must
6.17include the following information:
6.18(1) the number of teachers and other staff, by grade level, who have completed training
6.19approved by the Department of Education;
6.20(2) the number of teachers and other staff, by grade level, required to complete the
6.21training under section
120B.123, subdivision 5, who have not completed the training;
6.22(3) the number of teachers exempt under section
120B.123, subdivision 5, from
6.23completing training approved by the Department of Education;
6.24(4) the statewide total number of teachers or other staff required to complete the
training
6.25under section
120B.123, subdivision 5, that have received other training or education that
6.26meets the requirements of the training approved by the Department of Education;
6.27(5) by school site and grade, the approved screeners and the reading curriculum used;
6.28(6) by school site and grade, using the measurements of foundational literacy skills
and
6.29mastery identified by the department, both aggregated data and disaggregated data
on student
6.30performance on the approved screeners using the student categories under section
120B.35,
6.31subdivision 3, paragraph (a), clause (2); and
6.32(7) information about dual language immersion programs.
7.1(e) By December 1, 2026, and December 1, 2027, the commissioner of education must
7.2submit updated reports containing the information required under paragraph (d) and
updates
7.3and recommendations from the dual language immersion advisory committee established
7.4under subdivision 6, to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over prekindergarten
7.5through grade 12 education.
7.6 Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 120B.123, subdivision 1, is amended
7.7to read:
7.8 Subdivision 1.
Approved screeners. (a) A district must administer an approved
7.9evidence-based reading screener to students in kindergarten through grade 3 within
the first
7.10six weeks of the school year, by February 15 each year, and again within the last
six weeks
7.11of the school year.
A district must provide vendor-approved screening accommodations to
7.12students with documented accommodation plans.The screener must be one of the screening
7.13tools approved by the Department of Education. A district must identify any screener
it uses
7.14in the district's annual literacy plan, and submit screening data with the annual
literacy plan
7.15by June 15.
7.16(b) Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, district staff and external partners offering
7.17literacy supports in schools may only use screeners that have been approved by the
7.18Department of Education.
7.19 Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 120B.123, subdivision 5, is amended
7.20to read:
7.21 Subd. 5.
Professional development. (a) A district must provide training from a menu
7.22of approved evidence-based training programs to the following teachers and staff by
July
7.231, 2026:
7.24(1) reading intervention teachers working with students in kindergarten through grade
7.2512;
7.26(2) all classroom teachers of students in kindergarten through grade 3 and children
in
7.27prekindergarten programs;
7.28(3) kindergarten through grade 12 special education teachers responsible for foundational
7.29reading instruction;
7.30(4) curriculum directors;
7.31(5) instructional support staff, contractors, and volunteers who assist in providing
reading
7.32interventions under the oversight and monitoring of a trained licensed teacher;
8.1(6) employees who select literacy instructional materials for a district; and
8.2(7) teachers holding English as a second language teaching licenses.
8.3(b) A district must provide training from a menu of approved evidence-based training
8.4programs to the following teachers by July 1, 2027:
8.5(1) teachers who provide foundational reading instruction to students in grades 4
to 12;
8.6(2) teachers who provide instruction to students in a state-approved alternative program;
8.7and
8.8(3) teachers who provide instruction to students in dual language immersion programs.
8.9(c) The commissioner of education may grant a district an extension to the deadlines
in
8.10this subdivision.
8.11(d) Training provided by the following may satisfy the professional development
8.12requirements under this subdivision:
8.13(1) a certified trained facilitator; or
8.14(2) a training program that the department has determined meets the professional
8.15development requirements under the Read Act.
8.16(e) Beginning July 1, 2027, an educator required to receive training under paragraph
8.17(a), who is new to the state of Minnesota or is a newly licensed teacher who did not
receive
8.18instruction in the teaching of foundational reading skills based on structured literacy,
must
8.19complete one of the approved required trainings. Training must be offered through
the
8.20regional literacy network and facilitated by a local certified trained facilitator.
The
8.21Department of Education must review district literacy lead waiver requests and grant
waivers
8.22to educators new to the state or educators who provide reading instruction exclusively
using
8.23alternatives to sound-based approaches, and who have completed the professional
8.24development requirements consistent with this subdivision.
8.25(f) For the 2024-2025
and, 2025-2026
, and 2026-2027 school years only, the hours of
8.26instruction requirement under section
120A.41 for students in elementary and secondary
8.27school, as defined in section
120A.05, subdivisions 9 and 13, is reduced by 5-1/2 hours for
8.28a district that enters into an agreement with the exclusive representative of the
teachers that
8.29requires teachers to receive at least 5-1/2 hours of approved evidence-based training
required
8.30under this subdivision, on a day when other students in the district receive instruction.
If a
8.31charter school's teachers are not represented by an exclusive representative, the
charter
8.32school may reduce the number of instructional hours for students in elementary and
secondary
9.1school, as defined in section 120A.05, subdivisions 9 and 13, by 5-1/2 hours after
consulting
9.2with its teachers in order to provide teachers with at least 5-1/2 hours of evidence-based
9.3training required under this subdivision on a day when other students receive instruction.
9.4The hours of instruction reduction for secondary school students is applicable only
for the
9.52025-2026
and 2026-2027 school
year years.
9.6(g) An educator who was first enrolled in an elementary, special education or early
9.7childhood education Minnesota-approved teacher preparation program on or after June
1,
9.82026, does not need to receive additional training according to paragraph (a).
9.9 Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.123, is amended by adding a subdivision
9.10to read:
9.11 Subd. 8. Accessibility standards. (a) All professional development and digital curriculum
9.12resources must comply with the accessibility standards developed according to section
9.1316E.03, subdivision 9.
9.14(b) Professional development provided in accordance with the Read Act is subject to
9.15the requirements of section 363A.43.
9.16 Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 120B.124, subdivision 5, is amended
9.17to read:
9.18 Subd. 5.
Ongoing review of literacy materials. (a) By October 1, 2026, the department
9.19must establish an ongoing review process in order to identify curriculum and intervention
9.20materials that are evidence-based, focused on structured literacy, culturally and
linguistically
9.21responsive, and reflective of diverse populations. The department may partner with one or
9.22more institutions of higher education
or a third party to conduct independent and objective
9.23reviews of curriculum and intervention materials
using the competitive solicitation procedures
9.24under chapter 16C. The department must determine whether it will partner with an institution
9.25of higher education
or a third party to conduct ongoing reviews of literacy materials by
June
9.26October 1, 2026. A publisher may submit curriculum or intervention materials for review.
9.27The publisher is responsible for paying the cost of the review directly to
the a partnering
9.28institution of higher education
or third party. The review must use the
Read Act rubric used
9.29to approve curriculum
and post. The department may modify the Read Act rubric as necessary
9.30to reflect the evolving needs of grade levels and special populations, including alignment
9.31with the Minnesota English Language Arts standards, the incorporation of culturally
and
9.32linguistically responsive criteria, and the inclusion of criteria reflective of diverse
populations.
9.33The
Read Act rubric
must be posted on the department website. The department and
10.1institution of higher education its partner may approve the curriculum or intervention
10.2materials if they determine that the curriculum or intervention materials are evidence-based,
10.3focused on structured literacy, culturally and linguistically responsive, and reflect
diverse
10.4populations. The department must add the approved curriculum or intervention materials
10.5to the list of curricula and materials approved under the Read Act.
Following each review
10.6cycle, the department must post it's findings on the department's website. Alternative
10.7curriculum and intervention programs for those who cannot access sound-based approaches
10.8must be reviewed on the same review cycle as traditional programs.
10.9(b) A program undergoing a full review cycle must be added to the reviewed curricula
10.10and intervention program list after the review process is completed.
10.11EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
10.12 Sec. 11.
REPEALER.
10.13Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 120B.124, subdivision 6, is repealed.
10.15HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS FOR VETERANS
10.16 Section 1.
[127A.135] HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FOR VETERANS.
10.17 Subdivision 1. Diploma. A school district or charter school must, upon a request under
10.18subdivision 2, issue a high school diploma to a veteran as defined in section 197.447
who
10.19was unable to complete their high school education for reasons related or unrelated
to their
10.20military service, and who served:
10.21(1) during the Korean Conflict from June 27, 1950, to January 31, 1955; or
10.22(2) during the Vietnam War, either in the country from November 1, 1955, to May 7,
10.231975, or outside of the country from August 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975.
10.24 Subd. 2. Request. A veteran may request a diploma on their own behalf, or a family
10.25member may make a posthumous request on behalf of a deceased veteran or service member.
10.26The high school diploma is awarded based on the veteran's knowledge and experience
10.27gained while in service, or the veteran's other relevant lived experience. The school
district
10.28or charter school may require the veteran or veteran's requestor to provide evidence
that the
10.29veteran was a Minnesota public school student or is a current Minnesota resident.
10.30 Subd. 3. No report required. Districts and charter schools are not required to report on
10.31diplomas issued under this section.
11.1 Subd. 4. Assistance. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and county veteran
11.2service officers may provide assistance to districts and charter schools fulfilling
these
11.3requests, including but not limited to verification of discharge paperwork.
11.5OTHER LITERACY PROVISIONS
11.6 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 122A.092, is amended by adding a subdivision
11.7to read:
11.8 Subd. 10. Early literacy field experience. (a) A teacher preparation provider approved
11.9by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board to prepare teacher candidates
11.10to provide instruction in early literacy must require a supervised early literacy
field experience
11.11aligned to evidence-based best practices in reading consistent with sections 120B.118
to
11.12120B.124. The early literacy field experience requirement applies to teacher candidates
11.13who enroll in teacher preparation programs in the 2027-2028 school year or later.
11.14(b) The early literacy field experience must be integrated with learning experiences
in
11.15reading instruction, including instruction on reading methods or equivalent, and must
provide
11.16teacher candidates with opportunities to apply evidence-based literacy practices with
students.
11.17(c) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must adopt rules regarding
11.18the early literacy field experience requirement, including but not limited to:
11.19(1) defining licensure areas in which teacher candidates must complete the early literacy
11.20field experience;
11.21(2) establishing expectations for the scope and outcomes of the early literacy field
11.22experience;
11.23(3) ensuring the field experience occurs primarily within a school building during
the
11.24instructional day, while allowing for waivers when appropriate to accommodate unique
11.25program delivery models or documented hardship; and
11.26(4) requiring the field experience includes observation with actionable feedback to
ensure
11.27growth and attainment of related reading standards.
11.28(d) In adopting rules under this subdivision, the board must allow flexibility for
teacher
11.29preparation programs to demonstrate that candidates have met required standards through
11.30field experiences.
11.31EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2026."
12.1Amend the title accordingly
12.2The motion prevailed. #did not prevail. So the amendment was #not adopted.