23-1221

LRB-1221/P2

FFK:kms

2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

DOA:......Kretschmann, BB0232 - Early Literacy and Reading Improvement

For 2023-2025 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction

An Act ...; relating to: the budget.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

education

Primary and secondary education

Early literacy and reading improvement

This bill requires DPI to establish a literacy coaching program to improve literacy outcomes statewide. The literacy coaching program must include two types of literacy coaches. The first type of literacy coach will support the implementation of evidence-based literacy instructional practices in grades kindergarten to 12 in school districts and independent charter schools (literacy instructional practices coach). Specifically, a literacy instructional practices coach will collaborate with a participating school district or independent charter school to establish goals for literacy outcomes for specific grade levels and literacy areas and provide ongoing support to meet the identified goals. The second type of literacy coach will focus on early literacy instructional transitions by providing in-person trainings for four-year-old kindergarten to first grade teachers (early literacy transition coach). The purpose of these trainings is to evaluate existing early literacy curricula and goals and to assist school districts and independent charter schools to create local, standards-aligned, and developmentally appropriate curricula and instruction for four-year-old kindergarten to first grade pupils.

The bill requires each urban school district, which is defined as a school district in which at least 16,000 pupils were enrolled in the previous school year, to participate in both types of coaching provided under the literacy coaching program. Other school districts and independent charter schools may choose to participate in one or both types of coaching provided under the literacy coaching program. Under the bill, DPI must make a payment to a school district or independent charter school that participates in the literacy coaching program. For coaching provided by a literacy instructional practices coach, the bill requires a payment of $7,000, and for participating in training provided by an early literacy transition coach, the bill requires a payment of $6,000.

The bill requires DPI to contract with a certain number of individuals to serve as literacy coaches and to assign those individuals to geographic regions of the state. Specifically, the bill requires DPI to assign one literacy instructional practices coach and one early literacy transition coach to each urban school district and one literacy instructional practices coach and one early literacy transition coach for each 40,000 pupils enrolled in school districts and independent charter schools located in a cooperative educational service agency region. Based on this formula, DPI estimates that it will be required to contract for 28 literacy instructional practices coaches and 28 early literacy transition coaches.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. 20.255 (1) (er) of the statutes is created to read:

20.255 (1) (er) Early literacy and reading improvement. The amounts in the schedule to contract with and train literacy coaches under s. 115.39.

****Note: This Section involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.

Section 2. 20.255 (2) (er) of the statutes is created to read:

20.255 (2) (er) Early literacy and reading improvement; stipends. The amounts in the schedule for payments to local educational agencies under 115.39 (5).

****Note: This Section involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.

Section 3. 115.39 of the statutes is created to read:

115.39 Literacy coaching program. (1) Definitions. In this section:

(a) “CESA region” means the geographic territory within the boundaries of a cooperative educational service agency.

(b) “Local educational agency” means a school district or a charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x).

(c) “Urban school district” means a school district in which the number of pupils enrolled, as defined in s. 121.004 (7), in the previous school year was at least 16,000.

(2) Literacy coaching program. The department shall establish a literacy coaching program to improve literacy outcomes in this state. The literacy coaching program established under this subsection shall include all of the following:

(a) Literacy coaches who support the implementation of evidence-based literacy instructional practices in grades kindergarten to 12 in local educational agencies in this state. Coaches under this paragraph shall collaborate with local educational agencies to establish goals for literacy outcomes for specific grade levels and literacy areas and provide ongoing support to local educational agencies to meet those goals.

(b) Literacy coaches who focus on early literacy instructional transitions by providing in-person trainings for teachers who teach 4-year-old kindergarten, 5-year-old kindergarten, or first grade in local educational agencies. Coaches under this paragraph shall provide in-person trainings to evaluate existing early literacy curricula and goals and to assist local educational agencies to create local, standards-aligned, and developmentally appropriate curricula and instruction for 4-year-old kindergarten to first grade pupils.

(d) Trainings for literacy coaches under par. (b) on how to facilitate regional trainings focused on early literacy instructional coherence.

(3) Regional literacy coaches. (a) 1. The department shall contract with individuals who demonstrate knowledge and expertise in evidence-based literacy instructional practices and instructional experience in grades 4-year-old kindergarten to 12 to serve as literacy coaches under sub. (2) (a).

2. The department shall contract with individuals who demonstrate knowledge and expertise in early literacy instructional practices and instructional experience in grades 4-year-old kindergarten to one to serve as literacy coaches under sub. (2) (b).

3. The department shall contract for the total number of literacy coaches required under par. (b).

(b) To ensure that literacy coaching services are provided statewide, the department shall assign literacy coaches as follows:

1. To each urban school district, one literacy coach under sub. (2) (a) and one literacy coach under sub. (2) (b).

2. To each CESA region, as follows:

a. If the total number of pupils enrolled in local educational agencies other than urban school districts located in the CESA region in the previous school year was 40,000 or fewer, one literacy coach under sub. (2) (a) and one literacy coach under sub. (2) (b).

b. If the total number of pupils enrolled in local educational agencies other than urban school districts located in the CESA region in the previous school year was 40,001 to 80,000, 2 literacy coaches under sub. (2) (a) and 2 literacy coaches under sub. (2) (b).

c. If the total number of pupils enrolled in local educational agencies other than urban school districts located in the CESA region in the previous school year was 80,001 to 120,000, 3 literacy coaches under sub. (2) (a) and 3 literacy coaches under sub. (2) (b).

d. If the total number of pupils enrolled in local educational agencies other than urban school districts located in the CESA region in the previous school year was greater than 120,000, 4 literacy coaches under sub. (2) (a) and 4 literacy coaches under sub. (2) (b).

(4) Participation; local educational agencies. (a) Except as provided in par. (b), the department may not require a local educational agency to participate in the program under sub. (2).

(b) Each urban school district shall participate in the program under sub. (2).

(5) Payments. (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (er), the department shall pay to each urban school district and each local educational agency that elects to work with a literacy coach under sub. (2) (a) an annual payment of $7,000.

(b) From the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (er), the department shall pay to each urban school district and each local educational agency that participates in a regional training led by a literacy coach under sub. (2) (b) an annual payment of $6,000.

(End)