,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #efei ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #cj1 #bjbf,mr4 ,heinrich 7for himself and ,mr4 ,cassidy7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,secretary of ,education to carry out a grant program to assist local educational agencies with ensuring that each elementary school and secondary school has at least one reading or literacy specialist on staff4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,literacy ,improvement for ,transformation ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,,esea ,terms ,the terms elementary school1 evidence-based1 institution of higher education1 local educational agency1 secondary school1 and ,state educational agency have the meanings given those terms in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#b7 ,,idea ,terms ,the terms child with a disability1 individualized education program or ,,iep1 and specific learning disability have the meanings given those terms in section #fjb of the ,individuals with ,disabilities ,education ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #adja74 7#c7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means-- 7,a7 a local educational agency2 7,b7 a partnership between a ,state educational agency and one or more local educational agencies in the ,state1 entered into for the purposes of a grant under this ,act2 7,c7 a nonprofit entity with expertise in structured literacy approaches 7including multisensory structured language education71 reading intervention1 or specific learning disabilities 7including dyslexia71 in partnership with a ,state educational agency or one or more local educational agencies2 7,d7 a school operated by the ,bureau of ,indian ,education or operated by an ,indian ,tribe1 or an organization controlled or sanctioned by an ,indian ,tribal government1 for the children of that ,tribe under a contract with1 or grant from1 the ,department of the ,interior under the ,indian ,self-,determination ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecba et seq47 or the ,tribally ,controlled ,schools ,act of #aihh 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #beja et seq472 or 7,e7 an institution of higher education 7including a ,tribal ,college or ,university 7as defined in section #caf7;b7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajei;c7b7777 in partnership with a ,state educational agency or one or more local educational agencies4 7#d7 ,high-need local educational agency ,the term high-need local educational agency has the meaning given such term in section #bjj of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajba74 7#e7 ,licensed professional ,the term licensed professional means a psychologist1 speech- language pathologist1 neuropsychologist1 or pediatrician that is licensed by the ,state to practice in the applicable field4 7#f7 ,reading or literacy specialist ,the term reading or literacy specialist means a certified professional-- 7,a7 whose primary responsibility is working with students who struggle with reading and writing1 including students with dyslexia2 7,b7 who-- 7i7 has completed a certification or training course in literacy 7which may include a certification or course that meets accreditation standards described by the ,international ,multisensory ,structured ,language ,education ,council72 and 7ii7 is able to demonstrate the ability to implement intervention strategies using structured literacy approaches1 including multisensory structured language programs1 to improve reading proficiency and literacy skills2 and 7,c7 who may also be referred to as an interventionist1 a reading teacher1 a reading specialist1 or by an alternative title4 7#g7 ,section #ejd ,plan ,the term section #ejd plan means a reasonable accommodation developed for students with disabilities to receive the appropriate educational support services to fully participate in school activities and have equal access to educational opportunities1 in accordance with section #ejd of the ,rehabilitation ,act of #aigc 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #gid74 7#h7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4 #c4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to assist ,state educational agencies and local educational agencies with ensuring that every elementary school and secondary school has at least one full-time certified reading or literacy specialist on staff1 and to support the recruitment1 hiring1 retention1 and development of certified reading or literacy specialists4 #d4 ,literacy improvement and transformation grant program 7a7 ,grant program authorized 7#a7 ,in ,general ,the ,secretary shall establish a program to award grants1 on a competitive basis1 to eligible entities to carry out the activities described under subsection 7d74 7#b7 ,duration ,grants awarded under this section shall be for a period of #e years4 7b7 ,application ,an eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 including-- 7#a7 a needs assessment of the elementary schools or secondary schools served by the eligible entity that demonstrates the existence of persistent shortages of reading or literacy specialists or persistent shortages of full-time reading or literacy specialists2 7#b7 demographic information about the student population of the elementary schools or secondary schools served by the eligible entity1 disaggregated 7to the extent that such information complies with applicable privacy law and protects personally identifiable information71 by status as a student that-- 7,a7 has a section #ejd plan2 7,b7 is not considered proficient in reading according to the most recent ,national ,assessment of ,educational ,progress assessment in reading comprehension for which data is available2 7,c7 has an ,,iep2 or 7,d7 is identified as having been diagnosed by a licensed professional with dyslexia1 dysgraphia1 dyscalculia1 or a specific learning disability2 7#c7 a description of the relevant academic needs of the student population of the elementary schools or secondary schools served by the eligible entity1 including-- 7,a7 the ratio of reading and literacy specialists to whole student population2 and 7,b7 an overview of student performance related to reading1 literacy1 and comprehension on formative and summative reading assessments1 standardized tests1 and district and ,state benchmarks1 including such information disaggregated 7to the extent that such information complies with applicable privacy law and protects personally identifiable information71 by status as a student that-- 7i7 has a section #ejd plan2 7ii7 is not considered proficient in reading according to the most recent ,national ,assessment of ,educational ,progress assessment in reading comprehension for which data is available2 7iii7 has an ,,iep2 or 7iv7 is identified as having been diagnosed by a licensed professional with dyslexia1 dysgraphia1 dyscalculia1 or a specific learning disability2 7#d7 graduation rates1 attendance data1 and disciplinary data 7as determined by the ,secretary71 disaggregated 7to the extent that such information complies with applicable privacy law and protects personally identifiable information7 by status as a student that-- 7,a7 has a section #ejd plan2 7,b7 is not considered proficient in reading according to the most recent ,national ,assessment of ,educational ,progress assessment in reading comprehension for which data is available2 7,c7 has an ,,iep2 or 7,d7 is identified as having been diagnosed by a licensed professional with dyslexia1 dysgraphia1 dyscalculia1 or a specific learning disability2 7#e7 a comprehensive plan for the use of grant funds to address persistent shortages described in the needs assessment under paragraph 7#a71 including a description of-- 7,a7 how grant funds will be used in accordance with subsection 7d72 7,b7 how such activities will improve or strengthen evidence-based intervention strategies2 7,c7 how such funds will target early intervention in kindergarten through grade #c2 and 7,d7 how such funds will be used to ensure that the eligible entity will continue to employ and retain reading or literacy specialists after the completion of the grant period2 and 7#f7 an assurance that the eligible entity will ensure compliance with the requirement described in subsection 7e74 7c7 ,selection and priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 give a first priority to eligible entities that are located in a ,state that is in the lowest half of ,states1 in a ranking of all ,states1 ranked in descending order by the percentage of students in grades #d and #h in the ,state who score at or above a level of proficient on the most recent ,national ,assessment of ,educational ,progress reading assessments for students in grades #d and #h for which data are available2 7#b7 if the priority in paragraph 7#a7 has been satisfied1 or if no applicants described in paragraph 7#a7 apply1 then the ,secretary shall give priority to applicants that plan to direct grant funding primarily to elementary schools2 and 7#c7 if the priorities in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 have been satisfied1 or if no applicants described in paragraphs 7#a7 or 7#b7 apply1 then the ,secretary shall give priority to applicants that are a high-need local educational agency or are a partnership between a ,state educational agency and a consortium of high-need local educational agencies4 7d7 ,activities ,grant funds awarded under this section shall be used by an eligible entity to carry out one or more of the following activities3 7#a7 ,recruiting1 hiring1 and developing full-time reading or literacy specialists at elementary schools or secondary schools4 7#b7 ,providing resources necessary to support the development of reading or literacy specialists from a part-time to full-time capacity at elementary schools or secondary schools served by the eligible entity1 including through full funding for teachers who are employed by the eligible entity at the time of the grant to earn an evidence-based reading or literacy specialist certification from an accredited institution of higher education4 7#c7 ,supporting the retention of reading or literacy specialists at elementary schools or secondary schools1 including by increasing salaries4 7#d7 ,ensuring that at least #a full-time reading or literacy specialist is on staff at each elementary school and secondary school served by the eligible entity4 7#e7 ,providing continual professional development opportunities regarding reading difficulties in students who are children with disabilities at elementary schools or secondary schools1 including how to identify dyslexia in students with other diagnoses4 7e7 ,requirement2 ,rule of ,construction 7#a7 ,requirement ,each grant recipient shall ensure that any reading or literacy specialist whose position is partially or fully funded by grant funds spends not less than #hj percent of their time in that position working with teachers and students to improve student outcomes relating to literacy4 7#b7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to limit the preservation or use of ,native ,american languages4 7f7 ,report ,each eligible entity awarded a grant under this section shall submit to the ,secretary an annual report for each year of the grant award4 ,such report shall be compiled after a collection of relevant data from elementary schools and secondary schools served by the eligible entity4 ,the report shall include-- 7#a7 a summary of the eligible entity's progress in employing at least #a full-time reading or literacy specialist at each elementary school and secondary school served by the eligible entity2 7#b7 data on the number of full-time and part-time reading or literacy specialists employed at each elementary school and secondary school served by the eligible entity and data on the ratio of students to reading or literacy specialists at each such school2 and 7#c7 a summary of any progress made by the eligible entity in addressing reading or literacy1 as identified in the needs assessment required under subsection 7b77#a71 as a result of the activities carried out with a grant under this section4