Language arts: reading: diagnostic tools and plans.

The Comprehensive Reading Leadership Program Act of 1996 authorizes county offices of education to apply to the State Board of Education to design a reading leadership program and develop materials that focus on reading skills, including phonics. This bill would require the state board, on or before December 31, 2017, to identify formative reading diagnostic tools that can be used by the public schools to assess pupils' developmental levels of reading proficiency in grades 1 to 3, inclusive, in their ability to read proficiently by the end of grade 3 and to post a list of those diagnostic tools on the department's Internet Web site. The bill would require, on or before the beginning of the 2018–19 school year, public schools that enroll pupils in grades 1 to 4, inclusive, and at which less than 50% of 4th grade pupils demonstrate proficiency on English language arts standards on the statewide assessment administered the previous school year, to ensure that each pupil's reading proficiency is measured using at least one of the formative reading diagnostic tools identified above. The bill would require any pupil who does not have an appropriate developmental reading level, as provided, to have a reading plan to be created in collaboration with the pupil's parent and teacher. The bill would require the reading plan to have certain elements to be reviewed at least annually by the school and updated or revised as appropriate. By expanding the duties of a public school, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.