AN ACT relating to early literacy education, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring an emergency.

Amend KRS 158.791 to specify the Department of Education's role in assisting local school districts with regard to reading instruction, supports, and interventions; require the department to collaborate with designated agencies on reading programming, materials, and activities; amend KRS 158.305 to define new terms; replace references to "response to intervention" systems with "multi-tiered system of supports"; require a local board of education to adopt and implement a reading universal screener and reading diagnostic assessment by January 1, 2023; permit a local school district to adopt a common comprehensive reading program for K-3; require all K-3 teachers to be trained in any reading diagnostic assessment and universal screener adopted by a local board; establish requirements for the administration of reading universal screeners by grade-level; define and establish the requirements for a reading improvement plan; establish service requirements for a student that needs accelerated intervention as demonstrated by the results of the approved reading diagnostic assessment or state annually required grade 3 assessment; require the department to establish reading teacher academies or coaching models by September 1, 2023, if funds are appropriated; remove the requirement for KDE to provide an annual report to IJCE on academic interventions; create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to require postsecondary institutions offering early childhood or elementary teacher preparation programs to include designated instruction; require the EPSB to maintain a list of approved reading teacher preparation tests; require all new teachers seeking certification in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education or Elementary School to take an approved reading teacher preparation test; amend KRS 158.840 to require CPE to submit an annual report to IJCE on the compliance of teacher preparation programs to this Act; require regular reports to an external evaluator; amend KRS 164.0207 to redefine existing terms; require the Board of Education to pass administrative regulations that prioritize schools with the most need and schools that have not received a grant in the previous cycle when awarding reading diagnostic and intervention grants; amend KRS 158.794 to reorganize the composition of the reading diagnostic and intervention grant steering committee; amend KRS 164.0207 to conform; create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to establish and define the read to succeed fund; provide that moneys and interest in the fund shall not lapse; designate the Act as the Read to Succeed Act.