ASSEMBLY, No. 376
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION
By Assemblyman T. SMITH
An Act concerning reading programs in public schools and supplementing chapter 35 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Studies have shown that more than 10 million workers in small businesses have trouble doing their jobs because their reading, writing and math skills are poor.
b. Problems with basic skills are a serious barrier to improving the productivity of these firms and the nation's economic competitiveness.
c. Statewide testing shows that many of our students cannot read at a level sufficient to enable them to function politically, economically and socially in a democratic society.
d. The State has an obligation to provide instruction to our pupils to enable them to read at a level at least equal to the seventh grade.
e. Many of our school systems have over a period of time experienced a lack of resources from which to provide all of our students with basic reading skills.
f. The ability to read is crucial in breaking the illiteracy-poverty cycle, because if a child cannot read, he cannot learn, and if he cannot learn he cannot earn.
g. The teaching profession will be helped by a reading readiness program, because it is easier to teach a child who can already read.
h. Public school productivity will be increased with the establishment of an after school reading readiness program.
i. There are many teachers who have retired who have the ability and the desire to teach young children.
2. As used in this act:
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the Department of Education.
"Department" means the Department of Education.
"Fund" means the Reading Readiness Fund established pursuant to section 3 of this act.
3. a. The department shall establish and maintain a special fund called the "Reading Readiness Fund" in which there shall be deposited all monies appropriated by the State for the purposes of the fund, including any monies appropriated from the "College Access and Reading Readiness Bond Act of 1994," P.L. c. (now pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill No. 1476 of 1994), which have been designated for the purposes of this act.Moneys in the Reading Readiness Fund shall be held and made available to those school districts which choose to make available the reading readiness program pursuant to the provisions of this act.
b. The sum total of all funds on deposit in the Reading Readiness Fund shall be maintained in the amount determined by the department to be necessary to fulfill its responsibilities as set forth in this act.
4. a. There is hereby established within the Department of Education a Reading Readiness Program. The department shall develop a tutorial program for reading, the purpose of which is to assure that all public school pupils in third grade who are currently reading below grade level will be reading at or above grade level by seventh grade.
b. The department shall establish a cadre of retired educators who shall be trained in remedial reading skills and provided with the latest available proven techniques of reading improvement intervention. This cadre shall be utilized in providing tutorial assistance to all school districts requesting the program pursuant to section 5 of this act.
c. The program shall be of a supplementary nature, and shall only be offered by a school district after the close of the daily academic school schedule. If a district offers the program, all pupils in the third grade in the school district shall be tested twice per year to ascertain their individual reading levels. Each pupil reading below grade level shall receive intensive assistance until his or her reading skills are brought up to grade level. Thereafter, each child enrolled in the program shall be monitored and shall receive the continued tutorial assistance necessary to maintain grade level reading skills until the child reaches the seventh grade.
d. The program, if requested by a district, shall be offered a minimum of two days per week, for no less than one hour duration.
e. Reading tutors employed by the State shall be retired, certified New Jersey teachers and shall be entitled to remuneration of $40.00 per week. All supplies and materials necessary for the program shall be the responsibility of the department.
5. Local school districts which desire to institute the reading readiness program in some or all of the schools in a school district shall file a request, in writing, with the commissioner. The department shall provide the program to each district that has requested the program. However, if sufficient funds are not available in the Reading Readiness Fund established pursuant to section 3 of this act to fund all district requests, the program shall be established in those districts which filed the earliest dated request.
6. Local school districts which institute the program and experience a significant increase in costs for transportation related to the program may apply to the commissioner for reading readiness transportation aid. Each request shall itemize the additional transportation costs related to the program. The commissioner shall review each request and may award reading readiness transportation aid to the extent funds are available in the Reading Readiness Fund.
7. The State Board of Education shall promulgate the rules necessary to effectuate this act pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).
8. The $10 million of funds committed to the Reading Readiness Program in the "College Access and Reading Readiness Bond Act of 1994," P.L. c. (now pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill No. 1476 of 1994) shall be distributed over a four year period as follows:
a. in the first year, $2.8 million, of which $2.25 million shall be for the remuneration of 1500 teachers, $400,000 shall be for tutor training and $150,000 shall be for program administration;
b. in years two through four, $2.4 million annually, of which $2.25 million shall be for the remuneration of 1500 teachers, $100,000 shall be for tutor training and $50,000 shall be for program administration;
9. This act shall take effect upon enactment and approval by the voters of the "College Access and Reading Readiness Bond Act of 1994," P.L. c. (now pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill No. 1476 of 1994).
STATEMENT
This bill creates the Reading Readiness Program in the Department of Education, which will be made available to school districts to improve reading skills, starting in the third grade. Under the bill, the Department of Education will establish a cadre of retired educators who will be trained in remedial reading skills and provided with the latest available proven techniques of reading improvement intervention. The cadre will be utilized to provide tutorial assistance to all school districts requesting the program. The reading tutors would be entitled to be paid $40 per week for taking part in the program. The program will be of a supplementary nature, and may only be offered by a school district after the close of the daily academic school schedule. Third graders enrolled in the program shall receive intensive assistance until their reading skills are brought up to grade level. Thereafter, each child enrolled in the program will be monitored and continue to receive the tutorial assistance necessary to maintain grade level reading skills until the child reaches the seventh grade.
The program would be backed by a bond issue under the "College Access and Reading Readiness Bond Act of 1994" which has been introduced into the Legislature as a separate bill. Also supported by that bond act would be a Vocational School Tuition Stipend Program and a College Tuition Stipend Program which are established in the Department of Higher Education also under separate bills.
Many of our school systems have over a period of time experienced a lack of resources from which to provide our students with basic reading skills. The establishment of this program with State funding should help in breaking the illiteracy-poverty cycle. In addition, public school productivity will be increased, opening the way for true excellence in our educational system.
Permits school districts to establish State funded Reading Readiness Programs.