Requiring school districts to provide a systematic, intensive and direct phonics and work analysis and decoding method of reading instruction to elementary school students and to provide in-service training for elementary teachers not previously trained in phonics methods; requiring the commissioner of children, families and learning to establish a minimum passing score for reading skills mastery to enable children to be functionally literate as determined by a nationally recognized and commonly accepted reading test, requiring certain opportunities for children with disabilities and authorizing school boards to establish a higher level of reading mastery score than the state minimum; requiring students in primary grades failing to achieve the minimum score in reading to be retained in the same grade level or to receive additional reading instruction; requiring the board of teaching to adopt rules requiring completion of training in phonics as a requirement for licensure to teach in the primary grades and to require colleges and universities offering teacher preparation programs to provide the instruction as part of the program (mk)