1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing the Minnesota reading corps program; 
1.3 	appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 124D.42, 
1.4 	subdivision 6, by adding a subdivision.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 124D.42, subdivision 6, is amended to 
1.7 	read:
1.8 		Subd. 6.Program training. The commission must, within available resources:
1.9 	(1) orient each grantee organization in the nature, philosophy, and purpose of the 
1.10 	program; and
1.11 	(2) build an ethic of community service through general community service training; 
1.12 	and
1.13 	(3) provide additional training as it determines necessary, which may include 
1.14 	training in evaluating early literacy skills and teaching reading to preschool children 
1.15 	through the St. Croix River Education District under Laws 2001, First Special Session 
1.16 	chapter 6, article 2, section 70, to assist local Head Start organizations in establishing and 
1.17 	evaluating Head Start programs for developing children's early literacy skills.

1.18 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 124D.42, is amended by adding a subdivision 
1.19 	to read:
1.20 		Subd. 8.The Minnesota reading corps program. (a) The Minnesota reading corps 
1.21 	program is established to provide training in a data-based problem-solving model of 
1.22 	literacy instruction to Americorps members working with local Head Start organizations, 
2.1 	other prekindergarten settings, and kindergarten through grade 3 schools to evaluate and 
2.2 	teach early literacy skills to children ages 3 to grade 3.
2.3 	(1) Data collected will be used to tailor specific interventions for children.
2.4 	(2) These interventions shall be guided by formative and summative general 
2.5 	outcome assessments linked to research-based indicators of literacy development.
2.6 	(3) The assessments will guide the implementation of coaching models for 
2.7 	AmeriCorps members and staff that is designed to develop internal literacy coaches that 
2.8 	sustain the model over time.
2.9 	(b) The Minnesota Commission on National and Community Service shall give 
2.10 	priority for allocating AmeriCorps members to partnerships of prekindergarten and 
2.11 	kindergarten through grade 3 schools that have agreed to a goal of closing the literacy 
2.12 	achievement gap by the end of grade 3 by implementing a seamless literacy model from 
2.13 	age 3 to grade 3 in the partnership agencies.
2.14 	(1) The commission shall collect literacy data on children across this age range for 
2.15 	the purpose of documenting the impact of the age 3 to grade 3 model on closing the 
2.16 	literacy achievement gap.
2.17 	(2) The commission shall be required to submit an annual report to the commissioner 
2.18 	of education by January 1.

2.19 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATIONS.
 2.20 		Subdivision 1.Department. The sums indicated in this section are appropriated 
2.21 	from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years designated.
2.22 		Subd. 2.The Minnesota reading corps program. For the establishment of the 
2.23 	Minnesota reading corps program under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.42:

2.24		$
	1,900,000
	.....
	2008
	
2.25		$
	1,900,000
	.....
	2009
	
2.26 	$1,000,000 each year is for leveraging federal and private funding to support 
2.27 	AmeriCorps members serving in the Minnesota reading corps program established by 
2.28 	Serve Minnesota, including costs associated with the training and teaching of early literacy 
2.29 	skills to children ages three to grade 3 and the evaluation of the impact of the program 
2.30 	under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.42, subdivision 8.
2.31 	Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.