1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; requiring schools to use approved literacy curriculum; 
1.3 	requiring literacy specialists; establishing an advisory council; requiring a report; 
1.4 	appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2022, sections 120B.11, 
1.5 	subdivisions 1, 2; 120B.12, subdivisions 1, 2, 3, 4a, 5; 122A.06, subdivision 4; 
1.6 	124D.98, by adding a subdivision; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.7 	Statutes, chapter 120B.
1.8 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.9 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 120B.11, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.10 		Subdivision 1.Definitions. For the purposes of this section and section 120B.10, the 
1.11 	following terms have the meanings given them.
1.12 	(a) "Instruction" means methods of providing learning experiences that enable a student 
1.13 	to meet state and district academic standards and graduation requirements including applied 
1.14 	and experiential learning.
1.15 	(b) "Curriculum" means district or school adopted programs and written plans for 
1.16 	providing students with learning experiences that lead to expected knowledge and skills 
1.17 	and career and college readiness.
1.18 	(c) "World's best workforce" means striving to: meet school readiness goals; have all 
1.19 	third grade students achieve grade-level literacy; close the academic achievement gap among 
1.20 	all racial and ethnic groups of students and between students living in poverty and students 
1.21 	not living in poverty; have all students attain career and college readiness before graduating 
1.22 	from high school; and have all students graduate from high school.
2.1 	(d) "Experiential learning" means learning for students that includes career exploration 
2.2 	through a specific class or course or through work-based experiences such as job shadowing, 
2.3 	mentoring, entrepreneurship, service learning, volunteering, internships, other cooperative 
2.4 	work experience, youth apprenticeship, or employment.

2.5 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 120B.11, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
2.6 		Subd. 2.Adopting plans and budgets. (a) A school board, at a public meeting, shall 
2.7 	adopt a comprehensive, long-term strategic plan to support and improve teaching and 
2.8 	learning that is aligned with creating the world's best workforce and includes:
2.9 	(1) clearly defined district and school site goals and benchmarks for instruction and 
2.10 	student achievement for all student subgroups identified in section 120B.35, subdivision 3, 
2.11 	paragraph (b), clause (2);
2.12 	(2) a process to assess and evaluate each student's progress toward meeting state and 
2.13 	local academic standards, assess and identify students to participate in gifted and talented 
2.14 	programs and accelerate their instruction, and adopt early-admission procedures consistent 
2.15 	with section 120B.15, and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of instruction in pursuit 
2.16 	of student and school success and curriculum affecting students' progress and growth toward 
2.17 	career and college readiness and leading to the world's best workforce;
2.18 	(3) a system to periodically review and evaluate the effectiveness of all instruction and 
2.19 	curriculum, taking into account strategies and best practices, student outcomes, school 
2.20 	principal evaluations under section 123B.147, subdivision 3, students' access to effective 
2.21 	teachers who are members of populations underrepresented among the licensed teachers in 
2.22 	the district or school and who reflect the diversity of enrolled students under section 120B.35, 
2.23 	subdivision 3, paragraph (b), clause (2), and teacher evaluations under section 122A.40, 
2.24 	subdivision 8, or 122A.41, subdivision 5;
2.25 	(4) strategies for improving instruction, curriculum, and student achievement, including 
2.26 	the English and, where practicable, the native language development and the academic 
2.27 	achievement of English learners;
2.28 	(5) a process to examine the equitable distribution of teachers and strategies to ensure 
2.29 	low-income and minority children are not taught at higher rates than other children by 
2.30 	inexperienced, ineffective, or out-of-field teachers;
2.31 	(6) education effectiveness practices that integrate high-quality instruction, rigorous 
2.32 	curriculum, technology, and a collaborative professional culture that develops and supports 
2.33 	teacher quality, performance, and effectiveness; and
3.1 	(7) an annual budget for continuing to implement the district plan.
3.2 	(b) A school district is not required to include information regarding literacy in a plan 
3.3 	or report required under this section, except with regards to the academic achievement of 
3.4 	English learners.

3.5 	Sec. 3. [120B.1119] TITLE; THE READ ACT.
3.6 	Sections 120B.12 to 120B.123 may be cited as the Reading to Ensure Academic 
3.7 	Development Act, or the "Read Act."

3.8 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 120B.12, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
3.9 		Subdivision 1.Literacy goal. The legislature seeks to have every child reading at or 
3.10 	above grade level no later than the end of grade 3, including English learners, and that 
3.11 	teachers provide comprehensive, scientifically based reading evidence-based literacy
3.12 	instruction consistent with section 122A.06, subdivision 4, by 2025.

3.13 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

3.14 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 120B.12, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
3.15 		Subd. 2.Identification; report. (a) Each school district must identify before the end of 
3.16 	kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 all students who are not reading at grade level. Students 
3.17 	identified as not reading at grade level by the end of kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 must 
3.18 	be screened, in a locally determined manner, for characteristics of dyslexia.
3.19 	(b) Students in grade 3 or higher who demonstrate a reading difficulty to a classroom 
3.20 	teacher must be screened, in a locally determined manner, for characteristics of dyslexia, 
3.21 	unless a different reason for the reading difficulty has been identified.
3.22 	(c) Reading assessments screeners in English, and in the predominant languages of 
3.23 	district students where practicable, must identify and evaluate students' areas of academic 
3.24 	need related to literacy. The district also must monitor the progress and provide reading 
3.25 	instruction appropriate to the specific needs of English learners. The district must use a 
3.26 	locally adopted, developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive assessment screener
3.27 	and annually report summary assessment screener results to the commissioner by July 1.
3.28 	(d) The district also must annually report to the commissioner by July 1 include in its 
3.29 	literacy plan under subdivision 4a, a summary of the district's efforts to screen and identify 
3.30 	students who demonstrate characteristics of dyslexia using screening tools such as those 
4.1 	recommended by the department's dyslexia specialist. With respect to students screened or 
4.2 	identified under paragraph (a), the report must include:
4.3 	(1) a summary of the district's efforts to screen for dyslexia;
4.4 	(2) the number of students screened for that reporting year; and
4.5 	(3) the number of students demonstrating characteristics of dyslexia for that year.
4.6 	(e) A student identified under this subdivision must be provided with alternate instruction 
4.7 	under section 125A.56, subdivision 1.

4.8 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 120B.12, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
4.9 		Subd. 3.Intervention. (a) For each student identified under subdivision 2, the district 
4.10 	shall provide reading intervention to accelerate student growth and reach the goal of reading 
4.11 	at or above grade level by the end of the current grade and school year. If a student does 
4.12 	not read at or above grade level by the end of grade 3, the district must continue to provide 
4.13 	reading intervention until the student reads at grade level. District intervention methods 
4.14 	shall encourage family engagement and, where possible, collaboration with appropriate 
4.15 	school and community programs. Intervention methods may include, but are not limited to, 
4.16 	requiring attendance in summer school, intensified reading structured literacy instruction 
4.17 	that may require that the student be removed from the regular classroom for part of the 
4.18 	school day, extended-day programs, or programs that strengthen students' cultural 
4.19 	connections.
4.20 	(b) A school district or charter school is strongly encouraged to must provide a personal 
4.21 	learning plan for a student who is unable to demonstrate grade-level proficiency, as measured 
4.22 	by the statewide reading assessment in grade 3 or a screener identified by the Department 
4.23 	of Education under section 120B.123. The district or charter school must determine the 
4.24 	format of the personal learning plan in collaboration with the student's educators and other 
4.25 	appropriate professionals. The school must develop the learning plan in consultation with 
4.26 	the student's parent or guardian. The personal learning plan must include targeted instruction 
4.27 	and ongoing progress monitoring of the student's progress, and address knowledge gaps 
4.28 	and skill deficiencies through strategies such as specific exercises and practices during and 
4.29 	outside of the regular school day, group interventions, periodic assessments or screeners, 
4.30 	and reasonable timelines. The personal learning plan may include grade retention, if it is in 
4.31 	the student's best interest; a student may not be retained solely due to delays in literacy or 
4.32 	not demonstrating grade-level proficiency. A school must maintain and regularly update 
5.1 	and modify the personal learning plan until the student reads at grade level. This paragraph 
5.2 	does not apply to a student under an individualized education program.
5.3 	(c) The Department of Education must post on the department website a model personal 
5.4 	learning plan that meets the requirements of this section by July 15, 2023.

5.5 	Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 120B.12, subdivision 4a, is amended to read:
5.6 		Subd. 4a.Local literacy plan. (a) Consistent with this section, a school district must 
5.7 	adopt a local literacy plan to have every child reading at or above grade level no later than 
5.8 	the end of grade 3, including English learners. The plan must be updated by August 1 each 
5.9 	year. The plan must be consistent with section sections 120B.123 and122A.06, subdivision 
5.10 	4, and include the following:
5.11 	(1) a process to assess students' level of reading proficiency and data to support the 
5.12 	effectiveness of an assessment used to screen and identify a student's level of reading 
5.13 	proficiency the screeners used, by school site and grade level, under section 120B.123;
5.14 	(2) a process to notify and involve parents;
5.15 	(3) a description of how schools in the district will determine the proper targeted reading 
5.16 	instruction that is evidence-based and includes an intervention strategy for a student and 
5.17 	the process for intensifying or modifying the reading strategy in order to obtain measurable 
5.18 	reading progress;
5.19 	(4) evidence-based intervention methods for students who are not reading at or above 
5.20 	grade level and progress monitoring to provide information on the effectiveness of the 
5.21 	intervention; and
5.22 	(5) identification of staff development needs, including a program to meet those needs.;
5.23 	(6) the literacy curriculum used by school site and grade level; and
5.24 	(7) student data using the measures of foundational literacy skills and mastery identified 
5.25 	by the Department of Education and CAREI.
5.26 	(b) The district must post its literacy plan on the official school district website and 
5.27 	submit it to the commissioner of education.
5.28 	(c) By January 1, 2024, the commissioner of education must develop a model local 
5.29 	literacy plan that meets the requirements of this subdivision and requires all reading 
5.30 	instruction and teacher training in reading instruction to be evidence-based.
6.1 	(d) Starting December 1, 2024, the commissioner of education must submit a report to 
6.2 	the legislative committees with jurisdiction over prekindergarten through grade 12 education 
6.3 	summarizing the local literacy plans submitted to the commissioner. The summary must 
6.4 	include the following information:
6.5 	(1) the number of teachers and other staff that have completed training approved by the 
6.6 	Department of Education under section 120B.123;
6.7 	(2) by school site and grade or prekindergarten program, the screeners used at the 
6.8 	beginning and end of the school year under section 120B.123 and the reading curriculum 
6.9 	used; and
6.10 	(3) by school site and grade, using the measurements of foundational literacy skills and 
6.11 	mastery identified by the department and CAREI, both aggregated data and disaggregated 
6.12 	data using the student categories under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (a), clause 
6.13 	(2).

6.14 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2023.

6.15 	Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 120B.12, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
6.16 		Subd. 5.Commissioner. The commissioner shall must recommend to districts multiple 
6.17 	assessment screening tools to assist districts and teachers with identifying students under 
6.18 	subdivision 2, and to assess students' reading proficiency under section 120B.123; the 
6.19 	commissioner must identify screeners that may be used for both purposes. The commissioner 
6.20 	shall must also make available examples of nationally recognized and research-based
6.21 	evidence-based instructional methods or programs to districts to provide comprehensive, 
6.22 	scientifically based reading evidence-based literacy instruction and intervention under this 
6.23 	section.

6.24 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2023.

6.25 	Sec. 9. [120B.121] LITERACY DATA.
6.26 		Subdivision 1.Literacy rates. (a) A school district or charter school must annually 
6.27 	report to the commissioner of education the following information in the form and manner 
6.28 	determined by the commissioner:
6.29 	(1) the reading curriculum and reading interventions used in each grade;
6.30 	(2) the number and percentage of students, by grade, that read at grade level at the 
6.31 	beginning and end of the previous school year; and
7.1 	(3) any assessment used to assess students' reading proficiency and progress.
7.2 	(b) The commissioner of education must establish a database that measures literacy rates 
7.3 	across school districts and charter schools in Minnesota and includes the information reported 
7.4 	by districts and charter schools under paragraph (a). The database must be accessible on 
7.5 	the Department of Education website by September 1, 2024.
7.6 		Subd. 2.Teacher reading credentials. The Professional Educator Licensing and 
7.7 	Standards Board must report, by school site, the number and percentage of teachers that 
7.8 	have received training that is identified by the board or by the commissioner of education 
7.9 	as effective literacy training based on the science of reading. The report must be accessible 
7.10 	on the board website by September 1, 2024.

7.11 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

7.12 	Sec. 10. [120B.123] READ ACT IMPLEMENTATION.
7.13 		Subdivision 1.Definitions. (a) For purposes of sections 120B.12 to 120B.123, the 
7.14 	following terms have the meanings given.
7.15 	(b) "CAREI" means the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement at 
7.16 	the University of Minnesota.
7.17 	(c) "District" means a school district, charter school, or cooperative unit as defined in 
7.18 	section 123A.24, subdivision 2.
7.19 	(d) "Evidence-based" means the instruction or item described is based on reliable, 
7.20 	trustworthy, and valid evidence and has demonstrated a record of success in increasing 
7.21 	students' reading competency in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary 
7.22 	development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Evidence-based literacy 
7.23 	instruction is explicit, systematic, evidence-based reading instruction that includes the 
7.24 	acquisition of language, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, 
7.25 	spelling, fluency, vocabulary, oral language, and comprehension that can be differentiated 
7.26 	to meet the needs of individual students. Evidence-based instruction does not include the 
7.27 	three-cueing system.
7.28 	(e) "Literacy specialist" means a person licensed by the Professional Educator Licensing 
7.29 	and Standards Board as a teacher of reading, a special education teacher, or a kindergarten 
7.30 	through grade six teacher, who has completed professional development approved by the 
7.31 	Department of Education in structured literacy.
8.1 	(f) "Literacy trainer" means a literacy specialist with expertise in working with educators 
8.2 	as adult learners. A district literacy trainer must support the district's implementation of the 
8.3 	Read Act; provide school-based coaching; support the implementation of structured literacy, 
8.4 	interventions, curriculum delivery, and teacher training; assist with the development of 
8.5 	personal learning plans; and train paraprofessionals and other support staff to support 
8.6 	classroom literacy instruction. A literacy trainer may be employed by one district, jointly 
8.7 	by two or more districts, or may provide services to districts through a partnership with the 
8.8 	Regional Centers of Excellence or another district.
8.9 	(g) "Progress monitoring" means using data collected to inform whether interventions 
8.10 	are working. Progress monitoring involves ongoing monitoring of progress that quantifies 
8.11 	rates of improvement and informs instructional practice and the development of 
8.12 	individualized programs using state-approved screening that is reliable and valid for the 
8.13 	intended purpose.
8.14 	(h) "Structured literacy" means an approach to reading instruction where teachers 
8.15 	carefully structure important literacy skills, concepts, and the sequence of instruction, to 
8.16 	facilitate children's literacy learning and progress. Structured literacy is characterized by 
8.17 	the provision of systematic, explicit instruction that integrates listening, speaking, reading, 
8.18 	and writing, and emphasizes:
8.19 	(1) the structure of language across the speech sound system or phonology;
8.20 	(2) the writing system or orthography;
8.21 	(3) the structure of sentences or syntax;
8.22 	(4) the meaningful parts of words or morphology;
8.23 	(5) the relationships among words or semantics; and
8.24 	(6) the organization of spoken and written discourse.
8.25 	(i) "Three-cueing system," also known as "meaning structure visual (MSV)," means a 
8.26 	method that teaches students to use meaning, structure and syntax, and visual cues when 
8.27 	attempting to read an unknown word.
8.28 		Subd. 2.Department of Education. (a) The Department of Education must partner with 
8.29 	CAREI as required under subdivision 8 to approve literacy curricula and professional 
8.30 	development programs. A district is not required to use a curriculum identified under this 
8.31 	section, unless the curriculum was purchased with state grant funds that require a curriculum 
8.32 	to be selected from a list of approved curricula.
9.1 	(b) By July 1, 2023, the department must make available to districts a list of approved 
9.2 	evidence-based screeners in accordance with section 120B.12 that a district may use to 
9.3 	assess students' reading proficiency.
9.4 	(c) The department must regularly provide districts with information about professional 
9.5 	development opportunities available throughout the state on reading instruction that is 
9.6 	evidence-based.
9.7 	(d) The department must identify training required for a literacy specialist position under 
9.8 	this section.
9.9 	(e) The department must employ a literacy specialist to provide support to districts 
9.10 	implementing the Read Act and coordinate duties assigned to the department under the 
9.11 	Read Act. The literacy specialist must work on state efforts to improve literacy tracking 
9.12 	and implementation.
9.13 		Subd. 3.Screeners. A district must administer a reading screener to students in 
9.14 	kindergarten through grade 3 within the first six weeks of the school year, and again within 
9.15 	the last six weeks of the school year. The screener must be one of the screeners identified 
9.16 	by the Department of Education.
9.17 		Subd. 4.Progress monitoring. For a student not reading at grade level, a district must 
9.18 	develop an intervention plan that meets the requirements of section 120B.12, subdivision 
9.19 	3.
9.20 		Subd. 5.Curriculum. A district is encouraged to use evidence-based curriculum at each 
9.21 	grade level that is designed around teaching the foundational reading skills of phonemic 
9.22 	awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
9.23 		Subd. 6.Professional development. (a) A district must provide training that is 
9.24 	evidence-based to all reading intervention teachers and literacy specialists by July 1, 2025; 
9.25 	and by June 15, 2027, to other teachers in the district, prioritizing elementary school 
9.26 	classroom teachers, teachers that work with students with disabilities, English learners, and 
9.27 	students who qualify for the graduation incentives program under section 124D.68. The 
9.28 	commissioner of education may grant the district an extension to the deadlines in this 
9.29 	paragraph.
9.30 	(b) The training must include teaching in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, 
9.31 	vocabulary development, reading fluency, reading comprehension, and culturally and 
9.32 	linguistically responsive pedagogy.
10.1 		Subd. 7.Literacy trainer. (a) By August 30, 2025, a district must employ or contract 
10.2 	with a literacy trainer, or be actively supporting a designated literacy specialist through the 
10.3 	process of becoming a literacy trainer. A board may satisfy the requirements of this 
10.4 	subdivision by contracting with another school board or cooperative, or the Regional Centers 
10.5 	of Excellence for the services of a literacy specialist by August 30, 2025. A district may 
10.6 	use Read Act funding to pay for training, substitute teachers to allow teachers time to attend 
10.7 	trainings, and incentives for teachers that complete the training.
10.8 	(b) A district literacy specialist must collaborate with district administrators and staff 
10.9 	to support the district's implementation of requirements under the Read Act.
10.10 		Subd. 8.Read Act implementation partnership. (a) The Department of Education 
10.11 	must partner with CAREI for two years beginning June 1, 2023, until August 30, 2025, to 
10.12 	support implementation of the Read Act. The department and CAREI must jointly:
10.13 	(1) identify at least five literacy curricula that are evidence-based, or focused on structured 
10.14 	literacy by July 15, 2023, and post a list of the curricula on the department website. The list 
10.15 	must include curricula that use culturally and linguistically responsive materials that reflect 
10.16 	diverse populations;
10.17 	(2) identify at least three professional development programs that focus on the five pillars 
10.18 	of literacy and the components of structured literacy by July 15, 2023, and post a list of the 
10.19 	programs on the department website;
10.20 	(3) develop an evidence-based lead literacy specialist training program that trains literacy 
10.21 	specialists throughout Minnesota to support schools' efforts in screening, measuring growth, 
10.22 	monitoring progress, and implementing interventions in accordance with subdivision 1;
10.23 	(4) identify measures of foundational literacy skills and mastery that a district must 
10.24 	report on a local literacy plan;
10.25 	(5) provide guidance to districts about best practices in literacy instruction, and practices 
10.26 	that are not evidence-based; and
10.27 	(6) ensure that teacher professional development options are geographically equitable 
10.28 	by supporting trainings through the Regional Centers of Excellence.
10.29 	(b) The department and CAREI must provide districts an opportunity to request that the 
10.30 	department and CAREI add to the list of curricula, professional development programs, 
10.31 	and screeners a specific curriculum, professional development program, or curriculum. The 
10.32 	department must publish the request for reconsideration procedure on the department website. 
10.33 	A request for reconsideration must demonstrate that the curriculum or professional 
11.1 	development program meets the requirements of the Read Act, is evidence-based, and has 
11.2 	structured literacy components; or that the screener accurately measures literacy growth, 
11.3 	monitors progress, and accurately assesses effective reading, including phonemic awareness, 
11.4 	phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The department and CAREI must review 
11.5 	the request for reconsideration, consult with the Read Act Implementation Advisory Council 
11.6 	regarding the request, and approve or deny the request within 60 days.
11.7 	(c) The department and CAREI must support district efforts to implement the Read Act 
11.8 	by:
11.9 	(1) issuing guidance for teachers on implementing curriculum that is evidence-based, 
11.10 	or focused on structured literacy;
11.11 	(2) providing teachers accessible options for evidence-based professional development 
11.12 	focused on structured literacy; and
11.13 	(3) providing districts technical support.

11.14 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

11.15 	Sec. 11. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 122A.06, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
11.16 		Subd. 4.Comprehensive, scientifically based reading Evidence-based literacy
11.17 	instruction. (a) "Comprehensive, scientifically based reading Evidence-based literacy
11.18 	instruction" includes a program or collection of instructional practices that is based on valid, 
11.19 	replicable evidence showing that when these programs or practices are used, students can 
11.20 	be expected to achieve, at a minimum, satisfactory reading progress research that applies 
11.21 	rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge that is relevant to 
11.22 	reading development, reading instruction, and reading difficulties. The program or collection 
11.23 	of practices must include, at a minimum, effective, balanced evidence-based instruction in 
11.24 	all five areas of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, 
11.25 	and reading comprehension.
11.26 	Comprehensive, scientifically based reading Evidence-based literacy instruction also 
11.27 	includes and integrates instructional strategies for continuously assessing, evaluating, and 
11.28 	communicating the student's reading progress and needs in order to design and implement 
11.29 	ongoing interventions so that students of all ages and proficiency levels can read and 
11.30 	comprehend text, write, and apply higher level thinking skills. For English learners 
11.31 	developing literacy skills, districts are encouraged to use strategies that teach reading and 
11.32 	writing in the students' native language and English at the same time.
12.1 	(b) "Fluency" is the ability of students to read text with speed, accuracy, and proper 
12.2 	expression.
12.3 	(c) "Phonemic awareness" is the ability of students to notice hear, think about identify, 
12.4 	and manipulate individual sounds in spoken syllables and words.
12.5 	(d) "Phonics" is the understanding that there are systematic and predictable relationships 
12.6 	between written letters and spoken words. Phonics instruction is a way of teaching reading 
12.7 	that stresses learning how letters correspond to sounds and how to apply this knowledge in 
12.8 	reading and spelling the understanding that there are systematic and predictable relationships 
12.9 	between written letters or graphemes, and spoken sounds or phonemes.
12.10 	(e) "Reading comprehension" is an active process that requires intentional thinking 
12.11 	during which meaning is constructed through interactions between text and reader. 
12.12 	Comprehension skills are taught explicitly by demonstrating, explaining, modeling, and 
12.13 	implementing specific cognitive strategies to help beginning readers derive meaning through 
12.14 	intentional, problem-solving thinking processes the ability to read the words on the page 
12.15 	and to understand and comprehend the words that have been read.
12.16 	(f) "Vocabulary development" is the process of teaching vocabulary both directly and 
12.17 	indirectly, with repetition and multiple exposures to vocabulary items. Learning in rich 
12.18 	contexts, incidental learning, and use of computer technology enhance the acquiring of 
12.19 	vocabulary.
12.20 	(g) Nothing in this subdivision limits the authority of a school district to select a school's 
12.21 	reading program or curriculum.

12.22 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

12.23 	Sec. 12. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 124D.98, is amended by adding a subdivision 
12.24 	to read:
12.25 		Subd. 5.Uses. A school district must use its literacy incentive aid to support 
12.26 	implementation of evidence-based reading instruction. The following are eligible uses of 
12.27 	literacy incentive aid:
12.28 	(1) training for kindergarten through grade 3 teachers, early childhood educators, special 
12.29 	education teachers, reading intervention teachers working with students in kindergarten 
12.30 	through grade 12, curriculum directors, and instructional support staff that provide reading 
12.31 	instruction, on using evidence-based screening and progress monitoring tools;
13.1 	(2) evidence-based training using a training program approved by the Department of 
13.2 	Education;
13.3 	(3) employing or contracting with a literacy trainer, as defined in section 120B.123; and
13.4 	(4) materials, training, and ongoing coaching to ensure reading interventions under 
13.5 	section 125A.56, subdivision 1, are evidence-based.

13.6 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2023.

13.7 	Sec. 13. READ ACT IMPLEMENTATION ADVISORY COUNCIL.
 13.8 		Subdivision 1.Purpose and duties. (a) An advisory council is established to advise the 
13.9 	Department of Education and the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement 
13.10 	(CAREI) on the implementation of the Read Act.
13.11 	(b) The council must review the screeners, and professional development programs 
13.12 	identified by the Department of Education in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 
13.13 	120B.123 and the curriculum identified jointly by the Department of Education and CAREI. 
13.14 	The council must advise the department and CAREI on whether the screeners, professional 
13.15 	development programs, and curriculum are evidence-based and accessible for teachers. The 
13.16 	department and CAREI must consider the recommendations of the council but are not 
13.17 	required to implement them.
13.18 	(c) Compensation and removal of council members are governed by Minnesota Statutes, 
13.19 	section 15.059.
13.20 		Subd. 2.Membership. (a) The advisory council is composed of the following 16 
13.21 	members appointed by the governor in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 15.0597:
13.22 	(1) three literacy specialists, coaches, or special education teachers that work on literacy 
13.23 	interventions with students in kindergarten through grade 5;
13.24 	(2) three licensed teachers that work as kindergarten through grade 5 classroom teachers;
13.25 	(3) two curriculum coordinators or directors with expertise in kindergarten through grade 
13.26 	5 curriculum;
13.27 	(4) two elementary school principals;
13.28 	(5) two superintendents or assistant superintendents;
13.29 	(6) two members of the public with expertise in literacy;
13.30 	(7) one special education director; and
14.1 	(8) one representative of the Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
14.2 	(b) To the extent practicable, the members of the advisory council must represent the 
14.3 	geographic, gender, racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of Minnesota.
14.4 	(c) The governor must appoint the members of the advisory council by June 15, 2023.
14.5 		Subd. 3.Meetings and administrative support. (a) The advisory council must meet 
14.6 	at least four times, or more often if requested to do so by the Department of Education or 
14.7 	CAREI. Meetings are subject to the open meeting requirements under Minnesota Statutes, 
14.8 	chapter 13D.
14.9 	(b) The governor must convene the first meeting of the advisory council by July 1, 2023, 
14.10 	at which time the council must elect a chair.
14.11 	(c) The commissioner of education must provide the advisory council with administrative 
14.12 	support and meeting space.
14.13 		Subd. 4.Expiration. The advisory council expires on June 30, 2025.

14.14 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

14.15 	Sec. 14. APPROPRIATIONS.
 14.16 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are 
14.17 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years 
14.18 	designated.
14.19 		Subd. 2.Read Act instructional materials grants. (a) For grants to school districts, 
14.20 	charter schools, and cooperatives for evidence-based literacy supports for children in 
14.21 	prekindergarten through grade 12 based on structured literacy:

14.22		$
	40,000,000
	.....
	2024
	
14.23 	(b) Recipients must use grant funding to pay for evidence-based, structured literacy 
14.24 	curriculum, books, prekindergarten through grade 5 classroom literacy instructional materials, 
14.25 	and kindergarten through grade 12 literacy intervention materials. Grant funds may be used 
14.26 	to reimburse a grant recipient for curriculum, books, and instructional or intervention 
14.27 	materials purchased after July 1, 2021.
14.28 	(c) A school district or charter school must submit a grant application to the commissioner 
14.29 	in the form and manner determined by the commissioner. The commissioner must report 
14.30 	to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education 
15.1 	the districts and charter schools that receive literacy grants, and the amounts of each grant, 
15.2 	by January 15, 2025, according to Minnesota Statutes, section 3.195.
15.3 	(d) A school district or charter school is encouraged to use grant funds to purchase 
15.4 	curriculum and instructional materials that are culturally responsive and reflect diverse 
15.5 	populations.
15.6 	(e) This appropriation is available until June 30, 2028.
15.7 		Subd. 3.Read Act professional development. (a) For evidence-based training on 
15.8 	structured literacy for teachers working in school districts, charter schools, and cooperatives:

15.9		$
	30,000,000
	.....
	2024
	
15.10		$
	30,000,000
	.....
	2025
	
15.11 	(b) A district, charter school, or cooperative must report to the commissioner the number 
15.12 	of prekindergarten through grade 5 classroom teachers and prekindergarten through grade 
15.13 	12 literacy intervention teachers for whom the district seeks to provide training. The 
15.14 	commissioner must proportionately allocate the appropriation to districts, charter schools, 
15.15 	and cooperatives. Each district, charter school, or cooperative's aid equals the appropriation 
15.16 	for that year times the ratio of the number of teachers for whom it applied for training to 
15.17 	the statewide total number of teachers for whom the funding was requested.
15.18 	(c) A school district or charter school may use the funding to pay for training, substitute 
15.19 	teachers to allow classroom teachers time to attend training, and incentives for teachers that 
15.20 	complete training.
15.21 	(d) The commissioner must report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over 
15.22 	kindergarten through grade 12 education how the funding was distributed among districts, 
15.23 	charter schools, and cooperatives, and the number of teachers each recipient received funding 
15.24 	for. The report must include the number of teachers for whom districts requested professional 
15.25 	development funds, and the number of teachers that were able to receive training using 
15.26 	funds under this subdivision.
15.27 	(e) This appropriation is available until June 30, 2027.
15.28 	(f) The base for fiscal year 2026 is $0.
15.29 		Subd. 4.Department. (a) For the Department of Education:

15.30		$
	.......
	.....
	2024
	
15.31		$
	.......
	.....
	2025
	
16.1 	(b) This appropriation includes funds for a full-time literacy specialist at the Department 
16.2 	of Education.
16.3 	(c) The agency's base is $....... for fiscal year 2026 and $....... for fiscal year 2027.