An overhaul of early childhood reading laws, including a requirement that struggling readers repeat third grade, now heads to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk.
Senate Bill 1778 cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday when the Senate approved it 43-2. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House on April 13. Stitt is expected to sign it into law Tuesday at a ceremony in an Oklahoma City elementary school.
Starting in the 2027-28 school year, third graders who score below a basic level on the state reading test and fail a second state-approved literacy assessment would be held back from advancing to fourth grade, unless they qualify for a good-cause exemption.
Public schools would be required to provide the third-grade state reading test to second graders, so children would have an early opportunity to pass the exam and avoid third-grade retention. Parents would have the choice to opt out their children from taking the test in second grade.
SB 1778 establishes a multi-tiered system of reading instruction based on the level of support each child needs. Tier 1 is the general, core reading instruction provided to all students in kindergarten through third grade.
Students who score below their grade level in reading would receive extra support and literacy-focused instructional time, signified by Tier 2 and — for those needing even more intervention — Tier 3.
Tier 2 and 3 interventions could include small-group tutoring, summer programs and transitional classrooms, which would involve separate reading classes for students who have fallen behind.
Children also could repeat first or second grade, if their families choose for them to do so.
Public schools would be obligated to notify an early elementary student’s parents within 30 days of discovering a reading deficiency. Parents must be updated once a month on their child’s progress in a reading intervention plan.
Children receiving Tier 2 or 3 support also must receive a read-at-home plan. Those plans could involve parents or guardians participating in training workshops or leading regular home reading activities.
The bill includes a limited list of good-cause exemptions for students to continue to fourth grade despite below-basic reading scores.
Students whose individualized education plan “indicates that participation in the statewide student assessment system is not appropriate” would receive an exemption. Those who have spent fewer than two years learning English as their non-native language also would qualify.
Children who have been retained twice between kindergarten and third grade would be eligible for a good-cause exemption, as would students with disabilities who have been retained once.
SB 1778 would require every school district to employ a reading specialist, a reading interventionist or an employee who has received an early literacy micro-credential. The bill establishes the micro-credential program and a $3,000 stipend for all certified school personnel who complete it.
Stitt already signed into law a state budget that includes $43.75 million in Strong Readers Act funding, an increase of more than $26 million to the fund that supports reading instruction in public schools.
SB 1778 changes how Strong Readers Act funds are distributed. Forty percent of the total would support general Tier 1 instruction across the state. Another 30% would be directed toward districts that have students receiving Tier 2 and 3 support. The final 30% would be used to reward districts that show improvement in their reading scores.
“I look forward to this fundamentally changing Oklahoma education for many years to come,” the bill’s author, Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, said of the sweeping legislation before Monday’s vote.
Despite objecting to requiring third-grade retention, all but two Senate Democrats voted in favor of the bill on Monday.
Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, urged legislators to be patient with public schools as educators adjust to the “significant shift” in reading laws.
“I am hopeful and optimistic, as I cast my yes vote today, that this will give the adequate resources and time for our trusted professionals to do the work that they’ve been entrusted to do, to strengthen the minds of our future generation of leaders here in Oklahoma,” Hicks said on the Senate floor.
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