Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-1210.508C

A. To identify students who have characteristics of dyslexia

that lead to or cause reading difficulty, each student enrolled in

kindergarten and first, second, and third grade in a public school

in this state shall be screened at the beginning, middle, and end of

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 1232

each school year for reading skills including, but not limited to,

phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and

comprehension. A screening instrument approved by the State Board

of Education, in consultation with the Commission for Educational

Quality and Accountability and the Secretary of Education, shall be

utilized for the purposes of this section. In determining which

screening instrument to approve, the State Board of Education, the

Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability, and the

Secretary of Education shall take into consideration at a minimum

the following factors:

1. The time required to conduct the screening instrument with

the intention of minimizing the impact on instructional time;

2. The timeliness in reporting screening instrument results to

teachers, administrators, and parents and legal guardians of

students; and

3. The integration of the screening instrument into reading

curriculum.

B. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, the State Board of

Education shall approve no fewer than three screening instruments

for use at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year for

monitoring of progress and for measurement of reading skills as

required in subsection A of this section. The screening instruments

shall meet the following criteria:

1. Assess for phonological awareness, decoding, fluency,

vocabulary, and comprehension;

2. Document the validity and reliability of each assessment;

3. Can be used for identifying students who are at risk for

reading deficiency and progress monitoring throughout the school

year;

4. Can be used to assess students with disabilities and English

language learners; and

5. Accompanied by a data management system that provides

profiles of each student, class, grade level, and school building.

The profiles shall identify each student’s instructional point of

need and reading achievement level. The State Board shall also

determine other comparable reading assessments for diagnostic

purposes to be used for students at risk of reading failure.

C. 1. Exemptions to the screening requirements of this section

may be provided to students who have documented evidence that they

meet at least one of the following criteria as related to the

provision of classroom instruction:

a. the student participates in the Oklahoma Alternate

Assessment Program (OAAP) and is taught using

alternate methods,

b. the student’s primary expressive or receptive

communication is sign language,

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c. the student’s primary form of written or read text is

Braille, or

d. the student’s primary expressive or receptive language

is not English, the student is identified as an

English learner using a state-approved identification

assessment, and the student has had less than one (1)

school year of instruction in an English-learner

program.

2. A public school that grants an exemption pursuant to

paragraph 1 of this subsection shall provide ongoing evidence of

student progression toward English language acquisition with the

same frequency as administration of screening assessments. Evidence

may include, but not be limited to, student progression toward OAAP

reading essential elements, proficiency in sign language and reading

comprehension, and proficiency in Braille and reading comprehension.

D. 1. Students who are administered a screening instrument

pursuant to subsection A of this section and are found not to be

meeting grade-level targets shall be provided a program of reading

instruction designed to enable students to acquire the appropriate
reading essential elements, proficiency in sign language and reading

comprehension, and proficiency in Braille and reading comprehension.

D. 1. Students who are administered a screening instrument

pursuant to subsection A of this section and are found not to be

meeting grade-level targets shall be provided a program of reading

instruction designed to enable students to acquire the appropriate

grade-level reading skills. The program of reading instruction

shall be based on scientific reading research and align with the

subject matter standards adopted by the State Board of Education. A

program of reading instruction shall include:

a. sufficient additional in-school instructional time for

the acquisition of phonological awareness, decoding,

fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension,

b. if necessary and if funding is available, tutorial

instruction after regular school hours, on Saturdays,

and during summer; however, such instruction may not

be counted toward the one-hundred-eighty-day or one-

thousand-eighty-hour school year required in Section

1-109 of this title,

c. assessments identified for diagnostic purposes and

periodic monitoring to measure the acquisition of

reading skills including, but not limited to,

phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary,

and comprehension, as identified in the student’s

program of reading instruction,

d. high-quality instructional materials grounded in

scientifically based reading research, and

e. a means of providing every family of a student in

prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first, second, and

third grade access to free online evidence-based

literacy instruction resources to support the

student’s literacy development at home.

2. A student enrolled in kindergarten or first, second, or

third grade who exhibits a deficiency in reading at any time based

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 1234

on the screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of

this section shall receive an individual reading intervention plan

no later than thirty (30) days after the identification of the

deficiency in reading. The reading intervention plan shall be

provided in addition to core reading instruction that is provided to

all students. The reading intervention plan shall:

a. describe the research-based reading intervention

services the student will receive to remedy the

deficiency in reading,

b. provide explicit and systematic instruction in

phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary,

and comprehension, as applicable,

c. monitor the reading progress of each student’s reading

skills throughout the school year and adjust

instruction according to the student’s needs, and

d. continue until the student is determined to be meeting

grade-level targets in reading based on screening

instruments administered pursuant to subsection A of

this section or assessments identified for diagnostic

purposes and periodic monitoring pursuant to

subparagraph c of paragraph 1 of this subsection.

3. The reading intervention plan for each student identified

with a deficiency in reading shall be developed by a Student Reading

Proficiency Team and shall include supplemental instructional

services and supports. Each team shall be composed of:

a. the parent or legal guardian of the student,

b. the teacher assigned to the student who had

responsibility for reading instruction in that

academic year,

c. a teacher who is responsible for reading instruction

and is assigned to teach in the next grade level of

the student, and

d. a certified reading specialist or an individual with

advanced training or specialization in literacy

instruction, if one is available.

4. A school district shall notify the parent or legal guardian

of any student in kindergarten or first, second, or third grade who

exhibits a deficiency in reading at any time based on the screening

instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section.
tified reading specialist or an individual with

advanced training or specialization in literacy

instruction, if one is available.

4. A school district shall notify the parent or legal guardian

of any student in kindergarten or first, second, or third grade who

exhibits a deficiency in reading at any time based on the screening

instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section.

The notification shall occur no later than thirty (30) days after

the identification of the deficiency in reading.

E. 1. Every school district shall adopt and implement a

district strong readers plan which has had input from school

administrators, teachers, and parents and legal guardians and if

possible a reading specialist, and which shall be submitted

electronically to and approved by the State Board of Education. The

plan shall be updated annually. School districts shall not be

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 1235

required to electronically submit the annual updates to the Board if

the last plan submitted to the Board was approved and expenditures

for the program include only expenses relating to individual and

small group tutoring, purchase of and training in the use of

screening and assessment measures, summer school programs, and

Saturday school programs. If any expenditure for the program is

deleted or changed or any other type of expenditure for the program

is implemented, the school district shall be required to submit the

latest annual update to the Board for approval. The district strong

readers plan shall include a plan for each site which includes an

analysis of the data provided by the Oklahoma School Testing Program

and other reading assessments utilized as required in this section,

and which outlines how each school site will comply with the

provisions of the Strong Readers Act.

2. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules for the

implementation and evaluation of the provisions of the Strong

Readers Act. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited to,

an analysis of the data required in subsection L of this section.

F. 1. Any first-grade, second-grade, or third-grade student

who demonstrates proficiency in reading through a grade-level

appropriate screening instrument approved pursuant to subsection B

of this section shall not require a program of reading instruction

or an individual reading intervention plan. After a student has

demonstrated proficiency through a screening instrument, the

district shall provide notification to the parent or legal guardian

of the student that he or she has satisfied the requirements of the

Strong Readers Act. The district shall continue to monitor the

student in the next successive grade level to ensure he or she

maintains proficiency.

2. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, if a third-grade

student is identified at any point of the academic year as having a

significant reading deficiency, which shall be defined as not

meeting grade-level targets on a screening instrument administered

pursuant to subsection A of this section, the district shall provide

the student with intensive intervention services for the appropriate

amount of the instructional day consistent with the individual

reading intervention plan developed pursuant to paragraph 2 of

subsection D of this section and as determined by the Student

Reading Proficiency Team. Intensive intervention services shall

continue until the student demonstrates proficiency at his or her

grade level based on a screening instrument administered pursuant to

subsection A of this section.

G. Each school district shall annually report in an electronic

format to the State Department of Education, the Office of

Educational Quality and Accountability, and the Secretary of

Education the number of students in kindergarten through third grade

per grade level who exhibit grade-level reading proficiency, the

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 1236
subsection A of this section.

G. Each school district shall annually report in an electronic

format to the State Department of Education, the Office of

Educational Quality and Accountability, and the Secretary of

Education the number of students in kindergarten through third grade

per grade level who exhibit grade-level reading proficiency, the

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 1236

number of students per grade level who received intensive

intervention services pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection F of

this section, the number of students per grade level who attended a

summer academy as provided for in Section 1210.508E of this title,

the number of students per grade level who exhibited improved

reading proficiency after completion of intensive intervention

services, and the number of students per grade level who are still

in need of intensive intervention services. The State Department of

Education shall publicly report the aggregate and district-specific

numbers submitted pursuant to this subsection on its website and

shall provide electronic copies of the report to the Governor,

Secretary of Education, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Speaker

of the House of Representatives, and to the respective chairs of the

committees with responsibility for common education policy in each

legislative chamber.

H. The parent of any student who is found to have a reading

deficiency and is not meeting grade-level reading targets and has

been provided a program of reading instruction as provided for in

paragraph 1 of subsection D of this section shall be notified in

writing of the following:

1. That the student has been identified as having a substantial

deficiency in reading;

2. A description of the current services that are provided to

the student pursuant to subsection D of this section;

3. A description of the proposed intensive intervention

services and supports that will be provided to the student that are

designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency as

provided for in paragraph 2 of subsection F of this section;

4. That a student who is promoted to the fourth grade shall

receive supplemental intensive intervention services;

5. Strategies for parents to use in helping their child succeed

in reading proficiency; and

6. The grade-level performance scores of the student.

I. No student may be assigned to a grade level based solely on

age or other factors that constitute social promotion.

J. 1. Each school district board of education shall annually

publish on the school website and report electronically to the State

Department of Education, the Office of Educational Quality and

Accountability, and the Secretary of Education by September 1 of

each year the following information on the prior school year:

a. the policies and procedures adopted by the school

district board of education to implement the

provisions of this section. The information submitted

shall include expenditures related to implementing the

provisions of this section, the number of staff

implementing the provisions of this section, and

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average daily classroom time devoted to implementing

the provisions of this section,

b. by grade, the number and percentage of all students in

kindergarten through third grade who did not meet

grade-level targets based on a screening instrument

administered pursuant to subsection A of this section,

c. by grade, the number and percentage of all students in

kindergarten through third grade who have been

enrolled in the district for fewer than two (2) years,

d. by grade, the number and percentage of students in

kindergarten through third grade who demonstrated

grade-level proficiency based on a screening

instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of

this section, and

e. by grade, the number and percentage of students in

kindergarten through third grade who are on an
ade who have been

enrolled in the district for fewer than two (2) years,

d. by grade, the number and percentage of students in

kindergarten through third grade who demonstrated

grade-level proficiency based on a screening

instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of

this section, and

e. by grade, the number and percentage of students in

kindergarten through third grade who are on an

individualized education program (IEP) in accordance

with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA) and who demonstrated grade-level proficiency

based on a screening instrument administered pursuant

to subsection A of this section or an alternative

assessment prescribed by the student’s IEP.

2. The State Department of Education shall establish a uniform

format for school districts to report the information required in

this subsection. The format shall be developed with input from

school districts and shall be provided not later than ninety (90)

days prior to the annual due date. The Department shall annually

compile the information required, along with state-level summary

information, and electronically report the information to the

public, the Governor, the Secretary of Education, the President Pro

Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of

Representatives.

K. The State Department of Education shall provide technical

assistance as needed to aid school districts in administering the

provisions of the Strong Readers Act.

L. On or before January 31 of each year, the State Department

of Education shall electronically submit to the Governor, the

President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of

Representatives, and members of the committees with responsibility

over common education in both houses of the Legislature a Strong

Readers Report which shall include, but is not limited to, trend

data detailing three (3) years of data, disaggregated by student

subgroups to include economically disadvantaged, major racial or

ethnic groups, students with disabilities, and English language

learners, as appropriate for the following:

1. The statewide aggregate number and percentage of students in

kindergarten through third grade determined to be at risk for

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 1238

reading difficulties compared to the total number of students

enrolled in each grade;

2. The statewide aggregate number and percentage of students in

kindergarten who continue to be at risk for reading difficulties as

determined by the year-end administration of the screening

instrument required in subsection A of this section;

3. The statewide aggregate number and percentage of students in

kindergarten through third grade who have successfully completed

their program of reading instruction and are reading on grade level

as determined by the results of screening instruments administered

pursuant to subsection A of this section;

4. The statewide aggregate and district-specific number and

percentage of students that meet or do not meet grade-level targets

for reading based on screening instruments administered pursuant to

subsection A of this section;

5. The amount of funds received by each district for

implementation of the Strong Readers Act;

6. An evaluation and narrative interpretation of the report

data analyzing the impact of the Strong Readers Act on students’

ability to read at grade level;

7. The type of reading instruction practices and methods

currently being used by school districts in the state;

8. Socioeconomic information, access to reading resources

outside of school, and screening for and identification of learning

disabilities for students not reading at the appropriate grade level

in kindergarten and first through third grade;

9. By grade level, the types of intensive intervention efforts

being conducted by school districts for students who are not on an

IEP and who are not reading at the appropriate grade level and for
ing resources

outside of school, and screening for and identification of learning

disabilities for students not reading at the appropriate grade level

in kindergarten and first through third grade;

9. By grade level, the types of intensive intervention efforts

being conducted by school districts for students who are not on an

IEP and who are not reading at the appropriate grade level and for

students who are on an IEP and who are not reading at the

appropriate grade level; and

10. Any recommendations for improvements or amendments to the

Strong Readers Act.

The State Department of Education may contract with an

independent entity for the reporting and analysis requirements of

this subsection.

M. Copies of the results of the screening instruments

administered pursuant to subsection A of this section shall be made

a part of the permanent record of each student.