A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Idaho

Team Report

The Idaho 1998 Legislature passed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 129 authorizing a reading committee to prepare the "Every Child?s Birthright" Literacy Act. The Act is to propose a comprehensive and systematic plan for ensuring that every Idaho child will read at grade level by grade three. An eight member legislative reading committee was formed to define a method of measurement of reading at grade level, establish a timeline for implementation, and suggest a budget and an analysis of the most cost-effective methods for achieving the goals. The committee is made up of three house of representatives, three senators, the State Superintendent of Instruction, and a member of the State Board of Education.

An Idaho Success Story

Some of the Legislative Reading Committee?s recommendations include:

• Train preschool teachers on language acquisition and pre-literacy skills.
• Assess all children kindergarten through grade three. Those with reading difficulties will be encouraged to participate in a four-week summer session prior to their next school year.
• Align teacher education programs with researched-based reading instruction. This would include information on the basic sound structure of English, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonic and structural analysis, whole words and context clues, systematic (direct) instruction and intrinsic approaches and methods for teaching reading.
• Require that every K-8 teacher and teachers of Special Education and Title I earn the Idaho Reading Endorsement.
• On-going professional in-service in reading that aligns with State Department of Education reading standards.

For further information, contact:

John W. Condie, Director of Special Projects
Idaho Department of Education
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0027
(208) 332-6800
(208) 334-2228
E-mail: jcondie@sde.state.id.us

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