Policy: Strong Readers Act – Reading Assessment and Intervention
Adopted by: Academies of Oklahoma Board of Education
Effective Date: August 27, 2025
Student Reading Assessments
- All students enrolled in kindergarten through third grade will be assessed at the beginning and end of each school year using a State Board of Education-approved screening tool.
- Assessments will measure phonological awareness, decoding, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
- Students not meeting grade-level expectations will be provided a program of reading instruction designed to enable the acquisition of appropriate reading skills.
Programs of Reading Instruction
- Instruction will be based on scientific reading research and aligned with State subject matter standards.
- The model will follow a three-tiered Response to Intervention (RTI) framework.
- The plan may include additional in-school instructional time, tutorials outside of regular hours (as funding allows), ongoing diagnostic assessments, high-quality instructional materials, and free online literacy resources for families.
Individual Reading Intervention Plans (IRIP)
- An IRIP will be provided within 30 days of identifying a reading deficiency.
- Plans will supplement core reading instruction and provide explicit, systematic instruction in phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. • Student progress will be monitored and instruction adjusted as needed until grade-level targets are met.
District Responsibilities
- The Academies of Oklahoma will adopt and annually update a Strong Readers Plan, developed with input from administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, and if possible, a reading specialist.
- The plan will include site-level data analysis from state testing and other assessments.
- The district plan will be submitted to and approved by the State Board of Education.
Dyslexia Screening Requirement
- Beginning with the 2022-23 school year, any K–3 student not meeting grade-level targets in the beginning-of-year assessment must be screened for dyslexia.
- Screening may also be requested by a parent, teacher, counselor, speech-language pathologist, or school psychologist.
REFERENCE: Oklahoma Statute 70 O.S. §1210.508A, et seq.