The Minnesota Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act (READ Act) was passed and signed into law by Governor Tim Walz on May 24, 2023. The goal of this legislation is to have every Minnesota child reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten, and to support multilingual learners and students receiving special education services in achieving their individualized reading goals. The READ Act replaces Read Well by Third Grade (RWBTG) and is in effect as of July, 1, 2023.
More information about the READ Act can be found on the Minnesota Department of Education website.
The READ Act outlines requirements and guidance for districts around screening, professional development, and curricular resources. Current updates, as well as implications for CHPS, are posted below. Information will be updated on this page as new guidance is received.
Answers to frequently asked questions are also below.
This page was last updated May 21, 2024.
Screening
MDE Updates
Mandatory screening of every child in K-3, including multilingual learners and students receiving special education services, using a screening tool approved by MDE
Students in grades 4 and above who do not demonstrate mastery of foundational reading skills must be screened using a screening tool approved by MDE.
The approved screeners include:
DIBELS 8th Edition
FastBridge
Guidance around screening for students in grades 4-12 will be forthcoming.
Implications for CHPS
All students in grades K-10 currently take the FastBridge screener three times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring)
No changes needed at this time
Professional Development
MDE Updates
Beginning July 1, 2024, districts must provide identified staff with MDE-approved training.
Educators identified in Phase 1 must complete an approved training by July 1, 2026.
MDE released a list of three approved training options for Phase 1: CAREIALL; LETRS; and CORE OL&LA
Training requirements for Phase 2 educators must be completed by July 1, 2027. Approved training options for Phase 2 have not yet been announced.
Implications for CHPS
CHPS has selected CORE Learning’s Online Language and Literacy Academy (OL&LA) for most Phase 1 educators.
OL&LA is approximately 45 hours of training. This includes asynchronous course modules and three live sessions with a certified OL&LA trainer.
Five CHPS staff are in the process of becoming OL&LA trainers.
PreK educators will take LETRS for Early Childhood, the recommended training for EC teachers.
LETRS for Early Childhood participants will receive approximately 19–25 hours of content and 12 hours of small-cohort synchronous training.
Awaiting MDE guidance to support requirements for Phase 2
Curriculum
MDE Updates
The READ Act required MDE to partner with the U of M Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) to identify evidence-based curricula focused on structured literacy. This list was released on January 10, 2024. A district is not required to use approved curricula, but only approved curricula are eligible for reimbursement.
Currently Approved Curricula from MDE:
Comprehensive Curriculum: EL Education Open Up
Foundational Curricula: Magnetic Reading, UFLI Foundations, and Functional Phonics+Morphology
Knowledge Building Curriculum: Wit & Wisdom
Curricula that were reviewed and not initially approved are eligible for reconsideration. Review of Grades 6-12 curriculum and intervention materials will be conducted once the K-5 curriculum reconsideration process is complete (no specified timeline yet).
Implications for CHPS
Elementary schools will continue to implement Functional Phonics + Morphology as the Foundational Skills program
We are currently using the curriculum development process to evaluate resources used in grades 3-5 to make a recommendation for the 2024-2025 school year (recommending Wit & Wisdom for approval at the June 11, 2024 CHPS Board of Education meeting)
In 2024-2025, will be re-evaluating the resources in K-2 to support additional recommendations for the 2025-2026 school year
Awaiting additional guidance from the Legislature and MDE on READ Act 2.0
FAQ
Q: Am I required to take the OL&LA or LETRS for Early Childhood training?
A: Currently, Phase 1 Educators are required to take training. Phase 1 Educators include:
Early Childhood Teachers
K-5 Classroom Teachers
K-5 EL Teachers
K-5 Administrators
K-5 Reading Intervention and other teachers who support reading instruction
K-12 Special Education Teachers
Elementary educators not included in Phase 1 include specialist teachers (Arts, Music, Physical Education) and some related services providers.
Q: Do Speech-Language Pathologists or Occupational Therapists need to complete one of the three approved training programs?
A: Only educators who are responsible for providing reading instruction are required to complete one of the three training programs. If SLPs or OTs are providing reading instruction they will need to complete one of the three approved training programs. If they do not provide reading instruction, they are exempt. Currently, CHPS plans to have SLPs complete a training program.
Q: Can I work on training over the summer?
A: We are working with both CORE (the provider of OL&LA) and Lexia (the provider of LETRS for Early Childhood) on access dates and hope to be able to provide access to both courses for teachers who would like to work on them over the summer.