1 CCR 301-92
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RULES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE COLORADO READING TO ENSURE ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT ACT (READ ACT)
1 CCR 301-92 [Editor’s Notes follow the text of the rules at the end of this CCR Document.] _________________________________________________________________________
1.0 Statement of Basis and Purpose.
These rules are promulgated pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes sections 22-7-1208(6)(f), 1208(6.5)(d), 1208(6.7)(d), and 1209(1), which authorize the Colorado State Board of Education to promulgate Rules for the Administration of the Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act (the Colorado READ Act).
2.0 Definitions.
2.1 Administrator: Any school-based or centrally- or regionally-based employee of an LEP who is responsible for designing, implementing and/or providing professional development on the elementary literacy instructional program for kindergarten or any of grades one through three in any school or LEP in the state, and who is not the principal. This would include an assistant or vice principal of an elementary school. It also includes any employee of the LEP conducting observations of and/or providing coaching to a teacher providing literacy instruction in kindergarten or grades one through three.
2.2 Advisory: Recommendations made by the Colorado Department of Education that meet the requirements for scientifically based reading research or evidence-based. These may include but are not limited to the topics of classroom resource materials, instructional programming, interventions, and professional development.
2.3 Body of Evidence: A collection of information about a student’s academic performance which, when considered in its entirety, documents the level of a student’s academic performance. A body of evidence, at a minimum, shall include scores on formative or interim assessments and work that a student independently produces in a classroom, including but not limited to the school readiness assessments adopted pursuant to section 22-7-1004(2)(a), C.R.S.. A body of evidence may include scores on summative assessments if a local education provider decides that summative assessments are appropriate and useful in measuring students’ literacy skills.
2.4 Colorado Academic Standards: The 2020 Colorado Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, and Communicating (adopted June 13, 2018), which identify the knowledge and skills that a student should acquire as the student progresses from preschool through elementary and secondary education, as adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to section 22-7-1005, C.R.S.
2.5 Comprehension: The process of extracting and constructing meaning from written texts. Comprehension has three key elements: (1) the reader; (2) the text; and (3) the activity.
2.6 Department: The Colorado Department of Education created pursuant to section 24-1-115, C.R.S.
2.7 Diagnostic Assessment: A state board approved assessment which schools are required to use for students identified through screening as possibly having a significant reading deficiency so as to pinpoint a student’s specific area(s) of weakness and provide in-depth information about students’ skills and instructional needs.
2.8 Duration: The length (number of minutes) of a session multiplied by the number of sessions per school year.
2.9 Enrollment: For the purposes of the READ Act, enrollment refers to the student’s first day of school.
2.10 Explicit Instruction: Instruction that involves direct explanation in which concepts are explained and skills are modeled, without vagueness or ambiguity. The teacher’s language is concise, specific, and related to the objective, and guided practice is provided.
2.11 Evidence-Based: The instruction or item described is based on reliable, trustworthy, and valid evidence and has demonstrated a record of success in adequately increasing students’ reading competency in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, including oral skills, and reading comprehension.
2.12 Fidelity: The delivery of instruction in the way in which it was designed to be delivered.
2.13 Fluency: The capacity to read words in connected text with sufficient accuracy, rate, and prosody to comprehend what is read.
2.14 Frequency: How often an intervention occurs used within a Response to Intervention framework. Frequency of an intervention, in conjunction with intensity, fidelity of delivery, and duration, may be used as an element to determine the effectiveness of an intervention.
2.15 Intervention: The practice of providing scientifically-based, high-quality instruction and progress monitoring to students who are below proficient in reading.
2.16 Instructional Programming: Scientifically-based or evidence-based resources in reading instruction that local education providers are encouraged to use including but not limited to interventions, tutoring, and instructional materials that adequately teach students to read and may include materials used within a multi-tiered system of support including the universal/core level and supplemental and intensive interventions.
2.17 Intensity: More time daily above and beyond 90+ minutes of universal (Tier 1) instruction, which is focused on the specific needs of the student as identified by a diagnostic measure. Instruction can be intensified in three ways: (1) more time, (2) more targeted instruction, and (3) smaller group size.
2.18 Interim Assessment: A universal screening assessment administered to all students to identify those who may experience lower than expected reading outcomes who may be at risk for reading challenges.
2.19 Judicious Review: A review of previously learned information over time, integrated into more complex tasks, in order to enhance the learning of new skills.
2.20 Local Education Provider or LEP: A school district, a board of cooperative services, a district charter school, or an institute charter school.
2.21 Mastery: A student can successfully perform, apply, and transfer their knowledge of the task at least 85% of the time.
2.22 Multi-tiered Systems of Supports: A systemic preventive approach that addresses the academic and social-emotional needs of all students at the universal, targeted, and intensive levels. Through the multi-tiered systems of supports, a teacher provides high-quality, scientifically based or evidence-based instruction and intervention that is matched to student needs; uses a method of monitoring progress frequently to inform decisions about instruction and goals; and applies the student’s response data to important educational decisions.
2.23 Oral Language: The ability to produce and comprehend spoken language, including vocabulary and grammar.
2.24 Phonemic Awareness: A subset of phonological awareness in which listeners are able to hear, identify, and manipulate phonemes, the smallest units of sound that can differentiate meaning.
2.25 Phonological Awareness: Awareness of the sound structure of spoken words at three levels: (1) rhyming to onset and rime; (2) segmenting and blending; and (3) manipulating individual phonemes 2.26 Phonics: A method of teaching reading and writing by developing learners’ phonemic awareness, that is, the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the sounds (phonemes) in order to teach the correspondence between these sounds and the spelling patterns (graphemes) that represent them.
2.27 Principal: Any person who is employed as the chief executive officer of any school in the state that serves kindergarten or any of grades one through three.
2.28 Professional Development: Activities that develop an individual’s skills, knowledge, expertise and other characteristics as a teacher or educational professional. Such activities include but are not limited to, updating individuals’ knowledge of literacy in light of recent advances; updating individuals’ skills, attitudes, and approaches in light of the development of new teaching techniques and objectives, new circumstances, and new educational research; enabling individuals to apply changes made to curricula or other aspects of the teaching practice of literacy; enabling schools to develop and apply new strategies concerning the curriculum and other aspects of the teaching of literacy; and exchanging information and expertise among teachers and others. This definition recognizes that professional development can be provided in many ways, ranging from the formal to the informal and can be made available through external expertise in the form of courses, workshops or formal qualification programs, and through collaboration between schools or teachers across schools.
2.29 Progress Monitoring: An assessment used to determine whether students are making adequate progress and to determine whether instruction needs to be adjusted.
2.30 Reading Interventionist: An individual employed to teach students and whose primary job duties include providing reading intervention to students on READ Act Plans during regular school hours to supplement core academic instruction and who is employed in any of grades K-12.
2.31 School District: A school district, other than a junior college district, organized and existing pursuant to law.
2.32 Scientifically Based: The instruction or item described is based on research that applies rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge that is relevant to reading development, reading instruction, and reading difficulties.
23.33 Screening: An assessment that provides a quick sample of critical reading skills that will inform the teacher if the student is on track for grade level reading competency by the end of the school year. A screening assessment is a first alert that a student may need extra help to make adequate progress in reading during the year.
2.34 Significant Reading Deficiency: A student does not meet the minimum skill levels for reading competency in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, including oral skills, and reading comprehension established by the state board for the student’s grade level.
2.35 State Board: The state board of education created pursuant to section 1 of article IX of the state constitution.
2.36 Sufficient Duration: Dependent on a number of factors including the program or strategy being used, the age of the student, and the severity of the deficit involved.
2.37 Summative Assessment: An end of year comprehensive measurement of student mastery in order to inform taxpayers and state policy makers, support identification of successful programs, and serve a variety of state and federal accountability needs.
2.38 Systematic Instruction: A carefully planned sequence of instruction that is thought out and designed before activities and lessons are planned, maximizing the likelihood that whenever children are asked to learn something new, they already possess the appropriate prior knowledge and understandings to see its value and to learn it effectively.
2.39 Teacher: The professional responsible for the literacy instruction of the student(s) and may include the main instructor for a class, an instructional coach, Reading Interventionist (in grades K-3), special education teacher, Title I teacher or other personnel who are identified as effective in the teaching of reading and who has been employed to teach kindergarten or any of grades one through three.
2.40 Vocabulary: Knowledge of words and word meanings and includes words that a person understands and uses in language. Vocabulary is essential for both learning to read and comprehending text.
3.00 Administration of Interim and Diagnostic Reading Assessments and Determination of a Significant Reading Deficiency.
3.01 All students in grades K-3 shall be assessed with a state board approved interim reading assessment.
3.01(A) Students in kindergarten shall be assessed using a state board approved interim reading assessment during the first 90 days of the school year. If an LEP administers the state board approved interim reading assessment within the first 60 days of the school year, it is not required to administer the literacy component of the school readiness assessment required pursuant to section 22-7-1014(1)(a), C.R.S.
3.01(B) Each student in grades one through three shall be assessed using a state board approved interim reading assessment within 30 calendar days of the student’s first day of attendance.
3.01(C) If, based on grade-level cut-scores on the state board approved interim reading assessment in a specific school year, a teacher finds that a student demonstrates reading competency appropriate for his or her grade level, the LEP is not required to administer the state board approved interim reading assessments to the student for the remainder of the specific school year. Students who score at or below the cut-off score for a significant reading deficiency on a state board approved interim reading assessment shall receive the services outlined in section 4.00 of these rules, below. 3.01(D) If a student scores below the cut-score on the approved interim assessment, the student shall be assessed using a state board approved diagnostic assessment within 60 calendar days of the initial administration of the interim reading assessment. During the 60 day window, the LEP shall ensure the student receives scientifically-based and evidence-based core instruction and intervention. The diagnostic assessment shall be used to identify the student’s specific skill deficiencies in one or more of the following components of reading: phonemic awareness; phonics; vocabulary development; reading fluency including oral skills and reading comprehension.
3.02 In grades K-3, a determination that a child has a significant reading deficiency in English will be based on:
3.02(A) A child scoring below the cut-score for a significant reading deficiency on a state board approved interim assessment; and 3.02(B) Results from a state board approved diagnostic assessment that identifies a student’s significant reading deficiency in one or more of the following components of reading: phonemic awareness; phonics; vocabulary development; reading fluency including oral skills and reading; and 3.02(C) A body of evidence.
3.03 For students who receive literacy instruction in both English and Spanish, the LEP may opt to utilize a state board approved interim reading assessment in Spanish to determine whether the student has a significant reading deficiency. In these instances, students shall also be assessed once annually using a state board approved interim reading assessment in English for the purpose of informing reading instruction and intervention services and for the monitoring of student progress toward grade level reading competency. This section 3.04 shall not apply to a student who is an English language learner, as defined in section 22-24-103, C.R.S., and whose native language is Spanish.
3.04 For a student who is an English language learner, as defined in section 22-24-103, C.R.S., and whose native language is Spanish, the LEP shall determine whether the student takes the state board approved interim reading assessment in English or Spanish. If the state board adopts a list of approved readiness assessments pursuant to section 22-7-1209, C.R.S., that includes assessments in languages other than English or Spanish, the LEP shall determine whether a student who is an English language learner, as defined in section 22-24-103, C.R.S., and whose native language is not Spanish, will take the state board approved interim reading assessments in the student’s native language. If a student takes a reading assessment in the student’s native language, the LEP may also administer a state board approved interim reading assessment in English to the student, at the request of the student’s parent. The LEP shall explain the rationale for the decision verbally and in writing.
3.05 If a student who is an English language learner takes a state board approved interim reading assessment in the student’s native language, the LEP shall determine, and communicate in writing to the student’s parent in a language the parent understands, if possible, the level of English proficiency at which the student must take at least one of the state board approved interim reading assessments in English. In determining whether a student must take the reading assessments in a language other than English, each LEP shall review the student’s score on the most recent annual assessment administered pursuant to the English Language Proficiency Act, C.R.S. section 22-24-101, et seq. If the student scores within the range that the LEP determines demonstrates partial proficiency in English or higher, the LEP shall ensure that the student annually takes at least one of the state board approved interim reading assessments in English.
4.00 Upon Determination of Significant Reading Deficiency.
4.01 For students in grades K-3, upon determining a child has a significant reading deficiency, the LEP shall complete all of the following:
4.01(A) The LEP shall ensure that information from the diagnostic assessment and a body of evidence is used to inform the development of the student’s READ plan pursuant to section 22-7-1206, C.R.S. as soon as practicable.
4.01(B) The LEP shall monitor the ongoing progress of students determined to have a significant reading deficiency by administering the selected state board approved interim assessment periodically throughout the school year and by collecting a body of evidence demonstrating student progress toward the Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels described below. Once a student demonstrates grade level competency, he or she may be removed from a READ plan.
4.01(C) Beginning in the 2020-21 school year and annually thereafter, the department, in consultation with stakeholders, shall provide guidance on how to determine when a student demonstrates grade level competency and should be removed from a READ plan.
5.00 Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels.
The following competency skill levels guide literacy instruction and interventions for students. These competency skill levels are based on the scores attained on the approved reading assessments identified in section 9.00 of these rules and the Colorado Academic Standards, and have a significant correlation to reading on grade level. Students in second and third grades may demonstrate that they have attained the minimum reading skill levels primarily through scores from a state board approved interim reading assessment. The state board shall review the minimum reading competency skill levels on or before July 1, 2019, and every four years thereafter and update them as necessary.
5.01 Kindergarten Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels:
(A) Phonological Awareness.
5.01(A)(2) Identify and produce groups of words that begin with the same sound (alliteration);
5.01(A)(3) Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words. 5.01(B) Phonemic Awareness.
5.01(B)(1) Blend and segment the onset and rime of single syllable spoken words; 5.01(B)(2) Identify phonemes for letters;
5.01(B)(3) Identify the initial, medial, and final phoneme of spoken words; 5.01(B)(4) Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds in spoken single-syllable words;
5.01(B)(5) Add or substitute individual sounds in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
5.01(C) Concept of print.
5.01(C)(2) Understand that words are separated by spaces in print, also known as concept of word;
5.01(C)(3) Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book; while significant, this skill is a lower indicator of future reading success and should not be weighed as heavily as the other skills when determining if a child has attained mastery of the Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels; 5.01(C)(4) Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.
5.01(D) Alphabetic Principle.
5.01(E)(1) Demonstrate basic knowledge of letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or most frequent sound for each consonant; 5.01(E)(2) Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ;
5.01(E)(3) Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings for the five major vowels;
5.01(E)(4) Read text consisting of short sentences comprised of learned sight words and consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words and may also include rebuses that represent words that cannot be decoded or recognized. 5.01(F) Vocabulary Development.
5.01(F)(1) Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately; 5.01(F)(2) Use the most frequently occurring inflections and affixes; 5.01(F)(3) Use new vocabulary that is directly taught through reading, speaking, and listening; while significant, this skill is a lower indicator of future reading success and should not be weighed as heavily as the other skills when determining if a child has attained mastery of the Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels;
5.01(F)(4) Relate new vocabulary to prior knowledge; while significant, this skill is a lower indicator of future reading success and should not be weighed as heavily as the other skills when determining if a child has attained mastery of the Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels.
5.01(G) Oral Language.
5.01(G)(2) Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood; 5.01(G)(3) Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood;
5.01(G)(4) Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about Kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups; while significant, this skill is a lower indicator of future reading success and should not be weighed as heavily as the other skills when determining if a child has attained mastery of the Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels; 5.01(G)(5) Listen with comprehension to follow two-step directions; while significant, this skill is a lower indicator of future reading success and should not be weighed as heavily as the other skills when determining if a child has attained mastery of the Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels.
5.01(H) Listening Comprehension.
5.01(H)(2) With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story;
5.01(H)(3) Recognize common types of texts.
5.02 First Grade Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels.
5.02(A) Phonemic Awareness.
5.02(A)(2) Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds;
5.02(A)(3) Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
5.02(B) Concept of Print 5.03(B)(1) Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence. 5.02(C) Phonics 5.02(C)(1) Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs;
5.02(C)(3) Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking words into syllables;
5.02(C)(4) Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds;
5.02(C)(5) Read words with inflectional endings;
5.02(C)(6) Use onsets and rimes to create new words (ip to make dip, lip, slip, ship); 5.02(C)(7) Accurately decode unknown words that follow a predictable letter/sound relationship 5.02(D) Reading Fluency.
5.02(D)(1) Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words; 5.02(D)(2) Read a minimum of 23 words per minute in the winter with fluency; read a minimum of 53 words per minute in the spring with fluency. 5.02(E) Vocabulary Development.
5.02(E)(1) Use sentence level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase; 5.02(E)(2) Identify and understand compound words.
5.02(F) Oral Language.
5.02(G)(1) Answer questions about key details in a text; 5.02(G)(2) Make predictions about what will happen in the text and explain whether they were confirmed or not and why, providing evidence from the text; 5.02(G)(3) Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information;
5.02(G)(4) Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text; 5.02(G)(5) Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text;
5.02(G)(6) Know and use various text features to locate key factors or information in a text;
5.02(G)(7) Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text; 5.02(G)(8) Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories;
5.02(G)(9) Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details;
5.02(G)(10) Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic.
5.03 Second Grade Minimum Reading Competency Skill Levels.
5.03(A) Phonemic Awareness.
5.03(B)(1) Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes; 5.03(B)(2) Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences;
5.03(B)(3) Distinguish long and short vowels in regularly spelled one syllable words; 5.03(B)(4) Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams;
5.03(B)(5) Read multisyllabic words accurately and fluently; 5.03(B)(6) Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels. 5.03(C) Reading Fluency.
5.03(C)(1) Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words; 5.03(C)(2) Read a minimum of 51 words per minute in the fall with fluency; read a minimum of 72 words per minute in the winter with fluency; read a minimum of 89 words per minute in the spring with fluency;
5.03(C)(3) Read grade level text accurately and fluently, attending to phrasing, intonation, and punctuation.
5.03(D) Vocabulary Development.
5.03(D)(2) Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root;
5.03(D)(3) Create new words by combining base words with affixes to connect known words to new words;
5.03(D)(4) Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words.
5.03(E) Oral Language.
5.03(E)(2) Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud. 5.03(F) Reading Comprehension.
5.03(F)(1) Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud; 5.03(F)(2) Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary;
5.03(F)(3) Answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text;
5.03(F)(4) Summarize the main idea using relevant and significant details in a variety of texts;
5.03(F)(5) Know and use various text features to locate key factors or information in a text efficiently;
5.03(F)(6) Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe;
5.03(F)(7) Read text to perform a specific task such as follow a recipe or play a game;
5.03(F)(8) Explain how specific images contribute to and clarify a text; 5.03(F)(9) Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic;
5.03(F)(10) Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts;
5.03(F)(11) Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges;
5.03(F)(12) Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the story; 5.03(F)(13) Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story by different authors or by different cultures.
5.04 Third Grade Minimum Reading Competency Skills.
5.04(A) Phonemic Awareness.
5.04(B)(1) Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes;
5.04(B)(2) Decode words with common Latin suffixes;
5.04(B)(3) Decode multisyllabic words;
5.04(C) Reading Fluency.
5.04(C)(3) Read grade level text accurately and fluently, attending to phrasing, intonation, and punctuation.
5.04(D) Vocabulary Development.
5.04(D)(2) Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language;
5.04(D)(3) Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase; 5.04(D)(4) Use knowledge of word relationships to identify antonyms or synonyms to clarify meaning;
5.04(D)(5) Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root;
5.04(D)(6) Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. 5.04(E) Reading Comprehension.
5.04(E)(1) Identify a main topic of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text;
5.04(E)(2) Answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers;
5.04(E)(3) Use a variety of comprehension strategies to interpret text (attending, searching, predicting, checking, and self-correcting);
5.04(E)(4) Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea;
5.04(E)(5) Summarize central ideas and important details from a text; 5.04(E)(6) Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters; 5.04(E)(7) Use semantic cues and signal words (because, although) to identify cause/effect and compare/contrast relationships;
5.04(E)(8) Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text;
5.04(E)(9) Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts;
5.04(E)(10) Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic;
5.04(E)(11) Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
6.00 Attributes of Effective Universal Instruction.
6.01 The attributes of a multi-tiered system of support contribute to more meaningful identification of learning problems related to literacy achievement, improve instructional quality, provide all students with the best opportunity to learn to read, assist with the identification of learning disabilities specific to learning to read, and accelerate the reading skills of advanced readers. The following are attributes of effective universal instruction. 6.01(A) Addresses the five components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency including oral skills, and reading comprehension) appropriate to the age, grade, language of instruction and needs of students, recognizing the continuum of reading development; and 6.01(B) Guided by the assessment of a student’s reading competency using a state board approved interim assessment and, based on a student’s level of risk, on an on-going basis through the use of interim assessment probes specific to the student’s diagnosed reading skill deficiencies throughout the academic year; and 6.01(C) A minimum of 90 minutes of instruction; and 6.01(D) Utilizes a scope and sequence that is delivered explicitly with judicious review, allowing for active and engaged students; and 6.01(E) Driven by the Colorado Academic Standards.
7.00 Attributes of Effective Targeted and Intensive Instructional Intervention.
7.01 The attributes of a multi-tiered system of support contribute to more meaningful identification of learning problems related to literacy achievement, improve instructional quality, provide all students with the best opportunity to learn to read, assist with the identification of learning disabilities specific to learning to read, and accelerate the reading skills of advanced readers. The following are attributes of effective targeted and intensive instructional intervention. 7.01(A) Addresses one or more of the five components of reading with intentional focus on identified area(s) of deficit according to interim and diagnostic assessments (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency including oral skills, and reading comprehension) and;
7.01(B) Delivered with sufficient intensity, frequency, urgency, and duration and; 7.01(C) Guided by data from diagnostic, interim, and observational assessments focused on students’ areas of need and;
7.01(D) Directed by an effective teacher in the teaching of reading and; 7.01(E) Utilizes a scope and sequence that is delivered explicitly with judicious review, allowing for active and engaged students;
7.01(F) Delivered in a small group format.
8.00 Notice of Process for Possible Inclusion in Approved Assessment List(s).
8.01 At least one month prior to recommending any new interim, diagnostic, and summative assessments be added to the approved assessment list, the department must post a notice on its web-site indicating the timeline for review and recommendation of new interim, diagnostic, and summative assessments, the process and deadline for submitting assessments for consideration, and the criteria that the department will use in reviewing assessments.
8.02 In reviewing the interim, diagnostic, and summative assessments, the department will ensure that each recommended assessment: is evidence-based or scientifically-based and aligned with the preschool through elementary and secondary education Colorado Academic Standards for reading; is valid and reliable; is proven to effectively and accurately measure students’ reading skills in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, including oral skills, and reading comprehension; and is proven to accurately identify deficiencies. At least one assessment shall be normed for students who speak Spanish, consistent with the criteria outlined in section 22-7-1209 (2) (a), C.R.S.
8.03 In reviewing assessments, the department will ensure that the list of interim and diagnostic assessments includes at least one assessment that can be administered using pencil and paper as outlined in section 22-7-1209 (2) (a), C.R.S.
8.04 After reviewing all submissions, the department must notify publishers of recommended lists of interim, diagnostic, and summative assessments to be presented to the state board.
8.05 The department must review lists of approved interim, diagnostic, and summative assessments at least every four years and recommend updates to the state board as appropriate.
8.06 In reviewing, updating, and making recommendations for new reading assessments, the department must consult with LEPs, including those with high enrollments of students who are English Language Learners as defined in section 22-24-103, C.R.S., and with third-party experts to provide a technical review as necessary. The department shall ensure that the procedure outlined in section 8.00 of these rules is inclusive and transparent.
9.0 Approved Interim Reading Assessments.
9.1 In choosing approved interim reading assessments, the following criteria are considered: (1) whether the assessment is rated highly by the Department’s external evaluator; (2) it must meet all statutory criteria; (3) whether indicators that screen for the characteristics of dyslexia are imbedded into the assessment; (4) whether there is a Spanish version of the assessment that is normed for the performance of students who speak Spanish as their native language; and (5) whether there is a paper and pencil version. The following are approved interim assessments through the conclusion of the 2023-24 school year:
9.01(A) Acadience Reading (previously published under DIBELS Next) published by Acadience; 9.01(B) Amplify mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition, 2018; mClass Lectura 2022; 9.01(C) aimswebPlus (English and Spanish) published by Pearson; 9.01(D) FAST earlyReading English (K-1) and FAST CBMreading English (1 -3); 9.01(E) Incidaores Dinamicos del Exito en la Lectura (IDEL) published by the University of Oregon;
9.01(F) Indicators of Progress for Early Reading (ISIP ER) (English and Spanish) published by Istation;
9.01(G) i-Ready published by Curriculum Associates;
9.01(H) Curriculum Associates, LLC i-Ready Assessment for Reading, 13.0, 2022; 9.01(I) Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) and Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening Espanol published by the University of Virginia; and 9.01(J) Star Early Learning publishes by Renaissance Learning, Inc.
9.2 Starting in the 2024-25 school year, the following will be approved interim reading assessments: 9.01(A) Acadience Reading (previously published under DIBELS Next) published by Acadience; 9.01(B) Amplify mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition, 2018; mClass Lectura 2022; 9.01(C) Curriculum Associates, LLC i-Ready Assessment for Reading, 13.0, 2022; 9.01(D) Indicators of Progress for Early Reading (ISIP ER) (English and Spanish) published by Istation; and 9.01(E) Star Early Learning published by Renaissance Learning, Inc.
9.3 As reading comprehension is dependent upon students’ understanding of the language, children with limited English proficiencies, as determined by the individual district’s criteria and documentation, must be assessed in their language of reading instruction, leading to their competency in reading English.
10.00 Notice of Process for Possible Inclusion on Advisory Lists of Instructional Programming and Supporting Technologies and Rigorous Professional Development Programs.
10.01 The department will review its advisory lists of instructional programming and supporting technologies and rigorous professional development programs at least every two years and update as appropriate.
10.02 At least one month prior to revising the lists, the department will post a notice on its web-site indicating the timeline for review and selection of new items, the process and deadline for submitting items for consideration, and criteria that will be used by the department in reviewing items.
10.03 The list of evidence-based or scientifically-based instructional programming and supporting technologies, including software, for assessing and monitoring student progress must be aligned with the recommended reading assessments. The list may include only programming and supporting technologies that, at a minimum:
10.03(A) Have been proven to accelerate student progress in attaining reading competency;
10.03(B) With regard to instructional programming, provides explicit and systematic skill development in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency including oral skills, and reading comprehension; 10.03(C) With regard to instructional programming, is evidence-based or scientifically- based and aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards; 10.03(D) Includes evidence-based or scientifically based reliable assessments; 10.03(E) Provides initial and ongoing analysis of student’s progress; and 10.03(F) With regard to instructional programming, includes texts on core academic content.
10.04 The list of rigorous professional development programs must include programs that are available online and may only include programs that:
10.04(A) Are focused on or align with the science of reading, including teaching in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, including oral skills, and reading comprehension; and 10.04(B) Are aligned to the educator preparation literacy standards referenced in the state board’s Rules for the Administration of Educator License Endorsements, 1 CCR 301-101, section 4.02(5) through 4.02(12) (effective May 30, 2019); and 10.04(C) Include rigorous evaluations of learning throughout and at the end of the course that a person taking the course must pass to successfully complete the course.
10.05 In reviewing and updating its advisory list of instructional programming and professional development programs, the department must consult with LEPs, including those with high enrollments of students who are English Language Learners as defined in section 22-24-103, C.R.S., and with third-party experts to provide a technical review as necessary. The department shall ensure that the procedure outlined in section 10.00 of these rules is inclusive and transparent.10.06 After reviewing all submissions, the department will notify publishers of recommended lists of instructional programming and supporting technologies and rigorous professional development programs.
11.00 Appeals Process for LEPs and Publishers of Assessments, Instructional Programs and Supporting Technologies, or Rigorous Professional Development Programs.
11.01 If an LEP or publisher submitted an assessment, instructional programming and supporting technologies, or rigorous professional development program that is not included on the approved list, the publisher or LEP may submit a written appeal to the department no later than 14 days after receiving notification. As part of the appeal, the department and the state board will consider findings that the appellant may submit from a nationally recognized, evidence-based information clearinghouse that demonstrate that a program has achieved positive results for a substantially similar population of students who are identified as having significant reading deficiencies.
11.02 Within 30 days of receiving the written appeal, the department shall either recommend that the state board add the assessment, instructional programming and supporting technologies, and/or rigorous professional development program to the approved lists or provide the publisher or the LEP a written explanation of why it will not recommend that the assessment, instructional programming, or professional development program be added to the approved list.
12.00 Third-Party Evaluators to Review Reading Assessments
12.01 Instructional Programming, and Professional Development Programs. Third-party evaluators may be used to review and recommend reading assessments, instructional programming, and professional development programs. In selecting third-party evaluators, the department will consider:
12.01(A) Potential evaluator’s qualifications, specialized skills and areas of expertise, as they pertain to literacy instruction with special attention given to expertise in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency including oral skills, and reading comprehension and professional development and assessment in these 5 components of reading; and 12.01(B) Availability and flexibility of evaluator; and 12.01(C) Costs of acquiring evaluator’s services; and 12.01(D) Any ethical issues, including any conflicts of interest or issues that would prevent an evaluator’s ability to provide fair and objective evaluation.
13.0 District Reporting Requirements.
13.1 Annually, by June 30, in order to receive a distribution of per-pupil intervention money, each LEP must submit to the department:
13.01(A) The number of students enrolled in kindergarten and first, second, and third grades in public schools operated by the LEP who were identified as having significant reading deficiencies and received instructional services pursuant to READ plans in the budget year preceding the year in which the money is distributed; 13.01(B) A budget, including a narrative explanation, for the use of the per-pupil intervention money in accordance with the uses described in section 22-7-1210.5(4). Each LEP may only carry over 15 percent of funds from the previous budget year. In the event an LEP retains funds in excess of the 15 percent cap, the Department must reduce that LEP’s distribution of per-pupil intervention funds by that excess amount; and 13.01(C) Evidence that each Teacher (including each Reading Interventionist) employed to teach kindergarten or any of grades one through three and, beginning in 2024-25, each Reading Interventionist employed to teach students in any of grades four through twelve has successfully completed evidence-based training in teaching reading that was either: included as a course in an approved program of preparation or an alternative teacher program; included as a course in a post-graduate degree program in teaching reading or literacy; provided by CDE or included on the CDE advisory list of professional development programs; or provided by an LEP or deemed appropriate for license renewal pursuant to section 22-60.5-110(3), C.R.S.
13.01(C)(2) A Teacher in K-3 grades or Reading Interventionist in grades 4-12 is deemed to have successfully completed evidenced-based training in teaching reading if the LEP submits evidence that the Teacher in K-3 grades or the Reading Interventionist in grades 4-12:
13.01(C)(3) In the event that a Teacher in K-3 grades or a Reading Interventionist in grades 4-12 completes one of the evidence-based training options listed in 13.01(C)(2) but lacks proof of passing an end of course assessment, the Teacher or Reading Interventionist may take and pass an alternate assessment authorized by the State Board aligned to the expectations of this section. 13.01(C)(4) An LEP that is not in compliance with this subsection 13.01(C) for Reading Interventionists employed to teach students in any of grades four through twelve as of the beginning of the 2024-25 school year or for a subsequent school year may request a one-year extension from the state board based on demonstration of good cause for inability to comply. The request, including an explanation of the good cause for inability to comply, must be submitted in writing to the state board at state.board@cde.state.co.us. 13.01(D) For the 2024-25 budget year and budget years thereafter, evidence that each principal as defined in section 2.27 and each administrator as defined in section 2.01 has successfully completed evidence-based training designed for school administrators in the science of reading and was either: included as a CDE- approved course in an approved program of preparation, as defined in section 22-60.5-102(8), C.R.S., for principals or administrators or an individualized alternative principal program or other alternative principal program approved pursuant to section 22-60.5-305.5, C.R.S.; included as a course in a CDE-approved post-graduate degree program in teaching reading or literacy; provided by CDE or included on the CDE advisory list of professional development programs provided by the department pursuant to section 22-7-1209(2)(c), C.R.S.; or included in a CDE-approved training provided by an LEP or deemed appropriate for license renewal pursuant to section 22-60.5-110(3), C.R.S. 13.01(D)(1) The evidence-based training designed for school administrators in the science of reading must include a minimum of 20 hours. However, for a principal or administrator who has previously completed the CDE-approved evidence- based training in teaching reading for teachers, as described in section 13.01(C), the evidence-based training designed for school administrators in the science of reading may be abbreviated and must include a minimum of 5 hours. Any evidence-based training designed for school administrators in the science of reading must address the following standards:
13.01(D)(1)(a)(iii) Element C: Principals demonstrate knowledge of the major theoretical instructional models such as The Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope.
13.01(D)(1)(b) Principal Literacy Standard II: Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Evaluation: Principals ensure the implementation of curriculum and instructional programming aligned to the science of reading, understand that reading difficulty exists along a continuum of severity, understand how curriculum impacts learning, and coach and evaluate to increase the quality of instruction for all students. 13.01(D)(1)(b)(i) Element A: Principals understand the components of the science of reading and use that knowledge to ensure schoolwide adoption and implementation of standards- aligned, scientifically and evidence-based core, supplemental, and intervention curricular resources.
13.01(D)(1)(b)(v) Element E: Principals lead, monitor, and evaluate the school's comprehensive scientifically and evidence- based language and literacy assessment systems, monitor gaps or redundancy across assessments, and adjust the assessment system accordingly to foster school literacy improvement for all students.
13.01(D)(1)(c) Principal Literacy Standard III: Literacy Leadership and Professional Learning: Principals demonstrate leadership by aligning literacy instructional programming to the science of reading and supporting evidence-based professional learning, 13.01(D)(1)(c)(i) Element A: Principals establish, align, and ensure the implementation of the science of reading through job- embedded professional learning based on school-wide assessment data.
13.01(D)(1)(d) Principal Literacy Standard lV: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Principals lead and guide school efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
13.01(D)(1)(d)(ii) Element B: Principals apply foundational knowledge of scientifically and evidence-based practices and promote equitable literacy instruction to meet the diverse and inclusive needs of all learners.
13.01(D)(1)(d)(iii) Element C: Principals create an environment that prioritizes transforming and creating scientifically and evidence-based learning experiences for students that reflect their language and culture and create a link between the school and family literacy practices.
13.01(D)(2) A principal or administrator is deemed to have successfully completed the evidenced-based training if the LEP submits evidence that the principal or administrator:
13.01(D)(2)(b) Successfully passed a CDE-approved course in a post- graduate degree program in teaching reading or literacy and passed the end of course assessment of learning;
13.01(D)(2)(c) Successfully completed a training provided by CDE or included on the advisory list of rigorous professional development programs provided by CDE pursuant to section 22-7-1209(2)(c) and passed the end of course assessment of learning; or 13.01(D)(2)(d) Successfully completed a CDE-approved training that was provided by an LEP or that is appropriate for license renewal pursuant to section 22-60.5-110(3) and passed the end of course assessment of learning.
13.01(D)(3) In the event that a principal or administrator completes one of the evidence-based training options listed in 13.01(D)(2) but lacks proof of passing an end of course assessment, the principal or administrator may take and pass an alternate assessment authorized by the State Board aligned to the expectations of this section.
13.01(D)(4) An LEP that is not in compliance with this subsection 13.01(D) as of the beginning of the 2024-25 school year or for a subsequent school year may request a one-year extension from the state board based on demonstration of good cause for inability to comply. The request, including an explanation of the good cause for inability to comply, must be submitted in writing to the state board at state.board@cde.state.co.us.
13.2 In order for the department to comply with the reporting requirements found in section 22-7-1213, C.R.S., on an annual basis, LEPs must submit the following information to the department. The state board will review the data annually to determine if district reporting requirements are consistent with section 22-7-1213, C.R.S.
13.02(A) Student background information (SASID, name, gender, date of birth and grade level);
13.02(B) Indication of whether the student has been identified as having a significant reading deficiency;
13.02(C) Interim assessment selected by the district (from list of approved assessments); 13.02(D) Interim assessment score (If the LEP is required to administer to a student at least one assessment in English, either because the student has demonstrated at least partial proficiency in English or because the student’s parent has requested the student to be assessed in English, the LEP must submit the student’s score on that English assessment.);
13.02(E) Indication of whether testing accommodations were provided; 13.02(F) Testing date;
13.02(G) Indication of whether retention was recommended; 13.02(H) Indication of whether student was retained;
13.02(I) The specific, allowable expenditures for which the LEP used per-pupil intervention funding, including the number and grade levels of students who participated in each of the types of programs or services provided;
13.02(J) If the LEP purchased instructional programming in reading using per-pupil intervention funding, the scores attained by students enrolled in kindergarten through third grade on an approved interim reading assessment; and 13.02(K) Any other information required by the department or the independent evaluator contracted by the department to complete the evaluation described in section 22-7- 1209(8), C.R.S., including information necessary for the evaluator to determine a baseline indication of the level and quality of pre-service and in-service training in teaching reading that is received by each educator who is employed to teach kindergarten or one of grades one through three. The LEP, in providing the information, and the department and independent evaluator in receiving and using the information, shall comply with state and federal laws to protect the privacy of student information. The LEP, the department and the independent evaluator shall collaborate to minimize the impact on instructional time that may result from collecting and providing the information.
14.00 Incorporation by Reference.
The 2020 Colorado Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, and Communicating (adopted June 13, 2018), and the state board’s Rules for the Administration of Educator License Endorsements, 1 CCR 301- 101 (effective January 15, 2020), are incorporated by reference as noted above. Both are available for public inspection at the Colorado Department of Education, 201 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, Colorado, during regular business hours, as well as at www.cde.state.co.us. This Rule does not incorporate by reference any later amendment or editions to the Colorado Academic Standards and the state board’s Rules for the Administration of Educator License Endorsements, after the effective dates noted herein. _________________________________________________________________________ Editor’s Notes History Entire rule eff. 04/30/2013.
Entire rule eff. 06/30/2015.
Rules 2.34, 3.00-5.00, 5.04(B)(3), 6.01(B), 8.01(C)-(E), 13.01(I) eff. 04/30/2016. Rules 1.0, 3.04, 3.05(A)-(B), 13.00 eff. 11/30/2017.
Entire rule eff. 04/30/2020.
Rules 1.0, 2.0, 9.0, 13.01(C)-13.01(D), 14.00 eff. 12/30/2022.