READ Act

This bill changes the federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grants program, which gives money to states to improve reading and writing instruction. It guarantees grants to states that ranked in the bottom fifth for 4th grade reading on the national NAEP test for two cycles in a row, and it shortens grant periods from 5 years to 4 years. States receiving grants would have to provide early literacy screening at least once before third grade, notify parents when a child is behind in reading, review teacher preparation programs, pass at least 75 percent of funds to local subgrants, and publish yearly reports. The bill excludes "three-cueing" methods from the definition of comprehensive literacy instruction, bars the Secretary of Education from issuing rules defining the science of reading, and directs federal research on literacy and on screen time and attention spans.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Lucy McBath Democrat sponsor
• 7 cosponsors