Section 307 – Benchmark assessments in reading — Report to parent.

• (1) As used in this section:
  • (a) “Competency” means a demonstrable acquisition of a specified knowledge, skill, or ability that has been organized into a hierarchical arrangement leading to higher levels of knowledge, skill, or ability.
  • (b) “Diagnostic assessment” means an assessment that measures key literacy skills, including phonemic awareness, sound-symbol recognition, alphabet knowledge, decoding and encoding skills, and comprehension, to determine a student’s specific strengths and weaknesses in a skill area.
  • (c) “Evidence-based” means the same as that term is defined in Section 53G-11-303.
  • (d) “Evidence-informed” means the same as that term is defined in Section 53G-11-303.

• (2) The state board shall approve a benchmark assessment for use statewide by school districts and charter schools to assess the reading competency of students in grades 1 through 6 as provided by this section.

• (3) A school district or charter school shall:
  • (a) administer benchmark assessments to students in grades 1, 2, and 3 at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year using the benchmark assessment approved by the state board; and
  • (b) after administering a benchmark assessment, report the results to a student’s parent.

• (4) If a benchmark assessment or supplemental reading assessment indicates a student lacks competency in a reading skill, or is lagging behind other students in the student’s grade in acquiring a reading skill, the school district or charter school shall:
  • (a) administer diagnostic assessments to the student;
  • (b) using data from the diagnostic assessment, provide specific, focused, and individualized intervention or tutoring to develop the reading skill;
  • (c) administer formative assessments and progress monitoring at recommended levels for the benchmark assessment to measure the success of the focused intervention;
  • (d) inform the student’s parent of activities that the parent may engage in with the student to assist the student in improving reading proficiency;
  • (e) provide information to the parent regarding appropriate interventions available to the student outside of the regular school day that may include tutoring, before and after school programs, or summer school; and
  • (f) provide instructional materials that are evidence-informed for core instruction and evidence-based for intervention and supplemental instruction.

• (5)
  • (a) In accordance with Section 53F-4-201 and except as provided in Subsection (5)(b), the state board shall contract with one or more educational technology providers for a benchmark assessment system for reading for students in kindergarten through grade 6.
  • (b) If revenue is insufficient for the benchmark assessment system for the grades described in Subsection (5)(a), the state board shall first prioritize funding a benchmark assessment for students in kindergarten through grade 3.

Amended by Chapter 285, 2022 General Session