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2001 SESSION

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HJ 794 Study; systematic phonics instruction.

Introduced by: Thomas M. Bolvin | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS PASSED: (all summaries)

Phonics instruction. Requests the Department of Education, in cooperation with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, to study the proficiency of Virginia teachers in teaching systematic explicit phonics and the availability in local school divisions of decodable textbooks and other suitable materials for systematic phonics instructions. In conducting the study, the Department shall examine, among other things, the (i) extent to which teacher preparation programs in Virginia's schools of education provide instruction to aspiring teachers in the use of systematic explicit phonics, and (ii) usefulness of requiring that all persons seeking initial licensure or licensure renewal as K-3 teachers, K-6 reading specialists, special education teachers or English as a Second Language teachers demonstrate proficiency in the teaching of systematic explicit phonics. In addition, the Department shall develop recommendations for (i) establishing statewide standards of decodability for the textbooks used in Virginia's schools for phonics-based instruction, (ii) creating a state professional development program to assess the skills of those teachers required to demonstrate phonics proficiency for licensure, and (iii) the provision by the Department of additional training in systematic explicit phonics to those who do not demonstrate such proficiency. Finally, the study shall include recommendations regarding any supplemental state textbook funding necessary to enable local school divisions to add decodable textbooks and instructional materials for systematic phonics instruction to their reading programs.


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