Committee

Education

Author

John Faulkner

Session

2025 Session

Passed House committee(s); awaiting House floor action

Latest Action


On January 22, the House Education Committee passed HB 857. The bill now awaits action on the House floor. 

Explanation of the Bill

House Bill 857 would expand the Literacy-Based Promotion Act (LBPA), which is currently targeted towards students in kindergarten through third grade, to include interventions for students in fourth grade through eighth grade. The intent of the bill is to build on literacy success that early grades have achieved in recent years and ensure that these gains are sustained in later grades. 

Mississippi Department of Education Support

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) would be tasked with providing “a system of support” for schools and districts to ensure personnel have the skills to support students who have reading difficulties. 

First, MDE would be required to provide comprehensive training for instructional leaders, teachers, literacy coaches, interventionists, tutors, and other personnel who work with students in grades 4 through 8. This training would be grounded in the science of reading and would ensure that personnel have the skills to support all students with reading deficiencies.

Second, MDE would provide information to educators about how to determine causes of reading difficulties, such as dyslexia and other learning differences. It would also provide information about how these causes can impact students’ reading, vocabulary, content knowledge, comprehension, and writing. 

Third, MDE would provide job-embedded coaching support for teachers in grades 4 through 8 based on the Department’s Literacy Coaching Model. 

Lastly, MDE would be responsible for ensuring educator preparation programs equip candidates seeking licensure in elementary education, special education, or middle school education with the training to effectively implement evidence-based reading instruction across all subject areas. 

Program Rules

The Mississippi Board of Education (MBE) would be required to develop rules for a literacy program targeting students in grades 4 through 8. The program rules would be required to include:

  • An approved list of universal screeners, which schools would implement three times per year;
  • The criteria that would
  •  be used to identify students for reading intervention;
  • The types of interventions that would be provided to students with reading deficiencies;
  • The mechanism and timeframe for providing students with interventions; and
  • A structured literacy course for students that would provide reading and writing interventions for students in grades 6 through 8.

The program would be prohibited from including any materials that use the “three-cueing” systems method of teaching reading, which research has shown is ineffective at teaching students to read. 

Middle Literacy Support Schools

The MDE would be tasked with developing a method to determine Middle Literacy Support Schools (M-LSS) based on reading proficiency data. School districts with an M-LSS would be required to implement the middle grades literacy program by assisting with the identification of student participants, making teachers and interventionists available for training and development, and adhering to the rules of the program (described above).

Parent Outreach

Districts would be required to notify parents of students who have an identified reading deficiency within 15 days. The communication would be required to include a notice of the reading deficiency and the interventions that will be used for improvement. 

Legislative Report

The MDE would be required to provide a report to the Legislature on the implementation of this program no later than December 1 of each year. The report would include the number of students in grades 4 through 8 identified as having a reading deficiency, the number of students who were provided intervention and support, the names of the school districts and schools attended by students who participated in the program, and evidence that the program is leading to improved outcomes. The report would also include, as needed, recommendations for legislative actions that could be taken to improve literacy outcomes. 

HB 857 would take effect on July 1, 2025.


DateDetails
1/22/25On January 22, the House Education Committee passed HB 857.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *