NC SB387

SB387 Part VIII. Digital Children's Reading Initiative

SECTION 8. The Department of Public Instruction shall develop a Digital Children's Reading Initiative (Initiative) for the purpose of increasing the percentage of school children throughout the State who are reading proficiently by the end of third grade. The Initiative shall be aligned with the Science of Reading and shall reflect the standards taught in each grade level from kindergarten to third grade. The Initiative shall be designed to assist parents, guardians, and family members in cultivating confident, proficient, lifelong readers by providing free tools and resources that can be easily incorporated into everyday life.

The Initiative may utilize existing third-party resources that align with the Science of Reading by providing selected links to thoroughly vetted, high-quality resources that reflect the standard course of study for each grade level. Links shall be specifically categorized by skill deficiency and grade level so that parents, guardians, and family members can be quickly connected to effective resources targeted to each student's needs. The Department of Public Instruction shall frequently monitor all resources linked to the Initiative to ensure that all links are up-to-date and that resources remain consistent with the purpose set out in this section. All resources included in the Initiative shall be available to the public without required login credentials and shall be accessible directly through a prominently displayed area on the homepage of the Department's website. The Initiative shall make home activities, printables, and games available on the following literacy skills, as appropriate for each grade level:

  1. Phonemic awareness
  2. Phonics
  3. Vocabulary
  4. Fluency
  5. Comprehension
  6. Oral language

No later than January 15, 2022, the Department of Public Instruction shall disseminate the fully developed Digital Children's Reading Initiative to all local school administrative units. Each local school administrative unit shall make Initiative resources accessible directly through a prominently displayed area on the homepage of the unit's website no later than July 1, 2022. Local school administrative units may compile and add additional high-quality resources that meet the requirements of this section to those provided to them by the Department of Public Instruction. Printable activities shall be provided in hard copy by the local school administrative unit to students who do not have digital access at home and may be provided to all students as a supplement to digital resources.