Improving America's Literacy Act

This Act may be cited as the “Improving America's Literacy Act”.

(a) Definitions.— Section 2221(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6641(b)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1)—

(A) in subparagraph (K), by striking “and” after the semicolon;

(B) in subparagraph (L), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(M) does not include the use of a three-cueing model.”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

“(4) Three-cueing model.— The term three-cueing model means an instructional approach or model that—

(A) uses meaning drawn from context, pictures, or syntax as the primary basis for teaching word recognition (commonly referred to as ‘meaning, structure and syntax, and visual cues’ or ‘MSV’); or

(B) teaches visual memory as the primary basis for word recognition.”.

(b) Grants.— Section 2222 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6642) is amended—

(1) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:

“(c) Duration; annual review; renewal.—

(1) Duration.— A grant awarded under this subpart shall be for a period of not more than 5 years total.

(2) Annual review.—

(A) In general.— The Secretary shall conduct an annual review of each State educational agency receiving a grant under this subpart, which shall include—

(i) a review of the impacts of funding under this subpart on student literacy outcomes;

(ii) information about grant and subgrant recipients by geographic location; and

(iii) a review of specific activities and strategies employed by such recipients to improve literacy outcomes.

(B) Public availability.— The Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, shall issue an annual report summarizing the annual review described in subparagraph (A) that shall be made publicly available on the website of the Department of Education.

(3) Renewal.— Such grant may be renewed for an additional 2-year period upon the termination of the initial period of the grant if the grant recipient demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that—

(A) the State has made adequate progress; and

(B) renewing the grant for an additional 2-year period is necessary to carry out the objectives of the grant described in subsection (d).”;

(2) in subsection (d)(2)(E)—

(A) in clause (i), by striking “or” after the semicolon;

(B) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon;

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(iii) demonstrates significant deficiencies in reading or language arts, such as through the results of the statewide academic assessments required under section 1111(b)(2); or”.

(D) by adding at the end the following:

“(F) An assurance that the State educational agency will use funds in accordance with the limitations described in subsection (e).”; and

(3) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following:

“(e) Award criteria.— The Secretary shall award grants under this section to State educational agencies that—

(1) will use the grant funds to carry out evidence-based activities, or support eligible entities that carry out evidence-based activities, defined for the purpose of this subsection as activities meeting the requirements of section 8101(21)(A)(i)(I);

(2) will use the grant funds to implement, or support eligible entities that implement, instructional strategies and materials that focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; and

(3) do not use a three-cueing model.”.

Section 1003 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6303) is amended—

(1) in subsection (e)—

(A) in paragraph (1)(F), by striking “and” after the semicolon;

(B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(3) an assurance that the local educational agency will comply with the requirements regarding literacy under subsection (j).”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

“(j) Additional requirements regarding literacy.—

(1) In General.— Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a State educational agency, in allocating funds to local educational agencies under this section, shall only allocate funds to local educational agencies that will ensure that literacy activities that are carried out using such funds are—

(A) evidence-based, defined for the purpose of this subsection as activities meeting the requirements of section 8101(21)(A)(i)(I); and

(B) implemented using instructional strategies and materials that focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.”.

(a) Research on broader evidence implementation.— The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (referred to in this section as the “Director”) shall conduct research to identify and evaluate State and local strategies associated with significant improvements in student literacy outcomes. Such research shall—

(1) examine State educational agencies and local educational agencies that have demonstrated sustained increases in literacy achievement, including improvements on State assessments and the National Assessment of Educational Progress;

(2) identify the instructional practices, curricular materials, professional development approaches, and policy supports implemented by such agencies, such as family and community engagement, student and teacher coaching, individualized reading plans, teacher training, integration of curriculum specialists, literacy instruction for English learners, and early grade retention policies; and

(3) assess the extent to which such strategies meet the definition of evidence-based under section 8101(21) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(21)).

(b) Report to Congress.— Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall—

(1) submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives a report containing the findings of the evaluation carried out under this section;

(2) disseminate findings regarding practices associated with improved literacy outcomes, including through regional educational laboratories awarded contracts under section 174 of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9564); and

(3) make such report and findings publicly available on the website of the Department of Education.

Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to—

(1) limit or alter the rights, protections, and individualized instructional requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), or the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.); or

(2) authorize any officer or employee of the Federal Government to mandate, direct, or control a State, local educational agency, or school’s specific instructional content, academic standards and assessments, curricula, or program of instruction.