An Act To Amend Title 14 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Reading Competency.
Summary
HB267 amends Delaware’s reading competency laws to require school districts and charter schools to report reading-screening and literacy-intervention information to the Department of Education three times per year instead of once annually. The bill applies to reports on students identified with a potential reading deficiency, including characteristics associated with dyslexia, and requires the information to be disaggregated by grade and by individual school. It also updates reporting under the state’s evidence-based reading curricula law.
Under the bill, districts and charter schools must submit by March 1, June 30, and October 31 the number and percentage of students identified through screening, along with the literacy intervention approaches being provided. For evidence-based reading curricula, they must report the curricula adopted, the individuals responsible for approving and providing professional development, and how educators are ensured access to and completion of required training. The measure is aimed at improving the frequency and usefulness of state oversight of reading instruction and intervention efforts.
Impact
HB267 changes reporting obligations in Title 14 of the Delaware Code for school districts and charter schools, increasing the frequency of required submissions to the Department of Education and expanding the timing to three reporting dates each year. It does not create new screening requirements or intervention mandates, but it strengthens state monitoring of reading deficiency data, dyslexia-related indicators, curricula adoption, and professional development compliance. The affected parties are public school districts, charter schools, and the Department of Education, which will receive more frequent data for its annual reporting and oversight functions.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill, with the House passing it 38-0 on third reading. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous vote indicates broad agreement with the bill’s goal of improving transparency and accountability around reading instruction and student literacy outcomes. The overall tone appears favorable and noncontroversial in the recorded legislative action.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the available materials. The main policy issue is the increased administrative reporting burden on school districts and charter schools versus the benefit of more frequent state-level data on reading deficiencies, dyslexia indicators, and educator training. Because the bill only changes reporting frequency and related disclosure requirements, any disagreement would likely center on workload and compliance rather than on the underlying reading-screening policy.