To expand the provisionof the literacy-based promation act in order to provide certin intervention and implementation stratagies for literacy proficiency among students in grade 4 through grade 8
HB4892 would expand West Virginia’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act beyond kindergarten through grade 3 and apply new literacy supports to students in grades 4 through 8. The bill directs the State Board of Education to create a system of support for school and district leaders, teachers, literacy coaches, interventionists, tutors, and other personnel so they can better identify and address reading difficulties in older students. It also requires professional learning, job-embedded coaching, and educator preparation programs to align with the science of reading and structured literacy practices.
The bill further requires the State Board to adopt rules for an evidence-based literacy intervention program, including approved universal screeners, diagnostic tools, criteria for identifying students needing intervention, and a credit-bearing structured literacy course for grades 6 through 8. It expressly bars the use of three-cueing instructional materials in the intervention program. The State Board must also report annually to the Legislature on implementation, student identification, interventions provided, and evidence of literacy gains. The act would take effect July 1, 2027.
HB4892 would amend state education law by creating a new article in Chapter 18 that extends literacy intervention policy into middle grades and imposes new duties on the State Board of Education. It would affect school districts, schools, teachers, literacy coaches, special education personnel, and educator preparation programs by requiring training, coaching, screening, and intervention systems tied to scientifically based reading instruction. The bill also changes what instructional approaches may be used by excluding three-cueing materials from the intervention program and adds a reporting requirement to the Legislature.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the available context suggests a generally supportive, policy-driven effort to strengthen reading outcomes for older students. The bill’s findings and structure frame the proposal as an expansion of existing literacy success in early grades, with an emphasis on evidence-based instruction, accountability, and implementation support. No recorded opposition or amendment debate is available in the provided materials.
The main policy contention likely centers on the bill’s instructional mandates, especially its explicit rejection of three-cueing and its preference for science-of-reading and structured literacy approaches. Supporters would likely favor the bill’s emphasis on evidence-based intervention, screening, and educator training, while critics could raise concerns about state-level prescription of instructional methods, implementation costs, training burdens, and the feasibility of adding a credit-bearing intervention course in grades 6 through 8. Because there are no committee transcripts or votes provided, no specific legislator or stakeholder positions are documented in the record supplied here.