The Right to Read Act and ACT 2017 provides legislation regarding Science of Reading (SOR) for initial and advanced program candidates.
The EPP prepares candidates in the SOR at the initial and advanced levels. Elementary Education and Special Education candidates complete six hours of coursework aligned to the proficiency level for SOR (Teaching Literacy I and II). An additional course (Advanced Teaching Literacy) is available for candidates who seek more in-depth literacy training. Candidates take the Foundations of Reading Assessment upon exit. Candidates seeking licensure for middle level are encouraged to take the six hours for SOR proficiency.
Candidates from other licensure areas are required to show awareness of SOR standards by taking a three-hour course (Strategies for Content Area Reading or Reading Diagnostics) or completing the Arkansas IDEAS SOR Course.
Act 1063 of 2017, the Right to Read Act, states: “Beginning no later than the 2022-2023 school year, each state-approved educator preparation program shall post on its website information describing its program to prepare teachers to teach reading using scientific reading instruction aligned with but not limited to the content measured by the stand-alone reading assessment adopted by the State Board of Education under § 6-17-402.”
Candidates enrolled in Elementary Education K-6 and Special Education K-12 programs must complete coursework and pass the Foundations of Reading test to be considered proficient in scientific reading instruction to obtain a license.
Candidates enrolled in all other licensure area programs must complete the coursework to be considered awareness level in scientific reading instruction to obtain a license.
In 2019, the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education approved Southern Arkansas University Educator Preparation Program pathways to meet this requirement. The pathways are aligned to the appropriate Foundations of Reading Competencies – Proficiency Level or Foundations of Reading Competencies – Awareness Level. DESE – Approved Course/Modules lists approved courses/modules for all approved licensure programs in Arkansas.
