Arkansas § 6-17-701 - Program to improve reading skills.

§ 6-17-701. Program to improve reading skills.

The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education is authorized and directed to develop and implement an inclusive statewide program to improve the reading skills of students in the public schools of this state. The program shall include an in-service training program to assist elementary teachers who desire or are designated as requiring special assistance in improving their skills in teaching reading and to assist elementary principals in improving their skills in the supervision and support of reading programs. The intensive in-service training in the teaching of reading provided for in this section shall be developed and implemented under the direction of reading specialists of the division and selected in-service teachers who have been identified as having been particularly successful in the teaching of reading. This training shall include, but not necessarily be limited to: Classroom observation; The use of student inventories for diagnosing reading problems; Planning instruction based on test results and classroom inventories; Reading activities to improve reading skills; Ideas for parental involvement in reading instruction; and The effective use of the teacher's time in planning for instruction in reading. Records shall be kept of the activities authorized by this section, and studies shall be conducted to determine the impact of this program on the achievement test scores of the students of teachers receiving special in-service training. Participating schools shall be required to allow the use of their teachers and principals who have received training to assist in the training of other teachers and principals.