According to the Rules Governing the Right to Read Act and Ark.
Code Ann. §6-17-429:
By the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, all teachers
employed in any of the following teaching positions shall demonstrate
proficiency in the knowledge and practices of scientific reading instruction:
- Elementary
school teachers in grades kindergarten through six (K-6), teaching math,
science, social studies, or English language arts;
- K-12
Special education teachers;
- English
Language Learners teachers in grades kindergarten through six (K-6);
- Reading
specialists.
All other educators shall demonstrate awareness in knowledge and
practices of scientific reading instruction.
There are currently 20 pathways to proficiency and 7 pathways to
awareness, which can be found on the Prescribed Pathway Credentials web
page of the DESE website. In cycle 2 and cycle 6, Certified Assessors may
designate certified staff
for Awareness or Proficiency based on evidence. A
Certified Assessor is a licensed educator that has completed the appropriate
Science of Reading training, and who, in the normal scope of his or her duties,
is tasked with observing teachers and required to conduct evaluation of
personnel.
Certified Assessor Requirements:
- Must successfully
complete a Phase I of a prescribed pathway for proficiency
(RISEArkansas.org)
- Must
successfully complete Science of Reading (S0R) Assessor Training (2
day)
There is one code for Awareness and five different codes for
Proficiency with a total of six codes. A description and how each code should
be reported in cycles 2 and 6 in eFinance is indicated below:
Science of Reading Codes in e-Finance:
Awareness
SR01
The code SR01 is used for certified staff members who only need
an awareness credential. This code should only be entered into eFinance
once teachers complete a pathway to awareness. For certified staff
members who are still working on the completion of an awareness pathway, this
should remain blank in eFinance.
Proficiency
The deadline for demonstrating proficiency is the beginning of
the 2023-24 school year. Certified staff members who need a proficiency
credential will be coded in eFinance once they complete phase 1 and phase 2 of
a proficiency pathway. For certified staff members who are still
working on the completion of a proficiency pathway, this should remain blank in
eFinance. The blanks will create validated warnings, but these are not errors.
The following codes are for proficiency; the code used should be
selected based on the pathway by which a teacher reached phase 2 for
proficiency.
SR02
Passing the Foundations of Reading test can count as either
Phase 1 or Phase 2 toward proficiency, but not both. The code SR02 is
only for teachers who are using a passing score on the Foundations of Reading
test as the pathway by which they reach phase 2.
Teachers who are using a passing score on the Foundations of
Reading test as the pathway by which they reach phase 1 will need to reach
phase 2 of proficiency by being designated as proficient by a certified
assessor. More information about this can be found in the section for
SR03.
SR03
The code SR03 is used for certified staff members who reach
phase 2 through being designated as proficient by a certified assessor. A
proficient designation may be given when the assessor has collected sufficient
evidence through observation and interviews to determine that the teacher is
proficient in the knowledge and practices of the science of reading. When the
code SR03 is entered into eFinance for a certified staff member, the assessor’s
State ID (Triand number) will be entered as the person who designated the staff
member as proficient. If the entry of the assessor’s State ID/Triand
number results in an error code, this means that the steps needed to be
identified as a certified assessor have not yet been completed.
SR04
The code SR04 is for teachers who graduated from an Arkansas
university approved educator preparation program leading to elementary (K-6) or
Special Education (K-12) licensure after 2021.
SR05
The code SR05 gives educators one year to complete the
requirements of proficiency after the October 2023 deadline. This one
year may be needed to complete the requirements of proficiency for teachers who
move in from another state, are new to an area of licensure, or those who
transition from a teaching position that only required awareness to one that
requires proficiency. Because the deadline for demonstrating proficiency is the
beginning of the 2023-24 school year, the code SR05 should not yet be
used.
SR06
The code SR06 will be used for K-2 or 3-6 RISE trainers, those
with CALT or CALP Certification or those who completed the Apple Group Dyslexia
Therapist Course.