According to the Minnesota Department of Education, "[the] Minnesota Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act, known as the READ Act, was passed and signed into law by Governor Tim Walz on May 24, 2023. The goal of this legislation is to have every Minnesota child reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten, and to support multilingual learner and students receiving special education services in achieving their individualized reading goals. The READ Act replaces Read Well by Third Grade (RWBTG) and is in effect as of July, 1, 2023."

Ten months have passed since Governor Tim Walz signed the READ Act and E.C.H.O. Charter School has been working to implement the new statute.  Below provides an update on our steps taken to meet the requirement of the law:

1. With the input of the newly formed E.C.H.O. Charter School Literacy Team, they have created an updated assessment plan to meet the need to screen all K-3 students with MDE approval and is currently working on a plan for all 4-12 students that are not reading proficiently as requirements become available, starting in the 2024-2025 school year. NOTE: MDE continues to determine the criteria to identify students in grades 4-12 who must be screened and give recommendations on how to implement these new practices.

2. Teaching and Learning staff have been working to plan the required Professional Development (PD)for K-6 grade staff, which will begin next August. The district has chosen the highly respected Online Language and Literacy Academy (OL&LA) for staff to gain the required PD. Six E.C.H.O. Charter School classroom educators are completing the training program and will lead the staff through this training, using our PD days during the 2024-2025 school year.

3. Marsha Lecy , READ Act Coordinator, will submit our first Local Literacy Plan in June. This plan will replace the Read Well by Third Grade plan and require the submission of specific data such as percent proficiency on reading screeners and the number of staff trained and certified in Reading.

The READ Act FAQ

E.C.H.O. Charter School Literacy Team