S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5835
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  R. CARROLL  -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Libraries and Education Technology
 
 AN ACT to amend the education  law,  in  relation  to  establishing  the
   libraries literacy education guidance act
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the  "libraries
 literacy education guidance act".
   §  2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 286 to read
 as follows:
   § 286. LIBRARIES LITERACY EDUCATION GUIDANCE.  1. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS
 SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (A) "EVIDENCE-BASED" MEANS THE INSTRUCTION OR ITEM DESCRIBED IS  BASED
 ON RIGOROUS, RELIABLE, TRUSTWORTHY AND VALID SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND HAS
 DEMONSTRATED A RECORD OF SUCCESS IN ADDRESSING READING COMPETENCY IN THE
 AREAS  OF  PHONEMIC  AWARENESS, PHONICS, VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT, READING
 FLUENCY  AND  COMPREHENSION,  INCLUDING  BACKGROUND  KNOWLEDGE  OF  ORAL
 LANGUAGE AND WRITING.
   (B)  "PHONEMIC AWARENESS" MEANS THE ABILITY TO NOTICE, THINK ABOUT AND
 MANIPULATE INDIVIDUAL SOUNDS IN SPOKEN SYLLABLES AND WORDS.
   (C) "VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT" MEANS THE PROCESS OF ACQUIRING NEW WORDS.
 "VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT" INCLUDES IMPROVING ALL AREAS OF  COMMUNICATION,
 INCLUDING LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING AND WRITING.
   (D)  "READING  FLUENCY"  MEANS  THE ABILITY TO READ WORDS, PHRASES AND
 SENTENCES ACCURATELY, AT AN APPROPRIATE SPEED, AND WITH EXPRESSION.
   (E) "READING COMPREHENSION"  MEANS  A  FUNCTION  OF  WORD  RECOGNITION
 SKILLS AND LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION SKILLS AND SHALL INCLUDE HAVING SUFFI-
 CIENT  BACKGROUND  INFORMATION AND VOCABULARY IN ORDER FOR THE READER TO
 UNDERSTAND THE WORDS IN FRONT  OF  THEM.  "READING  COMPREHENSION"  ALSO
 INCLUDES  THE  ACTIVE  PROCESS THAT REQUIRES INTENTIONAL THINKING DURING
 WHICH MEANING IS CONSTRUCTED THROUGH INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE  TEXT  AND
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08094-02-5
              

 A. 5835                             2
 
 READER.  COMPREHENSION  SKILLS  ARE  TAUGHT EXPLICITLY BY DEMONSTRATING,
 EXPLAINING, MODELING AND IMPLEMENTING SPECIFIC COGNITIVE  STRATEGIES  TO
 HELP BEGINNING READERS DERIVE MEANING THROUGH INTENTIONAL, PROBLEM-SOLV-
 ING THINKING PROCESSES.
   2.  (A)  ONE  YEAR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE STATE
 LIBRARIAN SHALL PROVIDE GUIDANCE REGARDING EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES  FOR
 LITERACY  EDUCATION  FOR  PRE-K THROUGH GRADE TWELVE AND ADULTS TO EVERY
 FREE ASSOCIATION, PUBLIC AND HOSPITAL LIBRARY OR, WITH THE ADVICE OF THE
 APPROPRIATE TRIBAL GOVERNMENT AND  LIBRARY  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES,  INDIAN
 LIBRARY  WHICH  RECEIVES  ANY  PORTION OF THE MONEYS APPROPRIATED BY THE
 STATE TO AID SUCH LIBRARIES, OR WHICH IS SUPPORTED IN WHOLE OR  IN  PART
 BY TAX LEVIED BY ANY MUNICIPALITY OR DISTRICT.
   (B)  SUCH  GUIDANCE  SHALL  INCLUDE  BUT  NOT BE LIMITED TO CURRICULA,
 TEXTS, EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY, PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION, AND PUBLIC INFORMA-
 TIONAL MATERIALS.
   (C) SUCH GUIDANCE SHALL BE UPDATED EVERY TWO YEARS FROM THE DATE  WHEN
 SUCH GUIDANCE IS FIRST ISSUED.
   (D) LIBRARIES RECEIVING GUIDANCE PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION SHALL, EVERY
 EIGHTEEN  MONTHS  AFTER SUCH GUIDANCE IS ISSUED, PROVIDE A REPORT TO THE
 STATE LIBRARIAN ON EVIDENCE-BASED  PRACTICES  FOR  PRE-K  THROUGH  GRADE
 TWELVE AND ADULTS PROVIDED, IF ANY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CURRIC-
 ULA,  TEXTS,  EDUCATION  TECHNOLOGY,  PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION, AND PUBLIC
 INFORMATION MATERIALS. THIS REPORT SHALL BE IN A FORM AND MEET  CRITERIA
 SPECIFIED BY THE STATE LIBRARIAN.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.