House Overwhelmingly Passes Comprehensive Reading Law
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today the Oklahoma House passed House Bill 4420 strengthening the Strong Reader’s Act and ensuring our students can read by the third grade. The legislation includes early identification of reading deficiencies through consistent, statewide screening; targeted intervention grounded in the science of reading; clear communication with parents about their child’s reading progress and available at-home supports; accountability measures to ensure students demonstrate reading ability before advancing to the next grade; giving 2nd graders the option of taking the state test; expanded teacher training and classroom support to improve instruction outcomes; new requirements and accountability for colleges of education preparing our state’s future teachers; a new funding formula that supports all students, while also giving additional funds to students who need more help and rewarding schools seeing growth; and creates a revolving fund to encourage public-private partnerships. “Our goal is to have the strongest reading bill in the country,” said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow and author of the bill. “This bill is not a partisan issue - we all want our kids to read by the third grade. This legislation balances accountability with support for teachers, schools and parents, all of whom play an important role in teaching a child to read. We are taking what we have seen states like Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana do - with similar state demographics - and building upon it to make our law even stronger and unique to our students’ needs.” The legislation has received overwhelming support, largely because the statistics around Oklahoma’s reading levels are alarming. In 2015, Oklahoma students performed near the national average in reading. Today, we trail peer states by more than a full grade level. Based on Spring 2025 testing, just 27 percent of Oklahoma third graders are reading at or above grade level. “Before third grade, students learn to read. After third grade, they read to learn. When that transition does not happen, the consequences compound quickly and follow students for life,” said Hilbert. “ We want to talk about career pathways and dream jobs for our students, but our children will be perpetually underemployed if they cannot read. Oklahoma has already taken important steps, and I am proud of the work our educators are doing. But we must be honest about where our current approach falls short and make immediate shifts to ensure more of our students are reading on grade level.” The bill passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 86-6 and now moves to the Senate for further consideration.