G.S. 115C-83.2 — Read to Achieve

Plain English summary

This law sets out the core goals of North Carolina's Read to Achieve program: find reading difficulties early, provide the right help to students who struggle, keep parents informed about their child's progress, and make sure students can read proficiently before moving to the next grade. Starting with the 2022-2023 school year, the language was updated to refer to 'literacy interventions' instead of 'instructional and support services.' Grade promotion is tied, in part, to reading proficiency.

Key requirements

• Early identification of reading development difficulties — G.S. 115C-83.2(a)
• Provision of appropriate literacy interventions to address and remediate reading deficiencies (effective 2022-2023 school year) — G.S. 115C-83.2(a)
• Continuous notification to each student and parent or guardian of the student's academic needs and progress — G.S. 115C-83.2(a)
• Grade progression must be based, in part, on reading proficiency — G.S. 115C-83.2(b)

Affected parties

• Local education agencies (must comply with early identification, intervention, and parent notification requirements)
• Classroom teachers (responsible for implementing literacy interventions and communicating progress)
• K-3 students (primary beneficiaries of early identification and intervention)
• Parents and guardians (entitled to continuous notification of their child's academic needs and progress)

Advocacy note

The grade-progression requirement in G.S. 115C-83.2(b) establishes that moving from one grade to the next must be based 'in part upon proficiency in reading,' meaning reading proficiency is a legally stated factor in promotion decisions — a powerful lever parents can reference when advocating for adequate literacy support before a retention decision is made.

Official source

https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_115C/GS_115C-83.2.pdf