Reading clinic

(1) The Legislature recognizes the critical importance of identifying, assessing, and assisting students with reading difficulties at an early age in order for the students to have successful and productive school and life experiences. (2) To help accomplish this, there is established a reading clinic, hereafter referred to as the "clinic," based at the University of Utah, College of Education, to assist educators and parents of students statewide in: (a) assessing elementary school students who do not demonstrate satisfactory progress in reading; (b) providing instructional intervention to enable the students to overcome reading difficulties; and (c) becoming better prepared to help all students become successful readers by providing the students with professional development programs in reading that are based on best practices and the most current, scientific research available through nationally and internationally recognized reading researchers and instructional specialists. (3) (a) The clinic shall focus primarily on students in grades 1 through 3 since research shows the need for students to become successful readers by the end of grade 3. (b) The clinic shall make assessment and instructional intervention services available to public education students of all ages. (4) The clinic shall provide these services at a base site in Salt Lake County and through remote access interactive technology to reach educators, parents, and students throughout the state. (5) The clinic shall provide: (a) instruction to teachers in the use of technology and blended learning in providing individualized reading instruction and reading remediation; and (b) access to students for reading remediation and instruction services through distance learning technology if a student is unable to regularly access a reading clinic location. (6) The clinic shall integrate both the usage of and instruction on the use of technology-based reading assessment tools as part of the clinic's services.