54120-54124
EDUCATION CODE
SECTION 54120-54124
54120. The governing board of any school district maintaining elementary schools, in order to provide reading instruction under the provisions of this chapter, may appoint any elementary school teacher to a reading specialist position if the appointee has met the following minimum requirements: (a) Holds a Reading Specialist Credential issued pursuant to Section 44265 or a Miller-Unruh Reading Specialist Certificate. (b) Has completed three years as a successful teacher in any of grades 1 to 6, inclusive. (c) Is fully credentialed by the state to teach in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 6, inclusive. (d) Successfully completed the following college or university courses: (1) A basic course in the teaching of elementary school reading. (2) A basic course in the teaching of elementary school language. (3) A basic course in the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities. (4) A course in directed clinical practice in the remediation of reading disabilities. The course may be concurrent with the first year as a reading specialist. The requirements specified in subdivision (d) are not applicable to reading specialists with valid reading specialist credentials issued pursuant to Section 44265, or Miller-Unruh Reading Specialist Certificates issued prior to September 29, 1983. 54121. For purposes of issuing the Miller-Unruh Reading Specialist Certificate, the Commission for Teacher Preparation and Licensing shall designate a written examination to be administered to each person seeking the position of reading specialist. The examination shall be one designed to test the knowledge of the nominee concerning the various approaches and techniques of reading which have been determined by competent authority to be most effective in diagnostic and prescriptive instruction for meeting the individual needs of young pupils. The examination shall be administered on a statewide basis once each school year. For these purposes the commission may select an examination prepared by any competent public or private person, organization, or agency. 54122. Persons employed by school districts as reading specialists under this chapter shall be considered as classroom teachers for purposes of all laws dealing with permanent status of certificated employees employed by school districts. 54123. Reading specialists employed by a school district shall be relieved of all regular teaching and administrative responsibilities and shall devote their full time in the performance of the following prioritized responsibilities, which shall be directed toward insuring that pupils attain essential reading skills: (a) First priority shall be supplementing the reading instruction in kindergarten and grade 1, with an emphasis on the prevention of reading difficulties. (b) Second priority shall be providing supplementary, specialized diagnostic services and prescriptive instruction to small groups of pupils or to individual pupils in need of special reading instruction in the primary grades. (c) Final priority shall be providing corrective instruction to individuals and small groups of pupils in grades 4 through 6 after all primary needs are met. No Miller-Unruh specialist shall maintain a caseload in excess of 60 pupils at any one time, nor shall the daily caseload exceed 40 pupils receiving individual or small group instruction. Each specialist shall be responsible for providing leadership for the total school reading program, including providing in-service training, demonstrations, and serving as a reading resource specialist for the school. Adequate time shall be allotted in the specialist's schedule to allow the time needed for diagnostic and prescriptive planning, for staff development, and for self-improvement. 54124. The annual salary of a specialist teacher, employed as such by a school district for a school year, shall be increased by two hundred fifty dollars ($250) over that otherwise payable to him under his regular contract of employment with the district in which he is regularly employed. Such sum shall be paid by the school district in a lump sum payment to the specialist reading teacher, no later than June 30 of each fiscal year, and the warrant on which the payment is made shall clearly identify the purpose for which the payment is being made with words to the effect of: "Special Stipend for State Basic Reading Program" appearing on the face of the warrant. Partial lump-sum payments for specialist reading teachers employed for a portion of the school year shall be paid no later than 30 days after the specialist teacher leaves the employ of the district.