Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1295 revises Washington law governing early literacy instruction by adding new statutory sections, amending multiple RCWs, recodifying RCW 28A.320.202 to chapter 28A.230 RCW, and repealing several existing sections. It creates procedural and programmatic requirements rather than criminal penalties: school districts must provide a comprehensive K–4 reading and early literacy system, and beginning September 1, 2027, any updated or newly purchased K–4 literacy curriculum must include specified essential components (language comprehension; reading and writing fluency; orthographic knowledge including phonics and spelling; phonological/phonemic awareness; vocabulary; oral language development and proficiency) and meet criteria such as being diagnostic, multisensory/multimodal, evidence-aligned, culturally relevant, and consistent with revised teacher endorsement standards. The bill requires the Washington professional educator standards board to ensure literacy-related teacher endorsement standards include those essential components and to have board-approved teacher preparation programs incorporate the revised standards into their instructional content within two academic years after the revised standards are adopted; the board must also convene advisory groups to develop and share curricula and open educational resources. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) must develop and post an educator literacy training program and a dyslexia handbook, provide technical assistance in partnership with educational service districts (ESDs), and collaborate with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families and ESDs on benchmarks and the state comprehensive literacy plan. The bill also amends screening and intervention procedures: beginning in the 2021–22 school year districts must screen students in kindergarten through grade two for indicators or weaknesses associated with dyslexia, use a multitiered system of supports with evidence-based multisensory structured literacy interventions, begin supports in general education when possible, notify parents (including providing the dyslexia handbook), and recommend evaluation when indicated; districts may use state funds under chapter 28A.165 RCW for these requirements. The statute is made applicable to charter schools and state-tribal education compact schools, and ESDs must report participation in the OSPI training program to OSPI by October 1, 2030, and every even-numbered October 1 thereafter, with OSPI reporting to the legislative education committees by December 1, 2030, and every even-numbered December 1 thereafter. Some enactment details and the full text of several amended or recodified sections are not included in the extracted facts provided, so the exact language of certain amendments and the complete recodified text of RCW 28A.320.202 are unclear from these materials.

If enacted, schools will have to keep screening young children for early signs of reading difficulties and provide multitiered, evidence-based interventions in K–2 and adopt K–4 literacy curriculum updates purchased after September 1, 2027 that include specified decoding, language, and fluency components. OSPI must develop and post a statewide educator literacy training program and a dyslexia handbook, offer technical assistance with ESDs, and ESDs must report training participation to OSPI (with OSPI reporting to the Legislature), while teacher standards and teacher preparation programs will be revised so educators are trained to deliver these literacy approaches. The groups most affected are school districts, teachers, teacher preparation programs, ESDs, OSPI, charter and state‑tribal schools, and parents. Districts will face new responsibilities to change curricula, run screenings and interventions, notify families, and train staff—actions that can create added costs for curriculum purchases, professional development, and intervention delivery but for which districts may use existing state funds under chapter 28A.165 RCW. Teacher preparation programs will need to update coursework within two academic years after revised standards are adopted. Important details about precise recodified language, funding levels, and some amended sections are not included in the extracted text, so the scope of fiscal impact and enforcement is uncertain.