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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 1538 By: Pugh
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to driver licenses; requiring Service
7 Oklahoma to deny certain licenses to certain persons
8 who do not provide certain documentation; providing
8 for certain written statement by parent or legal
9 guardian; providing for certain written statement by
9 employer; requiring certain school officers to
10 provide certain documentation; requiring Service
10 Oklahoma to create certain documentation forms and
11 certificates; requiring persons under certain age to
11 demonstrate certain reading proficiency to apply for
12 certain license; establishing criteria to establish
12 certain reading proficiency; allowing for
13 verification for certain reading proficiency test
13 taken in another state; providing for codification;
14 and providing an effective date.
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17 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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18 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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19 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 6-107.8 of Title 47, unless
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20 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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21 A. Service Oklahoma shall deny a license, restricted license,
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22 or instruction permit for the operation of a motor vehicle to any
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23 person under eighteen (18) years of age who does not, at the time of
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24 application, present documentation:
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Req. No. 3191 Page 1
1 1. That such person:
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2 a. is a student enrolled in a public or private secondary
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3 school, including any technology center school, of
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4 this state or any other state,
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5 b. has received a diploma or certificate of completion
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6 from a secondary school of this state or any other
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7 state,
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8 c. is enrolled and making satisfactory progress in a
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9 program leading to a certificate of high school
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10 equivalency issued by the State Department of
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11 Education, or has obtained such certificate,
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12 d. is excused from such requirement pursuant to an excuse
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13 provided in Section 10-105 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma
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14 Statutes or due to circumstances beyond the control of
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15 such person, or
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16 e. is excused from such requirement pursuant to
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17 subsection C of this section; and
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18 2. That such person has successfully passed the criterion-
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19 referenced reading test required for all eighth-grade students or an
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20 alternative reading proficiency test approved by the State
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21 Department of Education, pursuant to the provisions of Section 2 of
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22 this act, demonstrating reading proficiency at the eighth-grade
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23 reading level, unless such student is excused from such requirement
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24 pursuant to the provisions of Section 2 of this act.
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Req. No. 3191 Page 2
1 When school is not in regular session, as established by the
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2 school district pursuant to Section 1-109 of Title 70 of the
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3 Oklahoma Statutes, a person under eighteen (18) years of age may
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4 satisfy the documentation requirement of this subsection by
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5 providing a notarized written statement from and signed by the legal
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6 custodial parent or legal guardian of such person to Service
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7 Oklahoma stating that such person completed the immediately previous
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8 school year and is enrolled or intends to enroll for the immediately
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9 subsequent school year.
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10 B. 1. A person under eighteen (18) years of age who is
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11 receiving education by other means, including education at home
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12 pursuant to Section 4 of Article XIII of the Oklahoma Constitution,
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13 shall satisfy the documentation requirement of paragraph 1 of
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14 subsection A of this section by providing a written statement from
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15 and signed by the legal custodial parent or legal guardian of such
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16 person to Service Oklahoma stating that such person is receiving
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17 instruction by other means pursuant to Section 4 of Article XIII of
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18 the Oklahoma Constitution.
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19 2. Any person who falsifies the information required in such
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20 documentation shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor.
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21 C. 1. A person under eighteen (18) years of age who does not
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22 meet the requirements of subparagraphs a through c of paragraph 1 of
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23 subsection A of this section or the requirements of subsection B of
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24 this section may retain or be issued a driver license if:
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Req. No. 3191 Page 3
1 a. the person is employed at least twenty-four (24) hours
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2 per week, and
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3 b. the employer of such person verifies the employment on
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4 a form prescribed by Service Oklahoma.
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5 2. Any person who has retained or been issued a driver license
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6 pursuant to this subsection who leaves such employment shall have
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7 fifteen (15) days from the date of termination of employment to
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8 provide verification of employment from a new employer.
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9 3. Any person who falsifies the information required in such
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10 documentation shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor.
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11 D. 1. School district attendance officers, upon request, shall
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12 provide a documentation of enrollment status form, established and
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13 approved by Service Oklahoma, to any person under eighteen (18)
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14 years of age who is properly enrolled in a school for which the
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15 attendance officer is responsible, for presentation to Service
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16 Oklahoma upon application for or reinstatement of an instruction
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17 permit, restricted license, or license to operate a motor vehicle.
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18 2. Except as provided in subsection E of this section, whenever
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19 a person over fourteen (14) years of age and under eighteen (18)
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20 years of age, who has a driver license or permit issued by Service
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21 Oklahoma, withdraws from school, the attendance officer shall notify
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22 Service Oklahoma of such withdrawal through a documentation of
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23 enrollment status form.
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1 3. Within fifteen (15) business days of the receipt of such
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2 notice, Service Oklahoma shall provide written notice to such person
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3 that his or her license will be canceled thirty (30) days following
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4 the date such notice to the person was sent, unless documentation of
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5 compliance with the provisions of this section is received by
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6 Service Oklahoma before such time has elapsed. If such person does
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7 not submit documentation demonstrating compliance with the
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8 provisions of this section, Service Oklahoma shall cancel the
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9 driving privileges of such person.
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10 E. When the withdrawal from school of a person under eighteen
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11 (18) years of age is:
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12 1. Due to circumstances beyond the control of such person;
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13 2. Pursuant to any lawful excuse; or
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14 3. For the purpose of transfer to another school, including
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15 education at home pursuant to Section 4 of Article XIII of the
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16 Oklahoma Constitution, as confirmed in writing by the legal
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17 custodial parent or legal guardian of such person,
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18 no notice, as required by subsection D of this section, shall be
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19 sent to Service Oklahoma or, if sent, such notice shall be
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20 disregarded by Service Oklahoma. If such person is applying for a
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21 license, restricted license, or instruction permit, the attendance
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22 officer shall provide the person with documentation to present to
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23 Service Oklahoma to excuse the person from the requirements of this
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24 section.
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1 F. Every school district shall, upon request, provide
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2 documentation of reading proficiency for any person under eighteen
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3 (18) years of age enrolled in such school district by certifying
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4 passage of a reading examination pursuant to the provisions of
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5 Section 2 of this act.
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6 G. The provisions of this section shall be inapplicable with
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7 respect to any person under eighteen (18) years of age upon whom
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8 rights of majority have been conferred pursuant to Sections 91
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9 through 94 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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10 H. Service Oklahoma shall establish and approve documentation
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11 forms and certificates required by this section for use by school
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12 districts to comply with the provisions of this section.
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13 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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14 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1210.518 of Title 70, unless
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15 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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16 A. Pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 2 of subsection A of
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17 Section 1 of this act, any person under eighteen (18) years of age
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18 wishing to apply for a driver license or permit shall successfully
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19 demonstrate a satisfactory reading ability at the eighth-grade
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20 reading level by meeting the following criteria:
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21 1. A student enrolled in a public school shall successfully
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22 complete the reading portion of the statewide assessment
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23 administered pursuant to Section 1210.508 of Title 70 of the
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24 Oklahoma Statutes and that is offered in the eighth grade.
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Req. No. 3191 Page 6
1 Following the administration of this assessment in the eighth grade,
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2 any student not successfully completing the reading portion shall be
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3 assigned a plan of remedial reading;
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4 2. Any student not successful in completing the reading portion
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5 of the state assessment may take a comparable alternative reading
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6 proficiency test, approved by the State Department of Education, in
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7 order to satisfy the criteria for a driver license or permit.
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8 Subsequent successful completion of an alternative reading
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9 proficiency test shall serve to satisfy any retake requirement for
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10 the reading portion of the state assessment in the eighth grade in
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11 the Oklahoma School Testing Program;
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12 3. School districts shall notify, in writing, each student who
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13 takes the reading portion of the state assessment for the eighth
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14 grade or who takes an alternative reading proficiency test and the
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15 student's legal custodial parent or legal guardian of the results.
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16 If the student fails to perform satisfactorily on the test, the
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17 notice shall inform the student of the reading proficiency driver
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18 license requirement and the school's remediation plan for the
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19 student. Upon the student's successful completion of the test, the
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20 school shall furnish the student with the documentation needed for
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21 the driver license application in this state; and
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22 4. Unless alternatively documented according to the provisions
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23 of subsection C of this section, students under eighteen (18) years
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1 of age shall successfully complete a reading proficiency test
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2 approved by the State Department of Education.
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3 B. Alternative reading proficiency tests shall be offered by
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4 testing sites, which shall include the public schools at least four
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5 times per calendar year, and may include any of the following that
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6 choose to participate:
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7 1. Technology center school districts;
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8 2. Regional education service centers;
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9 3. Colleges;
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10 4. Accredited private schools; and
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11 5. Other sites approved by the State Department of Education.
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12 A student may take the test as often as wished, subject to the
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13 provisions of this section. Testing sites shall provide the first
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14 alternative reading proficiency test for each student at no cost to
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15 the student. Students may be assessed a fee not to exceed Twenty-
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16 five Dollars ($25.00) by the testing site for each subsequent
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17 alternative reading proficiency test taken.
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18 C. A school district shall provide for alternative
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19 documentation of reading proficiency for the purposes of paragraph 2
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20 of subsection A of Section 1 of this act for any student with an
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21 individualized education program that, at a minimum, is in an area
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22 related to reading. The alternative documentation shall be
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23 furnished to such student who is performing satisfactorily in
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24 reading pursuant to the individualized education program of the
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Req. No. 3191 Page 8
1 student. Parents of disabled students educated pursuant to the
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2 provisions of Section 4 of Article XIII of the Oklahoma Constitution
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3 may satisfy the requirement of paragraph 2 of subsection A of
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4 Section 1 of this act by signing an affidavit that, based upon their
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5 best information and belief, if their child was enrolled in public
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6 school the child would qualify for an individualized education
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7 program in an area related to reading and that, in their judgment,
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8 their child is performing satisfactorily in reading and is therefore
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9 academically qualified to satisfy the requirement of paragraph 2 of
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10 subsection A of Section 1 of this act.
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11 D. Any person under eighteen (18) years of age who has
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12 previously successfully passed a reading proficiency test from
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13 another state may submit the results of such test to the State
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14 Department of Education for verification and approval. The State
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15 Department of Education shall have thirty (30) days from the receipt
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16 of such submitted results to verify that the reading proficiency
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17 requirements from the other state are equivalent or comparable to
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18 the reading proficiency requirements established for Oklahoma
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19 students pursuant to this section. Upon verification and approval
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20 by the State Department of Education, the Department shall furnish
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21 such person with the documentation needed for the driver license
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22 application in this state. If the reading proficiency documentation
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23 submitted by the person is disapproved by the Department, the person
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Req. No. 3191 Page 9
1 may take an alterative reading proficiency test as provided for in
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2 subsection B of this section.
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3 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
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Req. No. 3191 Page 10Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.