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Description
Reading First is the name of the federal program outlined in Title
I, Part B of the No
Child Left Behind Act, the 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act. As of fall 2002, California has submitted
and received approval of the state plan for Reading First. The plan
includes subgrants to districts as well as funding for a state-level
Reading Development Center and regional Reading Implementation Centers,
as described below. AB
65 (Strom-Martin, 2002) formally establishes the Reading First
Plan and authorizes spending for it.
Subgrants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs)
Reading First subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs) are aimed
at improving reading of students in grades K–3, as well as
special education students in all grades. Subgrants to districts
can be spent to provide teachers with training that is specific
to their grade level and the instructional program that their school
has adopted and to purchase reading materials. K–3 teachers
and special education teachers with students in grades K–12
are eligible for training. To participate, K–8 schools must
be using state-adopted instructional materials in reading and in
the first year must train teachers through a reading Professional
Development Institute or an AB 466 state-approved training provider
and administrators through an AB 75 provider.
As part of Reading First, the Governor has convened
a Reading Leadership Team “to ensure an integrated approach
to improving K–3 reading instruction and raising K–3 reading
achievement statewide.” Reading First is to become the foundation
for the California Department of Education’s “statewide
infrastructure for improvement of early literacy.”
Reading Development Center and Reading Implementation
Centers (RICs)
In summer 2002, in conjunction with the Reading First plan, a Reading
Development Center was established at the state level, and seven
Reading Implementation Centers (RICs) were established at county
offices of education. The RICs, along with six additional “lead
agencies,” will receive Reading First funds to provide technical
assistance to LEAs as they implement and maintain their Reading
First efforts. All RICs are approved to be AB 466 trainers and will
be supported with AB 466 money as well as Reading First money.
Funding
Subgrants to LEAs
Districts will receive $6,500 per eligible teacher in each qualifying
school. According to California’s Reading First application,
this will support professional development costs (estimated at $1,000
for each teacher stipend and $1,500 per teacher in training costs),
purchase of assessment materials, purchase of reading materials
and other costs such as paying reading coaches.
Districts may spend these funds in the entire
district, beyond just the qualifying schools. California has $131.6
million to spend on Reading First in 2002–03 and a projected
$871 million over the next six years. In 2002–03, about $125
million will go to subgrants to eligible districts, beginning in
fall 2002. Given the typical cost of $2,500 per teacher, approximately
$48 million of Reading First funds might be spent on professional
development.
RICs
AB 65 allocates $5 million to the RICs and an additional $1.4 million
to the six regional lead agencies that also will provide technical
assistance to LEAs implementing Reading First.
Participation
For each district that receives a competitively based Reading First
subgrant, the state will fund half of its schools. Federal Reading
First legislation requires that funds go to schools with the highest
numbers or percentages of K–3 students reading below grade
level and that are identified as needing improvement and serving
children in poverty.
At $6,500 per teacher, the $125 million in 2002–03
LEA subgrants covers more than 19,000 teachers. However, because
districts may spend funds in a flexible way, more teachers are likely
to be impacted by the Reading First program funds.
Evaluation
The Reading First plan includes evaluation efforts at the local,
state and national levels. LEAs are required to do internal evaluations
including progress made on LEA-determined benchmarks. A state-contracted
evaluation of the program statewide will examine, among other things,
impacts on student test scores in reading. In addition, there will
be a national evaluation of the Reading First program.
Additional Resources
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