# Presentation: 776268

## Early Reading First

**Early Reading First**

## The ultimate goal of

**The ultimate goal of**
***Early Reading First***** is to close the achievement gap by **_** **_
_**preventing**_** reading difficulties****.****  **

## Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive awards for up to six years to support local efforts to enhance the early language and pre-reading skills of preschool-age children through strategies and professional development based on scientific reading research. 

- <date/time>

- Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make competitive awards for up to six years to support local efforts to enhance the early language and pre-reading skills of preschool-age children through strategies and professional development based on scientific reading research.

- Title I, Part B, Subpart 2, NCLB

## Reading First

-   **States apply to ED**
**  ****States award **_**subgrants**_
**   ****to local applicants (state  **
**   ****competitions)**
**  ****$900 million ****(FY 2002)**
**  ****Grades K****–****3**

***Early Reading First***
-   **Local projects apply **
**    ****directly to ED**
**  ****ED awards grants **
**    ****to local applicants **
**    ****(national competition)**
**  ****$75 million ****(FY 2002)**
**  ****Preschool age**

## We know that:

**Literacy is a learned skill, not a biological awakening.**
**Children need coherent, intentional instruction in the preschool years.**
**Young children need to be challenged to the edge of their competencies.**
**Knowledge and content have an important role in developing language, cognition and early reading skills.**

## What Early Reading First is not:

**Academic trickle down**
**Teaching three-year-olds to read**
**Ignoring social-emotional development or health and safety. **
**De-emphasizing play**

## Children who are most at risk for school failure benefit the most from high-quality early learning experiences, yet they are the least likely to have access to programs providing these experiences.

**	**

*Insert picture here of print rich preschool classroom. *

## Title I 

**What is the relationship between *****Early Reading First***** and other federal programs for young children?**

- Title I
- Preschool

- Even
- Start

- Head
- Start

- Child
- Care

**Migrant**
**Preschool**

- Early Education
- for Children with Disabilities

- Early Reading First

## Purpose 1:  To enhance children’s language, cognitive and early reading skills through professional development for teachers.

-   Explicit, systematic, scaffolded instruction
-   Intentional teaching
-   Intellectually engaging
-    curriculum
-   Daily book reading
-   Progress monitoring

##  Oral language (vocabulary development, 	expressive language and listening   	comprehension)

Phonological awareness  (rhyming, 
        	blending and segmenting)

Print awareness

Alphabetic knowledge

-  Oral language (vocabulary development, 	expressive language and listening   	comprehension)
- Phonological awareness  (rhyming,
-         	blending and segmenting)
- Print awareness
- Alphabetic knowledge

-   **Large variety of age-appropriate books**
**  ****Alphabet  at children’s eye level**
**  ****Labels, signs and environmental print**
**  ****Displays of children’s drawings and writing**
**  ****Readily available writing tools**
**  ****Many opportunities for conversation**

## Purpose 4:  To use screening assessments to effectively identify preschool children who may be at risk for reading failure.

- Assessments are
- Brief
- Valid and reliable
- Easy to use and interpret
- Individually administered
- Used to identify children
-       at risk of later failure.
- Ongoing

- Assessments are not
-   Lengthy
-   Difficult to administer
-   Group administered
-   Used to track children
-   One time only

## Curriculum

- Parent
- Engagement

- Professional
- Development

- Instructional
- Materials

- Teaching
- Strategies

## Parent Engagement 

- Parent Engagement

- The quality of parent-child
- interactions and family
- environments is central to the acquisition of children’s language, cognitive and early reading development.

## Research in Early Reading

*Preventing Reading Difficulties*
- National Research Council
*Starting Out Right*
- National Research Council
*Learning to Read and Write*
- Neuman, Copple, and Bredekamp

## Appropriation -- $75 million

Approximate number of grants—175

Estimated range—$250,000-$1.5 mil

Project period—Not to exceed three yrs.

- Approximate number of grants—175
- Estimated range—$250,000-$1.5 mil
- Project period—Not to exceed three yrs.

## Eligible Applicants

**One or more LEAs eligible for *****Reading First*****.**
**One or more public or private organizations or agencies located in a community served by an LEA eligible for *****Reading First*****, applying on behalf of one or more early education programs.**
**One or more eligible LEAs collaborating with one or more eligible organizations or agencies.**

## Review Process

- Pre-application—concept paper
- Fully developed application (for invited applicants)
- Possible site visit
- Awards expected to be made in December 2002

## Estimated Timeline

**Pre-application due ****	****	****June 21, 2002**
**Invitation for full application ****	****July 29, 2002**
**Full application due ****	****	****September 15, 2002**
**Review of application ****	****	****October 2002**
**Site visits ****	****	****	****	****November 2002**
**Grants awarded ****	****	****	****December 2002**

## The secretary shall conduct an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of Early Reading First—

Interim report due to Congress, Oct. 1, 2004

Final report due to Congress, Sept. 30, 2006 

- Interim report due to Congress, Oct. 1, 2004
- Final report due to Congress, Sept. 30, 2006

- National Evaluation

## Early Reading First uses scientifically based reading research to

—Improve the quality of instruction
—Improve the curriculum and materials
—Improve the classroom environment

to create centers of excellence.

- —**Improve the quality of instruction**
- —**Improve the curriculum and materials**
- —**Improve the classroom environment**
- to create centers of excellence.