A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Reading Excellence Act Grant Program Application

10. Program Narrative

Introduction

The Reading Excellence Program provides financial incentives to improve children's ability to read. Grants will be awarded to support programs designed to:

  1. Provide children with the readiness skills and support they need in early childhood to learn to read once they enter school;

  2. Teach every child to read by the end of the third grade;

  3. Improve the instructional practices of teachers and as appropriate, other instructional staff in elementary schools;

  4. Expand the number of high quality family literacy programs; and

  5. Provide additional support for students having difficulty making the transition from kindergarten to grade 1, particularly students experiencing difficulty with reading skills.

Funds will be provided to support programs that include activities grounded upon scientifically based reading research. The term scientifically based reading research means the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge relevant to reading development, reading instruction, and reading difficulties. The term includes research that employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment; involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn; relies on measurements or observational methods that provide valid data across evaluators and observers and across multiple measurements and observations; and has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review.

The Department will award funds under section 2253, Reading and Literacy Grants to State Educational Agencies. In fiscal year 1999, Congress appropriated $241.1 million for state grants under this program. Grants shall be awarded competitively to states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and no state may receive more than one award. The Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands may also apply.

State educational agencies receiving grants must award subgrants to local educational agencies under sections 2255 (Local Reading Improvement Subgrants) and 2256 (Tutorial Assistance Subgrants).

Each SEA receiving a grant may use up to 5 percent of the funds for administrative costs (excluding those associated with Section 2256), of which no more than 2 percent may be used to carry out the evaluation and reporting requirements of Section 2259. SEAs may use up to 15 percent of the funds made available under the grant to solicit applications for, award, and oversee the performance of the Section 2256 Tutorial Assistance Subgrant(s).

The requirements for awarding grants under sections 2255 and 2256 are as follows:

Section 2255: Local Reading Improvement Subgrants

The purpose of section 2255 is to provide support to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the selection and implementation of one or more programs of reading instruction. Such programs must have been developed using scientifically-based reading research.

A state educational agency that receives a grant under Section 2253 shall make subgrants, on a competitive basis, to LEAs that either:

  1. Have at least one school that is identified for school improvement under section 1116(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in the geographic area served by the agency;

  2. Have the largest or second largest, number of children who are counted under section 1124(c) (basic grants to local educational agencies) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, in comparison to all other local educational agencies in the State; or

  3. Have the highest or second highest school-age child poverty rate, in comparison to all other local educational agencies in the state.

Each subgrant must be large enough to enable the subgrant recipient to operate a program for a 2-year period and may not be revoked or terminated on the grounds that a school ceases, during the grant period, to meet requirements A, B, or C above.

An SEA must award subgrants to eligible LEAs on a competitive basis. In order to best address the intent of the legislation, i.e., to improve students? ability to read through the use of scientifically based programs, an SEA should develop selection criteria that distinguish among applicants based upon the extent to which they will select and implement high quality reading programs based upon scientifically based reading research. Applications from LEAs must meet all requirements of Section 2255(b) of the Act. The application must:

  1. Describe how the LEA will work with schools to select and implement reading instruction programs developed using scientifically based reading research to improve reading instruction by all academic teachers for all children in each of the schools selected by the agency and, where appropriate, for their parents.

  2. Include an assurance that the LEA will (1) carry out professional development for the classroom teachers and other instructional staff on the teaching of reading based on scientifically based reading research; (2) provide family literacy services based on programs such as the Even Start family literacy model (authorized under part B of Title I), to enable parents to be their child?s first and most important teacher; (3) carry out programs to assist those kindergarten students who are not ready for the transition to first grade, particularly students experiencing difficulty with reading skills; and (4) use supervised individuals (including tutors), who have been appropriately trained using scientifically based reading research, to provide additional support, before school, after school, on weekends, during non-instructional periods of the school day, or during the summer, for children preparing to enter kindergarten and students in kindergarten through grade 3 who are experiencing difficulty reading.

  3. Describe how applicants will ensure that funds received through this grant and funds available for reading instruction for kindergarten through grade 6 from other appropriate sources are effectively coordinated, and, where appropriate, integrated, in order to improve existing activities in the areas of reading instruction, professional development, program improvement, parental involvement, technical assistance, and other activities that can help meet the purposes of this part.

  4. Describe, if appropriate, how parents, tutors, and early childhood education providers will be assisted by, and participate in, literacy-related activities receiving financial assistance under this part to enhance children?s reading fluency.

  5. Describe how the local educational agency provides instruction in reading to children with reading difficulties who are at risk of being referred to special education based on these difficulties. The LEA shall describe how services will be provided to children who have been evaluated under section 614 of the Individuals with Disabilities Act but, in accordance with section 614(b)(5) of such Act, have not been identified as being a child with a disability (as defined in section 602 of such Act, have not been identified as being a child with a disability (as defined in section 602 of such Act). Applications must also include a description of how the LEA will promote reading and library programs that provide access to engaging reading material.

  6. Applications also must include an assurance that the LEA will make available to parents information regarding the professional qualifications of classroom teachers to provide instruction in reading.

    7. Funds must be used for activities specified in Section 2255(d)(1). These activities include securing technical and other assistance, providing professional development activities to teachers and other instructional staff (including training of tutors); promoting reading and library programs that provide access to engaging reading material; providing voluntary training to parents on how to help their children with school work, carrying out family literacy services based on programs such as the Even Start family literacy model; providing instruction for parents and others who volunteer to be reading tutors; programs to assist those kindergarten students who are not ready for the transition to first grade; providing additional support for children preparing to enter kindergarten and students in kindergarten through grade 3 who are experiencing difficulty reading; providing instruction in reading to children with reading difficulties who are at risk of being referred to special education based on these difficulties; and providing coordination of reading, library, and literacy programs within the local educational agency to avoid duplication and increase the effectiveness of reading, library, and literacy activities.

Section 2256: Tutorial Assistance Subgrants

The purpose of the Section 2256 Tutorial Assistance Subgrants is to provide tutorial assistance in reading, using instructional practices based on scientifically based reading research. Tutoring programs can be before school, after school, on weekends, or during the summer. Services are provided to children who have difficulty reading. Instructional practices must be based on scientifically based reading research.

Each SEA receiving a subgrant under Section 2253 must make at least one subgrant under Section 2256. The subgrant(s) must be awarded to on a competitive basis to:

  1. Local educational agencies that have at least one school in the geographic area served by the agency that is located in an area designated as an empowerment zone under part I of sub-chapter U of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or is located in an area designated as an enterprise community under the same part;

  2. Local educational agencies that have at least one school that is identified for school improvement under section 1116(c) of ESEA in the geographic area served by the agency;

  3. Local educational agencies with the largest or second largest number of children who are counted under section 1124(c) of ESEA, in comparison to all other local educational agencies in the State; or

  4. Local educational agencies with the highest or second highest school-age child poverty rate in comparison to all other local educational agencies in the State.

SEAs must award subgrants competitively, and SEAs should develop application procedures that allow them to distinguish among applicants based on the likelihood that proposed activities will improve students? reading ability. Subgrantees must develop criteria for selecting and implementing programs as described in Section 2256 of the Act. If no local educational agency within the State submits an application to receive a subgrant under this section within the 6 month period beginning on the date the SEA notified the local educational agencies that subgrants were available, the SEA may use the funds reserved for Local Reading Improvement subgrants after fulfilling the following condition. To do so, the SEA must certify to the Secretary that:

  1. No Tutorial Assistance Subgrant (TAS) applications were received,

  2. The eligible LEAs properly provided public notice,

  3. The LEAs satisfactorily demonstrated that no qualified research based provider within their jurisdiction asked them to submit an application.

If no eligible LEA submits an application for a TAS and the SEA cannot make the above certifications, the SEA cannot use the reserved TAS funding for Local Reading Improvement grants (LRIs).

Instructions

A State educational agency that desires to receive a grant under this part shall submit an application to the Secretary by May 3, 1999. The application shall contain the following components:

  1. An assurance that the Governor of the State, in consultation with the State educational agency, has established a reading and literacy partnership described in subsection (d) of the Reading Excellence Act. The assurance must include:

    1. a description of how the reading and literacy partnership assisted in the development of the State plan;

    2. will be involved in advising on the selection of local reading improvement subgrantees under section 2255 and tutorial assistance subgrants under section 2256; and

    3. will assist in the oversight and evaluation of such subgrantees.

  2. A description of the following:

    1. How the SEA will ensure that professional development activities related to reading instruction and provided under this part are coordinated with other State and local level funds and used effectively to improve instructional practices for reading and based on scientifically based reading research;

    2. How the activities assisted under this part will address the needs of teachers and other instructional staff, and will effectively teach students to read, in schools receiving assistance under section 2255 and 2256;

    3. The extent to which the activities will prepare teachers in all the major components of reading instruction (including phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension);

    4. How the SEA will use technology to enhance reading and literacy professional development activities for teachers, as appropriate;

    5. How parents can participate in literacy-related activities assisted under this part to enhance their children?s reading;

    6. How subgrants made by the SEA under sections 2255 and 2256 will meet the requirements of this part, including how the SEA will ensure that subgrantees will use practices based on scientifically based reading research;

    7. How the SEA will, to the extent practicable, make grants to subgrantees in both rural and urban areas;

    8. The process that the state used to establish the reading and literacy partnership described in subsection d.

  3. An assurance that each local educational agency to which the SEA makes a subgrant:

    1. will provide professional development for the classroom teachers and other appropriate instructional staff on the teaching of reading based on scientifically based reading research;

    2. will provide family literacy services based on programs such as the Even Start family literacy model authorized under part B of title I, to enable parents to be their child?s first and most important teacher;

    3. will carry out programs to assist those kindergarten students who are not ready for the transition to first grade, particularly students experiencing difficulty with reading skills; and

    4. will use supervised individuals (including tutors), who have been appropriately trained using scientifically based reading research, to provide additional support, before school, after school, on weekends, during noninstructional periods of the school day, or during the summer, for children preparing to enter kindergarten and students in kindergarten through grade 3 who are experiencing difficulty reading.

  4. An assurance that instruction in reading will be provided to children with reading difficulties who:

    1. are at risk of being referred to special education based on these difficulties; or

    2. have been evaluated under section 614 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act but, in accordance with section 614(b)(5) of such Act, have not been identified as being a child with a disability (as defined in section 602 of the such Act).

  5. A description of how the State educational agency:

    1. will build on, and promote coordination among, literacy programs in the state (including federally funded programs such as the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), in order to increase the effectiveness of the programs in improving reading for adults and children and to avoid duplication of the efforts of the programs;

    2. will promote reading and library programs that provide access to engaging reading material;

    3. will make local educational agencies described in sections 2255(a)(1) and 2256(a)(1) aware of the availability of subgrants under sections 2255 and 2256; and

    4. will assess and evaluate, on a regular basis, local educational agency activities assisted under this part, with respect to whether they have been effective in achieving the purposes of this part.

  6. A description of the evaluation instrument the SEA will use for purposes of the assessments and evaluations under subparagraph (E)(iv).

States must include in their application (1) a copy of their proposed local educational agency subgrant application and (2) a description of the proposed review process, including review criteria. The federal review panel will need sufficient information about how states plan to select applicants to allow them to ensure that the purposes of the REA will be met ? e.g., that states have implemented procedures to ensure that successful LEAs will implement high quality programs. Information on required elements of the LEA subgrant applications are contained in Section 2255(b).

The Department will award funds for this program under Section 2253 of the Reading Excellence Act. Congress appropriated $241,100,000 for grants under Section 2253 in FY 1999.

Applications may be submitted electronically, by mail or hand delivered. The preferred method is by electronic transfer. All applications must be received by the closing date.

Selection Criteria

Under 34 CFR 75.210, the Secretary has chosen the following criteria to evaluate an application . The maximum possible score for each criterion in indicated in parentheses with the criterion. The secretary awards up to 100 points for all criteria.

  1. Significance (10 points)

    2. The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the extent to which the proposed project is likely to build local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the needs of the target population.

  2. Quality of project design (30 points)

    3. The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

    1. The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community, State, and Federal resources.

    2. The extent to which the proposed project design reflects up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.

    3. The extent to which the proposed project is based upon a specific research design and the quality and appropriateness of that design, including scientific rigor of the studies involved.

    4. The extent to which the proposed project is part of a comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support rigorous academic standards for students.

    5. The extent to which the proposed project encourages parental involvement.

  3. Quality of project service (35 points)

    The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project.

    In determining the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based in race, color, national origin, gender, age or disability.

    In addition, the Secretary considers one or more of the following factors:

    1. The extent to which the training or professional development services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice among the recipients of those services.

    2. The extent to which the technical assistance services to be provided by the proposed project involve the use of technology, as appropriate, and the leveraging of non-project resources,

    3. The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.

    4. The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed project are appropriate to the needs of the intended recipients or beneficiaries of those services.

    5. The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed project are appropriate to the needs of the intended recipients or beneficiaries of those services.

  4. Adequacy of resources (10 points)

    The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources for the proposed project. In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the number of persons to be served and to the anticipated results and benefits.

  5. Quality of the management plan (5 points)

    The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan personnel who will carry out the proposed project. In determining the quality of the management plan, the Secretary considers how the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate

  6. Quality of project evaluation (10 points)

    The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the evaluation plan, the Secretary considers the following factors:

    1. The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to the extent possible.

    2. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes.

Competitive Priority

Section 2253(c)(2)(c) of the Reading Excellence Act requires that priority shall be given to applications from SEAs whose states have modified, are modifying, or provide an assurance that not later than 18 months after receiving a grant under this section that the State educational agency will increase the training and the methods of teaching reading required for certification as an elementary school teacher to reflect scientifically based reading research, except nothing in the Act shall be construed to establish a national system of teacher certification.

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(iv) and (c)(2), the Secretary gives preference to applications that meet competitive priorities. Depending on how well an applicant meets the priority, the Secretary awards additional points to the application for each priority up to the maximum number of points available for that priority. The Secretary will award ten (10) additional points for applicants that meet the REA priority.


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