Reading First Program

Mississippi will receive an $11.1 million grant award, authorized under the Reading First program, to help districts and schools improve student achievement in reading through the application of scientifically based reading research. Reading First will help States, districts and schools apply this research -- and the proven instructional and assessment tools consistent with this research -- to ensure that all children can read at grade level or above by the end of third grade.

Mississippi will use about $8.8 million of the grant to make subgrant awards to approximately 40 schools in eligible districts. These subgrants will allow schools to implement research-based reading programs for students in kindergarten through third grade and to provide professional development to ensure that all teachers have the skills they need to teach these programs effectively. Additionally, the program will support the use of instructional assessments so that teachers can effectively screen and identify the reading barriers facing their students, as well as monitor their progress.

The Mississippi Department of Education will integrate Reading First with its statewide infrastructure for improvement of early literacy. The Governor, in consultation with the State Superintendent of Education, has convened a Reading Leadership Team to ensure a seamless, complementary approach to reading achievement throughout the State.

Mississippi plans to begin making subgrant awards in April 2003. As part of its professional development plan, the State will hold Mississippi Reading Academies for all K-3 educators and elementary administrators. These academies will focus on teaching strategies that support the five essential components of reading instruction and implementing instructional assessments. The State will closely monitor the progress of schools and districts participating in Reading First, and will conduct a longitudinal evaluation of its program.

Mississippi’s Reading First plan has been approved for a six-year period, subject to demonstration of progress and Congressional appropriations. Over the course of the grant, the State will receive approximately $72.6 million to ensure that all children learn to read well and that no child is left behind.

The National Right to Read Foundation
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Strasburg, VA 22657

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