Reading First

Reading First is a federal program with the purpose of ensuring that all children in America learn to read well by the end of third grade. California's approved plan accomplishes this purpose by providing subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to implement fully the state-adopted reading program in kindergarten through grade three and to provide professional development in reading to kindergarten through grade twelve special education teachers.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants	Local educational agencies
Required Eligibility Criteria	LEAs serving kindergarten through grade three that have 1,000 or more, or 40 percent or more, of their second and third graders scoring in categories "below basic" and "far below basic" in reading on the California Standards Test, and meet one of the following criteria: 1) the LEA has jurisdiction over an area designated as an empowerment zone or an enterprise community; OR 2) the LEA has two or more Program Improvement schools under Title I, Part A, or 25 percent of its schools identified for Program Improvement under Title I, Part A; OR 3) the LEA has 2,000 or more students, or 60 percent of students counted for allocation of Title I, Part A, funding.
Other Eligibility Considerations	To be an eligible school within an eligible LEA, a school must have 40 percent or more of its second and third graders scoring in categories "below basic" and "far below basic" in reading on the California Standards Test, and be a Program Improvement school or have 50 percent or more of its students counted for allocation of Title I, Part A, funding.
Eligible Grade Level(s)	K, 1, 2, 3
Eligible Age Level(s)	Not applicable

Funding

Legal Authority	No Child Left Behind, Title I, Part B, Subpart 1
Source / Type	Federal / Grant
State Fiscal Year	2005-06
SACS Resource/ Revenue Codes	3030 / 8290
Total Available	$145,274,000
Recipient Amount	$6,500-$8,000 per K-3 teacher in participating schools
Match Requirement	No
Allocation Formula	Unavailable

Important Dates

Date Application Available	Unavailable
Due Date	Unavailable
Expected Notification Date	November 9, 2006

Additional Information

Application	Unavailable
Background	http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/rl/readfirst04.asp
Fiscal	Unavailable
Other	For fiscal questions about rounds three and four of funding, contact Juliana Morozumi; e-mail: jmorozumi@cde.ca.gov; tel. 916-323-5798.

Contacts

Program	Jeff Cohen Phone : 916-323-4629 E-mail : jcohen@cde.ca.gov
Fiscal	Jonathan Mortimer Phone : 916-323-4805 E-mail : jmortime@cde.ca.gov
Division	Professional Learning Support Division Phone : 916-323-6269 Fax : 916-323-2928