Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists 2022-27
Provides funds to develop literacy programs, employ and train literacy coaches and reading specialists, and develop and implement interventions for students needing targeted literacy support. Assembly Bill 181, Section 137 (Chapter 52, Statutes of 2022)
and Senate Bill 114, Section 104 (Chapter 48, 2023)
authorizes the Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists (LCRS) program. For 2022–23, the sum of $250 million was appropriated from the General Fund to the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) for the LCRS Grant Program. Of the total funding, the SSPI allocated $225 million to eligible school sites to develop school literacy programs, employ and train literacy coaches and reading and literacy specialists, and develop and implement interventions for students in need of targeted literacy support. Of the funds appropriated, $25 million is available for the LCRS Educator Training (LCRSET) grant. The SSPI, in collaboration with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (Commission), and subject to the approval of the executive director of the State Board of Education (SBE), selected a county office of education (COE), through a competitive process, to develop and provide training for educators to become literacy coaches and reading and literacy specialists.
For the 2023–24 funding, Senate Bill 114, Section 104 (Chapter 48, 2023)
, an additional sum of $250 million was appropriated from the General Fund to the SSPI to augment the LCRS program. Of the total funding, the SSPI allocated $248 million to eligible school sites for the same purposes as the first allocation. Additionally, of the funds appropriated, $2 million is available to the COE chosen to support sites receiving LCRS funds to provide additional training and to contract with an independent evaluator.
2022–23 Funding
Funds are allocated based on an eligible site's enrollment in kindergarten or any of grades one to three, inclusive, so that no local educational agency (LEA) shall receive less than $450,000 per eligible school site. Grant amounts will be determined using 2021–22 school enrollment data determined as of the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Fall 1 Certification.
Funds may be expended during the 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26, and 2026–27 fiscal years. An annual report will be required every year. An interim report will be due on or before June 30, 2024, and a final report will be due on or before June 30, 2027. Any funds not encumbered by June 30, 2027, must be returned to the California Department of Education (CDE).
2023–24 Funding
Funds are allocated based on an eligible site's enrollment in kindergarten or any of grades one to three, inclusive, so that no LEA shall receive less than $450,000 per eligible school site. Grant amounts will be determined using 2022–23 school enrollment data determined as of the CALPADS Fall 1 Certification.
Funds may be expended during the 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27, and 2027–28 fiscal years. An annual report will be required every year. An interim report will be due on or before June 30, 2025, and a final report will be due on or before June 30, 2028. Any funds not encumbered by June 30, 2028, must be returned to the CDE.
Allowable Uses of Funds
LCRS Funds may be used to:
- Develop school literacy programs
- Employ and train literacy coaches and reading and literacy specialists
- Develop and implement interventions for students in need of targeted literacy support
Expenditures for school literacy programs may include:
- Developing a school literacy plan that includes goals and actions to improve literacy acquisition for pupils in preschool, if applicable, and kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 3, inclusive. The plan shall identify metrics to measure progress toward the goals and actions.
- Hiring at least one literacy coach or reading and literacy specialist per school to support educators and pupils in improving literacy instruction and pupil outcomes. To "employ" means that a local educational agency (LEA), to the extent feasible, will hire a new literacy coach, reading specialist, or both; train existing staff to become a literacy coach; or support existing staff in obtaining a reading specialist credential or authorization. Funds shall not be used to support the salaries of existing literacy coaches and reading specialists.
- Increasing access to evidence-based literacy instruction, through strategies, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
- Providing bilingual reading specialists to support dual language acquisition and English language development programs.
- Developing and implementing culturally responsive curriculum and instruction.
- Providing professional development for educators and school leaders in literacy instruction and the use of data to identify and support struggling pupils.
- Providing professional development for educators and school leaders regarding implementation of English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework and the use of data to support effective instruction.
- Establishing an evidence-based family literacy initiative, which may include but is not limited to, the following:
- Family literacy plans that identify literacy and biliteracy goals, benchmarks, and roles for all family members.
- Family literacy home visiting programs, including, but not limited to, “promotora” family literacy outreach specialists. LEAs may establish literacy and biliteracy home visits to engage families in how to best support their pupils and every family member in reaching their literacy goals.
- Extended-day, summer, or weekend family institutes related to literacy and biliteracy. LEAs are encouraged to work with in-house expanded learning programs to establish literacy and biliteracy support programs and literacy enrichment programs during after school, weekend, and summer hours.
- Public library family literacy partnerships, including, but not limited to, digital tools to support whole family literacy.
2022–23 Allocations and Apportionments
LCRS Funding Profile - Program Description and Funding
LCRS Funding Results - Entitlements, Apportionments, and Letters
2023–24 Allocations and Apportionments
LCRS Funding Profile - Program Description and Funding
LCRS Funding Results - Entitlements, Apportionments, and Letters
Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Educator Training Competitive Grant
The CDE, in consultation with the Commission and subject to the approval of the executive director of the SBE, hosted a competitive grant to award the sum of $25 million for the LCRSET grant to a COE, or consortium of COEs, with demonstrated success in improving literacy, especially among underperforming pupil subgroups. Additionally, priority was given to those COEs that are partnering with institutions of higher education (IHEs) with demonstrated success in providing statewide professional development for expert literacy practice. The goals of this grant are to develop and provide training for educators to become literacy coaches and reading and literacy specialists, provide support for the LEAs that receive the 2022–23 and 2023–24 allocation, and to provide support in meeting the SSPI’s goal of all California students reading by third grade by 2026.
Additionally, of the 2023–24 funds appropriated, $2 million is available to the COE chosen to support sites receiving LCRS funds to provide additional training and to contract with an independent evaluator.
Professional learning opportunities under this grant may include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
- Developing and implementing school literacy plans, including identifying metrics to measure progress toward goals and actions.
- Developing the knowledge and skills necessary, including literacy knowledge and leadership skills, to become literacy coaches.
- Attaining the required specialist credential and/or added authorization to become a reading specialist; attain, if qualified, their bilingual authorization; and participate in professional learning aligned to the Commission’s literacy standards and Teaching Performance Expectations.
- Developing knowledge and skills in literacy instruction, including implementation of the ELA/ELD Framework, the development and implementation of culturally responsive curriculum and instruction, and the use of data to identify and support effective instruction and struggling students and diverse learners, including early learners, English Learner (EL) students, pupils with disabilities, and pupils with dyslexia.
- Developing knowledge and skills for appropriate identification and use of screening instruments, assessment strategies, and evidence-based literacy instruction, including biliteracy instruction, for diverse learners.
- Implementing intensive intervention strategies for pupils struggling with literacy, including tutoring and small group strategies, and strategies for target pupil groups based on data.
- Developing and implementing family literacy plans that identify literacy and biliteracy goals, benchmarks, activities, and roles for all family members, as well as promote the availability of the State Seal of Biliteracy
Grant Supports Information
The CDE awarded the LCRSET grant to the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE). SCOE has partnered with the Napa COE as a co-lead, as well as the following counties as regional hubs for this project: Butte, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Monterey, Riverside, and Santa Clara. Each county will act as a regional hub to support LCRS sites over the course of the grant.
The CDE encourages all LCRS sites to work with the LCRSET counties over the course of the grant. They will support LCRS sites in improving literacy outcomes for their students, providing educators and administrators spaces to learn within a collaborative community, advocating for LCRS sites’ needs, and building capacity within LCRS LEAs. The LCRSET grant leads will provide LCRS sites with free access to literacy expertise and high-quality professional learning resources, including a facilitated, step-by-step process for literacy plan development and implementation. Professional learning will be offered to educators who desire to take on a literacy coach role. Additional incentives also include opportunities to earn a specialist credential or added authorization to support the development of reading specialists.
LCRS sites interested in receiving these supports over the course of the grant should contact their regional hub lead. The districts served under each hub are as follows:
| Regional Hub | LEAs Served | Contact Information |
|---|---|---|
Butte |
Butte County Office of Education, Corning Union Elementary, Evergreen Union, Forks of Salmon Elementary, Gateway Unified, Golden Feather Union Elementary, Happy Valley Union Elementary, Hornbrook Elementary, Klamath River Union Elementary, Palermo Union Elementary, Paradise Unified, Penn Valley Union Elementary, Pioneer Union Elementary, Plumas County Office of Education, Redding Elementary, Seiad Elementary |
Minden King: mking@bcoe.org Jeanette Spencer: jspencer@bcoe.org Nick Wilson: nwilson@bcoe.org |
Glenn |
Colusa Unified, Glenn County Office of Education, Green Point Elementary, Humboldt County Office of Education, Live Oak Unified, Orick Elementary, Round Valley Unified, Southern Humboldt Joint Unified, Trinity Center Elementary, Ukiah Unified, Williams Unified, Yuba City Unified |
Emily Green: egreen@glenncoe.org Kendra Tyler: ktyler@glenncoe.org |
Imperial |
Anaheim Elementary, Brawley Elementary, Cajon Valley Union, Calexico Unified, Calipatria Unified, Capistrano Unified, Centralia Elementary, El Centro Elementary, Escondido Union, Fullerton Elementary, Garden Grove Unified, Newport-Mesa Unified, Ocean View, Oceanside Unified, Orange County Department of Education, Orange Unified, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego Unified, Santa Ana Unified, Tustin Unified, Valley Center-Pauma Unified, Vista Unified, Warner Unified, Westminster, Westmorland Union Elementary |
Robin Bates: rbates@icoe.org Jeanette Montano: jmontano@icoe.org |
Kern |
Arvin Union, Bakersfield City, Beardsley Elementary, Buttonwillow Union Elementary, Delano Union Elementary, Di Giorgio Elementary, Fairfax Elementary, Greenfield Union, Hueneme Elementary, Kern County Office of Education, Lost Hills Union Elementary, Maricopa Unified, Oxnard, Pond Union Elementary, Santa Paula Unified, Southern Kern Unified, Taft City, Ventura County, Ventura County Office of Education, Vineland Elementary, Wasco Union Elementary |
Anna Vargas: anvargas@kern.org Ryan Murry: rymurry@kern.org |
Kings |
Allensworth Elementary, Alta Vista Elementary, Armona Union Elementary, Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified, Earlimart Elementary, Farmersville Unified, Fresno Unified, Hanford Elementary, Hot Springs Elementary, Lakeside Union Elementary, Pixley Union Elementary, Porterville Unified, Reef-Sunset Unified, Richgrove Elementary, Stone Corral Elementary, Strathmore Union Elementary, Terra Bella Union Elementary, Tipton Elementary, Tulare City, Woodlake Unified, Woodville Union Elementary |
Joy Santos: joy.santos@kingscoe.org Elizabeth Norris: elizabeth.norris@kingscoe.org Rebecca Garnica: rebecca.garnica@kingscoe.org |
Los Angeles |
ABC Unified, Baldwin Park Unified, Bassett Unified, Compton Unified, Eastside Union Elementary, El Monte City, Hacienda La Puente Unified, Inglewood Unified, Lancaster Elementary, Lennox, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Los Angeles Unified, Lynwood Unified, Mountain View Elementary, Palmdale Elementary, Paramount Unified, Pasadena Unified, Pomona Unified, Rowland Unified, Wilsona Elementary |
Leslie Zoroya: Zoroya_Leslie@lacoe.edu Mara Smith: Smith_Mara@lacoe.edu |
Merced |
Central Unified, Coalinga-Huron Unified, Delhi Unified, El Nido Elementary, Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified, Fowler Unified, Golden Plains Unified, Golden Valley Unified, Kings Canyon Joint Unified, Madera Unified, Mariposa County Unified, Mendota Unified, Merced City Elementary, Parlier Unified, Planada Elementary, Raisin City Elementary, Sanger Unified, Selma Unified, Washington Unified, West Park Elementary, Westside Elementary, |
Debra Boggs: DBoggs@mcoe.org |
Monterey |
Alisal Union, Chualar Union, Jefferson Elementary, King City Union, Pajaro Valley Unified, Salinas City Elementary, San Ardo Union Elementary, San Lucas Union Elementary, San Luis Obispo County Office of Education, Santa Maria-Bonita, Santa Rita Union Elementary, Soledad Unified |
Caryn Lewis: clewis@montereycoe.org Rosa Hernandez: rohernandez@montereycoe.org |
Napa |
Contra Costa County Office of Education, Fort Ross Elementary, Kashia Elementary, Konocti Unified, Laguna Joint Elementary, Lake County Office of Education, Lakeport Unified, Napa Valley Unified, Pope Valley Union Elementary, Roseland, San Rafael City Elementary, Vallejo City Unified, West Contra Costa Unified |
Lucy Edwards: ledwards@napacoe.org Cara Kopecky: ckopecky@napacoe.org Chrissy Cotton: ccotten@napacoe.org Giselle Blong: gblong@napacoe.org |
Riverside |
Alvord Unified, Coachella Valley Unified, Colton Joint Unified, Corona-Norco Unified, Desert Sands Unified, Fontana Unified, Hemet Unified, Jurupa Unified, Lake Elsinore Unified, Moreno Valley Unified, Ontario-Montclair, Oro Grande, Palm Springs Unified, San Bernardino City Unified, San Jacinto Unified, Val Verde Unified, Victor Elementary |
Molly McCabe: mmccabe@rcoe.us Dr. Princess Solomon: psolomon@rcoe.us Felicia Cruz-Delgado, Ed.D.: fcruz-delgado@rcoe.us Victor Portillo: vportillo@rcoe.us |
Sacramento |
Lodi Unified, New Jerusalem Elementary (Astronaut Jose Hernandez), River Delta Joint Unified, Sacramento City Unified, San Joaquin County Office of Education, San Juan Unified, Stockton Unified, Twin Rivers Unified, Washington Unified |
Becky Sullivan: bsullivan@scoe.net Tami Wilson: twilson@scoe.net Kou Vang: kouvang@scoe.net Alison Rice: amckeemanrice@scoe.net Deirdre Marsh Girardi: dmarshgirardi@scoe.net |
Santa Clara |
Alameda County Office of Education, Alum Rock Union Elementary, East Side Union High, Oakland Unified, Palo Alto Unified, Ravenswood City Elementary, Redwood City Elementary, San Francisco Unified, San Jose Unified, San Lorenzo Unified, Santa Clara County Office of Education |
Jessica Simpson: jsimpson@sccoe.org Mary Katayama: mkatayama@sccoe.org |
Activities Timeline
The LCRSET lead will be supporting LCRS sites until the close of the grant on June 30, 2028. Below is a tentative timeline of expected activities:
2022–23
- Cohort 1 sites are funded
- LCRSET lead begins the project
2022–24
- Cohort 2 sites are funded
- LCRSET Spring Professional Learning Series begins, including developing site literacy plans
2024–25
- Literacy Leadership Training series
- Literacy Coach Expert Training series
- Expert Webinar series
- Coach Network
- Plan, Do, Study, Act Cycle
- Family and Community Engagement
2025–26
- Literacy Leadership Training series
- Literacy Coach Expert Training series
- Expert Webinar series
- Coach Network
- Plan, Do, Study, Act Cycle
- Family and Community Engagement
2026–27
- Literacy Leadership Training series
- Literacy Coach Expert Training series
- Expert Webinar series
- Coach Network
- Plan, Do, Study, Act Cycle
- Family and Community Engagement
2027–28
- Focus on sustainability
Eligibility and Funding
The application deadline for the LCRSET grantee has passed. For historical purposes, a Request for Applications (RFA) is still available on the LCRS RFA web page. Find more information on the LCRS Funding Profile.
Grant Selection Timeline
The estimated timeline for the selection process is below. This timeline is subject to change.
| Activity | Date |
|---|---|
| RFA Release | Week of April 3, 2023 |
| Technical Assistance Webinar for Applicants | April 10, 2023, 3 to 5 p.m. |
| Applications Due | May 26, 2023, by 4 p.m. |
| Intent to Award Posted | September 11, 2023 |
| Appeals Due | September 18, 2023 |
| Final Awards Posted | November 2023 |
| Program Start Date | November 2023 |
Reporting
LCRS Expenditure and Reporting System
This is the reporting system LEAs should use to report data for the LCRS program. Annual reports are due by September 30 each year.
LCRS Expenditure and Data Reporting Template (DOCX)
This is a template for expenditure and data reporting.
This webinar was held on August 23, 2023, and provided an overview of the reporting requirements and how to submit a report.
Frequently Asked Questions and Resources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Frequently Asked Questions regarding LCRS.
2022–23 Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Technical Assistance Webinar
This webinar was held on December 5, 2022, and provided an overview of the legislation, allowed expenditures, and reporting requirements for the first allocation.
2023–24 Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Technical Assistance Webinar
This webinar was held on December 18, 2023, and provided an overview of the legislation, allowed expenditures, and reporting requirements for the second allocation.
Related Content
Assembly Bill 181, Section 137 (Chapter 52, Statutes of 2022)
Assembly Bill 185, Section 57 (Chapter 571 Statutes of 2022)