What is Reading First?

Reading First is a federal program established as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 that President Bush signed into law in January, 2002. Its primary goal is to ensure that all children in U.S. schools learn to read well by the end of third grade. Congress authorized over $900 million per year for all states based on a state funding formula to provide resources to improve reading instruction in all U.S. schools.

Nationally, Reading First is based on the following premises:

• All but a very small number of children can be taught to be proficient readers
• Prevention of reading problems is far more cost effective and efficient than remediation
• Reading failure can be prevented by relying on the extensive scientific research base in reading.

Nevada Reading First will offer the necessary assistance to districts to establish research-based reading programs for students in K-3 classrooms so that all Nevada children will read by the end of third grade. Through it, teachers will be provided with proven instructional and assessment tools consistent with research to teach all children to read. Reading First funds will also be focused on providing increased teacher professional development to ensure that all teachers, including K-12 special education teachers have the skills they need to effectively teach these programs.

Nevada supports a statewide network of literacy leaders and educational specialists focusing on five goals and a variety of activities to provide models for school-wide reform efforts and continued research into improved reading education. Nevada Reading First has five goals that expand on the Nevada Reading Excellence Act Grant:

1. Through high quality professional development, teachers will understand and apply scientifically based research to improve literacy instruction in: phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, spelling and vocabulary, reading fluency, comprehension, and writing so that every child in Nevada will read by the end of third grade.
   
2. As a result of statewide and site-based sustained professional development, those teachers responsible for literacy instruction, including classroom teachers, special education teachers and paraprofessionals, will demonstrate an understanding of the language and literacy development of the children they teach and use that understanding in their efforts to promote literacy learning activities that provide children with the skills they need to learn to read and write.
   
3. Eligible LEAs will provide children who are experiencing reading difficulties with early intervention and assistance through screening, diagnostic, and classroom-based instructional reading assessments to support their need to become successful readers.
   
4. Through an established partnership with the university system and the Governor’s Advisory Council Leadership Team, the Nevada Reading First Partnership will assist districts and schools in selecting and developing effective instructional materials, programs, learning systems, and strategies to implement methods that have been proven to prevent or remediate reading failure.
   
5. The Reading First Partnership will strengthen coordination among schools, early literacy programs, libraries, and family literacy programs to improve reading achievement for all children.