Reading First is the signature program of No Child Left Behind legislation, with all 50 states and the District of Columbia participating. The US Department of Education (US ED) recently released its interim report on the implementation of the Reading First program throughout more than 5300 elementary schools nationwide. As we began in the last issue, Strategies will provide essential highlights of this report over the next several issues.

In this second article, we focus on reading instruction in K-3 classrooms. Instructional time, materials, activities and strategies, and responsibility for material selections are key factors featured.

Classroom Reading Instruction Time
According to the National Research Council, as stated in the Reading First report, “Research has shown that the amount of time that schools spend on reading is a major determinant of reading achievement.” To this end, the Reading First program guidance advocates schools allocate an uninterrupted, protected block for reading instruction of a minimum of 90 minutes per day.

Reading First schools, on average, reported having scheduled reading blocks that were 15 minutes longer than did Title I schools. According to the Department of Education’s report, teachers in Reading First schools, at all four grade levels (K-3), reported they spent more time on reading than did teachers in Title I schools – a difference of about 19 minutes per day, or almost 100 minutes per week (99 minutes vs. 80 minutes per day).

Reading First schools reported that they have made substantial changes to their reading programs since they received their RF funds. Newly funded RF schools were significantly more likely than Title I schools to have adopted a new core reading program (39 percent vs. 16 percent), to have added new intervention programs for struggling readers (74 percent vs. 43 percent), to have added new supplementary materials (69 percent vs. 58 percent), and to have adopted new materials for English Language Learners (43 percent vs. 29 percent).

Instructional Materials
Nearly all states were involved in choosing core reading programs for Reading First schools. Thirty-seven states developed lists of recommended reading programs, while 15 states referred districts to A Consumer’s Guide for Evaluating a Core Program Grades K-3. Though states were involved in program selection, there was a great deal of flexibility for districts and schools to choose the best core program for their needs.

Responsibility for selecting of materials was distributed between states, districts, and administrators. State Reading First coordinators indicated all states were involved in the selection of core reading programs for Reading First schools, and 86 percent of principals reported the district was responsible for selecting their reading programs. About one-third of principals in Reading First schools said they or their reading coach participated in the selection of the core reading program. This suggests adherence to key Reading First guidelines encouraging state and district participation in key instructional decisions.

The US ED reports the selection of supplemental materials varies from that of the core reading program. Sixty-six percent of principals report the districts were also involved in the selection of supplemental materials, while states’ assistance in selecting supplemental curriculum materials was only 19 percent. More common, however, was the involvement of school personnel in choosing supplemental materials.

A range of core programs was selected by states, districts, and schools. Selected programs included Harcourt Trophies, Houghton Mifflin’s Nation’s Choice, Success for All, and McGraw-Hill’s Open Court, as well as many other, non-specified programs from a variety of publishers. In addition to the core programs, about 80 percent of Reading First schools sampled, used supplemental materials that support the core program’s emphasis on the five elements of reading.

In a recently awarded project, Hezel Associates will assist Abt Associates on the continued evaluation of nationwide Reading First implementation.

Read the US ED ’s Executive Summary and report here: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/other/readingfirst-interim/readingfirst.pdf