1 CCR 301-90-2.0 - APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS AND TIMELINE FOR COMPREHENSIVE EARLY LITERACY GRANTS

2.1 Any local education provider interested in obtaining funding shall submit a Comprehensive Early Literacy Grant application electronically to the Department, using the application form provided by the Department. Local education providers may apply individually or as part of a group of local education providers. These grants will be offered on a four year cycle.

2.2 Each Comprehensive Early Literacy Grant application submitted shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

2.2(A) Information concerning the percentage of kindergarten and first-, second-, and third-grade students enrolled in the applying local education provider or group of local education providers who have Significant Reading Deficiencies and the percentage of kindergarten and first-, second-, and third-grade students who do not have Significant Reading Deficiencies but who are not meeting the grade-level expectations in reading adopted by the State Board;

2.2(B) Identification of instructional programs aligned to the READ Act that the applicant(s) plan to implement using the grant money, including a description of whether the programs are Evidence-Based or Scientifically-Based literacy support and intervention instruction programs that are proven to be successful in other public schools in Colorado or in other states;

2.2(B.3) Whether the applicant(s) employs reading coaches or plans to use all or a portion of the grant money to employ reading coaches who are trained in the science of reading and in teaching the foundational reading skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency including oral skills, and reading comprehension to provide educator professional development in teaching foundational reading skills. Preference will be given to the grant applicant(s) who propose to implement an embedded instructional coaching model to enhance teacher effectiveness in teaching foundational reading skills;

2.2(B.5) The degree to which the instructional program incorporates the effective use of technology, including software, to assist in assessing and monitoring student progress toward reading competency and how the grantee(s) will regularly use progress monitoring data to inform instructional decision-making;

2.2(C) Identification of the professional development program(s) that the applicant(s) plan to implement for educators to assist students in kindergarten and first, second, and third grades to achieve reading competency;

2.2(D) A description of the methods that will be used to sustain positive student achievement outcomes over time to ensure that students who move out of the Significant Reading Deficiency designation are able to sustain their improvement;

2.2(E) An explanation of the cost of the instructional program that the applicant(s) plan to implement using the grant money and an explanation of how grant funding will be used to supplement and not supplant any funding currently being used on intensive literacy programs already provided for eligible students;

2.2(F) The measurable student outcomes that the applicant expects to achieve as a result of implementing the proposed program and a description of the method that will be used to monitor and evaluate outcomes; and

2.2(G) Any other necessary information, as identified by the Department.

2.3 Starting in fiscal year 2018-2019 the Department shall approve and review the Comprehensive Early Literacy Grants on a four year cycle. The first year of the grant award will serve as an implementation year followed by three years of operationalizing the grant. Upon completion of the four-year cycle, grantees will have the opportunity to apply for an additional one year sustainability grant described in section 3.0.

2.4 If the legislature alters the appropriation for the Early Literacy Grant Program through the annual appropriations process prior to the completion of a four year cycle, the Department may choose to open another application cycle, or reduce or increase current grantees' annual funding as necessary.

Notes

1 CCR 301-90-2.0

41 CR 21, November 10, 2018, effective 11/30/2018 42 CR 19, October 10, 2019, effective 10/30/2019 43 CR 06, March 25, 2020, effective 4/15/2020