News Releases for February 2003
February 24, 2003
Contact: Gail Burkett, Department of Public Instruction
(701) 328-2285
Hoeven Announces North Dakota Reading First Program
BISMARCK, N.D. - Governor John Hoeven today announced that North Dakota will receive a $2.1 million grant award, authorized under the Reading First program of Title 1, Part B of the No Child Left Behind Act, to help districts and schools improve student achievement in reading through the application of scientifically based reading research. Reading First will help states, school districts and schools apply this research - as the proven instructional and assessment tools consistent with this research to ensure that all children can read at or above grade level by the end of the third grade.
“Reading is the foundation of all learning, and a life skill essential to a healthy, vibrant democracy,” Hoeven said. “We’re grateful to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and the Department of Education for giving our schools and teachers another tool to further empower our children.”
North Dakota will use about $1.7 million of the grant to make subgrant awards to approximately 20 schools in eligible districts. These subgrants will allow schools to implement research-based reading programs for students in kindergarten through third grade and to provide professional development to ensure that all teachers have the skills they need to teach these programs effectively. Additionally, the program will support the use of instructional assessments so that teachers can effectively screen and identify the reading barriers facing their students, as well as monitor progress.
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction will integrate Reading First with its statewide infrastructure for improvement of early literacy. The Governor, in consultation with State Superintendent Wayne Sanstead, has convened a Reading Leadership Team to ensure a seamless complementary approach to reading achievement throughout the state.
North Dakota plans to begin making subgrant awards in May 2003. As part of its professional development plan, the state will hold North Dakota Reading Academies for K-3 and special education teachers. These Academies will provide intensive and extensive training in scientifically based reading instruction that will enable participants to acquire knowledge and skills and transfer them to active classroom practice. The state will closely monitor the progress of schools and districts participating in Reading First, and will conduct a longitudinal evaluation of its program.
North Dakota’s Reading First plan has been approved for a six-year period, subject to demonstration of progress and Congressional appropriations. Over the course of the grant, the state will receive approximately $14.1 million to ensure that all children learn to read well and that no child is left behind.
State applications undergo a rigorous review by a panel of reading experts, selected by the Secretary of Education, the National Institute for Literacy, the National Research Council, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
More information about the North Dakota Reading First program can be found at www.dpi.state.nd.us/title1/reading/index.shtm. Eligible schools, grant applications and guidance can be found at this site.
For additional information, contact Gail Burkett, Administrator of the Reading First Program, at 701-328-2285, or gburkett@nd.gov.
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