§6644 Subgrants to eligible entities in support of kindergarten through grade 12 literacy

Summary

State education agencies must set aside part of their grant money to run a competition and give subgrants to eligible entities so those entities can carry out K–12 literacy work described below. Subgrants can last no more than 5 years and must be large enough to fund strong literacy instruction in every grade the money covers. Applicants must apply when and how the State requires and, for each school they include, must show a needs assessment, a plan for ongoing teacher and leader training, how the school will identify students who need extra help, how literacy fits into a well-rounded education, and how it will connect with early childhood and after-school programs. States must give priority to applicants using evidence-based activities as defined in section 7801(21)(A)(i). An entity that gets a subgrant must use the funds for specific K–12 work. For grades K–5, that includes creating and running a comprehensive literacy plan across subjects that serves all students (including students with disabilities and English learners), giving intensive extra reading and writing help to students below grade level, providing most help during the school day (but it can include after-school), offering high-quality training for teachers and other staff, training principals and district staff to run literacy programs, coordinating with early childhood and other school staff, and engaging families. For grades 6–12, the funds must support a similar comprehensive plan, training for principals and staff, checking the quality of adolescent literacy instruction, giving teachers time to plan evidence-based lessons, and coordinating staff involvement. The subgrant may also be used for extra activities across K–12, like hiring and training literacy coaches, linking out-of-school learning to school, training families to support adolescent literacy, creating multi-tier supports, forming school literacy leadership teams, and giving teachers planning time.