K-3 EARLY LITERACY INITIATIVE

The ultimate goal of reading is being able to understand what we read, in order to read to learn, therefore it is vitally important to build the foundational skills. When we talk about beginning reading, the focus is on the 5 Big Early Literacy Skills: Phonemic Awareness, Alphabetic Principle, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension.

Background: To address years of poor student performances on the department's statewide assessment, the ASDOE launched an initiative focused on increasing literacy rates in K5 through 3rd-grade classrooms as a key strategy for improving overall student achievement across all public elementary schools.

Piloted in 2021, the initiative reintroduced two evidence-based programs that had previously proved successful during the implementation of the U.S. Department of Education's Reading First grant: Read Well, a comprehensive, systematic, and explicit early literacy program, and Language for Learning, which strengthens students' oral language development. Together, these programs provide K5 through 3rd-grade students with the foundational skills needed to become successful readers. To monitor student progress, ASDOE adopted Acadience, and external interim assessment administered three times each year to measure early literacy skills. Assessment data are used to track student growth and inform instructional adjustments, ensuring that students master essential literacy skills.

The initiative began with six pilot schools, involving 12 classrooms serving K5 and 1st-grade students. Launching the pilot required extensive planning, coordination and professional learning to prepare teachers, school leaders, division staff, and executive leadership for successful implementation. The phased expansion to the remaining schools and grade levels over the following two years allowed for a smoother transition to the new instructional programs, assessment system, and instructional expectations. As a department, we still have a lot of work to make a significant impact on student learning and only together can we accomplish this feat because Our Students Deserve Our Best!!!!

Today

As the department prepares to implement the 2026-2030 Five-Year Strategic Plan (5YRSP). the K-3 ELI Team is eager to continue advancing the initiative's goals and activities under Strategic Priority 1, Goal 1. Building on the progress.

Language for Learning Grades: PreK-5

The McGraw Hill Language for Learning provides young learners with the knowledge they need to achieve proficiency and reading comprehension. This oral language program was designed for kindergarten and primary age school children, as well as English language learners. It gives them a strong foundation for expressive and receptive language, and teaches words, concepts and statements important to both oral and written language.

A comprehensive, research-based core reading and language arts curriculum that differentiates instruction for every student. This mastery-based solution helps students build critical skills necessary to be successful readers and learners. Through whole-class instruction, differentiated small-group instruction, and individual student practice, teachers have the flexibility neccessary to meet students at their skill levels and instruction accordingly.

The K-3 ELI is a key component of Goal 1 in the ASDIE 5YRSP and is scheduled for full implementation during SY'26-'27. As a result, student performance data from SY 25'-'26 will serve as the initiative's baseline for measuring over the next five years.

Achieving the intiative's goals will require ongoing collaboration among division leaders, school administrators, instructional staff, and other key stakeholders. Together, they will closely monitor student and school performance, engage in regular data discussions, and participate in professional learning opportunities to improve implementation of early literacy instruction and conduct effective progress monitoring. Ensuring that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of early literacy and data informed decision makiong will be essential to the initiative's success.

The K-3 ELI team, a collaborative effort between the Division of Curriculum and Instruction English Language Arts and Oasis, remains committed to supporting schools and teachers as they continue to implement the initiative. Together, we are dedicated to ensuring that our youngest learners receive high-quality literacy instruction and develop the foundational skills needed to become successful readers.

The Acadience Reading K-6 (Previously published as DIBELS Next) literacy assessment provides brief, formative indicators of the essential skills necessary for proficient reading in grades K-6.

Design to predict early reading success and identify students experiencing difficulty in the acquisition of foundational literacy skills, Acadience Reading solution provide early literacy support to prevent later reading diffcultires.

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According to the Research:

Children should develop literacy skills that progress from learning to read to reading to learn move from kindergarten through early elementary.
Early literacy skills support reading proficiency and build knowledge in all subject areas.
Students who struggle with literacy skills as early as kindergarten often continue to read below grade level throughout the early grades and generally fail to receive assistance needed to catch up. (Education Commission of the States, September 2020)