Reading Pilot Overview

Frontline Educational Products is dedicated to the ideal that literacy is attainable for every child. Frontline Reading Program is a scientifically research-based reading initiative that works. The research base is authored by the University of Oregon. This program assists with the No Child Left Behind Act and the Reading First Initiative by teaching children to read before they begin 1^st grade. The program is designed for pre-school and kindergarten age children and will take them from the beginning stages of learning letters and sounds to reading on a second grade level by adhering to the five principles of reading; phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. We understand the impact early achievement can have on a child’s life. Our comprehensive materials provide you with the tools to help make this a successful, simple process, regardless of the socio-economic status, language barrier, or learning ability of the student.

Because of success in teaching children to read throughout California, Washington, Idaho, Utah, New Jersey, and select areas of other states, Frontline has received funding to launch a substantial reading pilot project beginning September 2004. The funding is sufficient to include 15,000 pre-school and kindergarten children with a focus on the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Illinois, and select other locations.

The outcome of this reading pilot will help to influence the teaching of young children to read in schools across the country. As a result, a third-party independent research university will oversee the management of the research on this project. The results will be published and well communicated to all participating schools and districts as well as to the research community. In conjunction with this research, participating schools will be required to follow the program as outlined and administer at least three tests throughout the year; one at the beginning of the year, one at the middle of the year, and one at the end of the school year. The test that will be used is the DIBELS test from the University of Oregon.

The funding that has been allocated to this reading pilot will allow schools and districts to participate at no cost to them. The funding covers the following costs: all product and materials costs for both teachers and students; initial on-site teacher training and professional development; on-going, individualized support and teacher training throughout the reading pilot; all of the test materials and reporting processes

The funding will be available for the two years of the reading pilot. Participating schools will have the option to participate in year two based on adherence to the program, and based on their own assessment of their own results.

Participating teachers will attend an initial teacher training session. These sessions will be held in each participating state. The training session lasts only half a day and will cover all elements of the reading pilot including: curriculum training, classroom implementation, testing and research procedures, support and reporting. These training sessions will be held throughout July and August prior to the starting of the new school year. Curriculum materials will be shipped to schools at approximately the same time. Each teacher will be assigned to a team of support teachers who will help ensure the success of the program and provide on-going support throughout the duration of the reading pilot. Regular feedback (probably via e-mail/Internet) will be required by participating teachers.

Funds are currently being allocated to districts and schools, and once the funding is gone, the registration will end. At this time, commitments by districts and schools are all that is needed. The information outlined in the Registration Process document will be gathered after commitments are made.