Grants to Kentucky public elementary schools for literacy programs that assist students in grades K-3 who are reading below grade level. Funding is intended for student literacy assessments and to provide support services, including highly trained teachers, for students who need to improve their reading skills. Schools awarded the RTA grant must ensure the implementation of a reading intervention program for tiers 2 and 3, and a comprehensive reading program at the tier 1 instructional level.

The reading intervention program must:

• Align to the KAS for Reading and Writing;
• Offer short-term intensive instruction in the essential skills necessary to read proficiently; 
• Support tier two or three instruction;
• Be research-based, reliable, and replicable; 
• Be based on the ongoing assessment of individual student needs; and 
• Supplement, not replace regular classroom instruction.

The comprehensive reading program must:

• Align to the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Reading and Writing; and
• Emphasize the essential components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Funding will support the following:

1. Professional learning in understanding the cognitive processes and skills involved in learning how to read, including the essential components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension); and 
2. Teacher implementation of a reliable, replicable research-based reading intervention program that:
• Uses a balance of the following to address the diverse learning needs of those students reading at low levels in the primary grades (K-3):
• Diagnostic tools and instructional strategies that emphasize:
1. Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and  comprehension; 
2. Connections between writing and reading acquisition; and
3. Generating the motivation to read. 

For information about Tiers 1, 2, and 3 instruction, and Implementation Requirements, see page 9 of the RFA in Supporting Documents, below.

For information about allowable expenses, see page 25 of the RFA in Supporting Documents, below.