Read to Achieve Request for Applications
KDE’s Office of Teaching and Learning is issuing a request for applications for Kentucky public school districts to apply for Read to Achieve grants on behalf of individual schools. The Kentucky School for the Blind and Kentucky School for the Deaf also are eligible to apply.
As specified in, KRS 158.792, the Read to Achieve (RTA) grant was created to help teachers and library media specialists improve the reading skills of struggling readers in the primary program. KDE, upon the recommendation of the Reading Diagnostic and Intervention Grant Steering Committee, provides renewable two-year grants to schools to support teachers in the implementation of reliable, replicable research-based reading intervention programs that use a balance of diagnostic tools and instructional strategies that emphasize phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and connections between writing and reading acquisition and motivation to read to address the diverse learning needs of those students reading at low levels.
KDE anticipates funding approximately 225 schools at an estimated $62,000 per year to support teachers in providing reading diagnostics and intervention through professional learning in the essential components of reading, and the teacher implementation of a reliable, replicable research-based reading intervention program to address the diverse learning needs of students reading at low levels in the primary grades (K-3). Schools receiving RTA grant funds must provide matching funds and assure complete sustainability of the professional learning requirements and all costs associated with implementing the professional learning and intervention program(s).
Grants are renewable for up to four years, with a two-year grant renewal process, contingent upon implementation of all program components, grant requirement compliance, demonstrated student progress, the availability of funds and successfully meeting all assurances per KRS 158.792 3(b). The fiscal agent for the application for public schools shall be a local school district. Each school will provide a budget that shows matching funds for the RTA grant in the amount of $62,000 from the local school district.
More information about the request for applications for RTA can be found on the Competitive Grants from KDE webpage.
Important Dates/Information:
- A live Technical Assistance Webinar will take place on Nov. 22 at 1-3 p.m. ET via Microsoft Teams. Attending live or watching the recorded session is recommended.
- The deadline to submit questions is Dec. 3 by 4 p.m. ET.
- A frequently asked questions document will be released on or around Dec. 10.
- The deadline to submit requests for approval of off-list professional learning provider(s) is Dec. 1 by 4 p.m. ET.
- The deadline to submit applications is Jan. 5, 2022, by 4 p.m. ET.
- Please review the links within the request for applications (RFA) for guidance when writing the submission. If you have any questions, send an e-mail to KDERFP@education.ky.gov.
- Pay close attention to the redacted language within the RFA. Improperly formatted submissions will be deemed non-responsive and NOT eligible for an award.
Veterans Day is Nov. 11
Per KRS 158.075, all schools shall observe Veterans Day. This law states the following: "On Veterans Day, or one (1) of the five (5) school days preceding Veterans Day, one (1) class or instructional period shall be devoted to the observance of Veterans Day."
To develop a Veterans Day program, Kentucky public schools are encouraged to seek advice from the Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs and veterans' service organizations, including but not limited to the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. For more information, please visit the Veterans Day Programs resource.
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