(1) may provide technical assistance in achieving the purposes of this subpart to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools requesting such assistance;

(2) shall, at a minimum, evaluate the impact of services provided to children under this subpart with respect to their referral to, and eligibility for, special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (based on their difficulties learning to read); and

(3) shall carry out the external evaluation as described in section 1205.

SEC. 1207. [20 U.S.C. 6367] INFORMATION DISSEMINATION.

(a) IN GENERAL.-From funds reserved under section 1202(b)(1)(D), the National Institute for Literacy, in collaboration with the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Director of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development shall

(1) disseminate information on scientifically based reading research pertaining to children, youth, and adults;

(2) identify and disseminate information about schools, local educational agencies, and State educational agencies that have effectively developed and implemented classroom reading programs that meet the requirements of this subpart, including those State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools that have been identified as effective through the evaluation and peer review provisions of this subpart; and

(3) support the continued identification and dissemination of information on reading programs that contain the essential components of reading instruction as supported by scientifically based reading research, that can lead to improved reading outcomes for children, youth, and adults.

(b) DISSEMINATION AND COORDINATION.-At a minimum, the National Institute for Literacy shall disseminate the information described in subsection (a) to

(1) recipients of Federal financial assistance under this title, title III, the Head Start Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act; and

(2) each Bureau funded school (as defined in section 1141 of the Education Amendments of 1978).

(c) USE OF EXISTING NETWORKS.-In carrying out this section, the National Institute for Literacy shall, to the extent practicable, use existing information and dissemination networks developed and maintained through other public and private entities including through the Department and the National Center for Family Literacy.

(d) NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY.-For purposes of funds reserved under section 1202(b)(1)(D) to carry out this section, the National Institute for Literacy shall administer such funds in accordance with section 242(b) of Public Law 105-220 (relating to the establishment and administration of the National Institute for Literacy).

SEC. 1208. [20 U.S.C. 6368] DEFINITIONS.

In this subpart:

(1) Eligible LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.-The term "eligible local educational agency" means a local educational agency that

(A) is among the local educational agencies in the State with the highest numbers or percentages of students in kindergarten through grade 3 reading below grade level, based on the most currently available data; and

(B) has

(i) jurisdiction over a geographic area that includes an area designated as an empowerment zone, or an enterprise community, under part I of subchapter U of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;

(ii) jurisdiction over a significant number or percentage of schools that are identified for school improvement under section 1116(b); or

(iii) the highest numbers or percentages of children who are counted under section 1124(c), in comparison to other local educational agencies in the State.

(2) ELIGIBLE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROVIDER.—The term "eligible professional development provider" means a provider of professional development in reading instruction to teachers, including special education teachers, that is based on scientifically based reading research.

(3) ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF READING INSTRUCTION.— The term "essential components of reading instruction" means explicit and systematic instruction in

(4) staff"

(A) phonemic awareness;

(B) phonics;

(C) vocabulary development;

(D) reading fluency, including oral reading skills; and (E) reading comprehension strategies.

INSTRUCTIONAL

STAFF.-The

term "instructional

(A) means individuals who have responsibility for teaching children to read; and

(B) includes principals, teachers, supervisors of instruction, librarians, library school media specialists, teachers of academic subjects other than reading, and other individuals who have responsibility for assisting children to learn to read.

(5) READING.-The term "reading" means a complex system of deriving meaning from print that requires all of the following:

(A) The skills and knowledge to understand how phonemes, or speech sounds, are connected to print.

(B) The ability to decode unfamiliar words.

(C) The ability to read fluently.

(D) Sufficient background information and vocabulary to foster reading comprehension.

(E) The development of appropriate active strategies to construct meaning from print.

(F) The development and maintenance of a motivation to read.

(6) SCIENTIFICALLY BASED READING RESEARCH.-The term "scientifically based reading research" means research that(A) applies rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge relevant to reading development, reading instruction, and reading difficulties; and (B) includes research that

(i) employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment;

(ii) involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn;

or observational

(iii) relies on measurements methods that provide valid data across evaluators and observers and across multiple measurements and observations; and

(iv) has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review. (7) SCREENING, DIAGNOSTIC, AND CLASSROOM-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL READING ASSESSMENTS.

(A) IN GENERAL.-The term "screening, diagnostic, and classroom-based instructional reading assessments"

means

(i) screening reading assessments;

(ii) diagnostic reading assessments; and

(iii) classroom-based instructional reading assess

ments.

(B) SCREENING READING ASSESSMENT.-The term "screening reading assessment" means an assessment that is

(i) valid, reliable, and based on scientifically based reading research; and

(ii) a brief procedure designed as a first step in identifying children who may be at high risk for delayed development or academic failure and in need of further diagnosis of their need for special services or additional reading instruction.

(C) DIAGNOSTIC READING ASSESSMENT.-The term “diagnostic reading assessment" means an assessment that is

(i) valid, reliable, and based on scientifically based reading research; and

(ii) used for the purpose of

of

(I) identifying a child's specific areas strengths and weaknesses so that the child has learned to read by the end of grade 3;

(II) determining any difficulties that a child may have in learning to read and the potential cause of such difficulties; and

(III) helping to determine possible reading intervention strategies and related special needs. (D) CLASSROOM-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL READING ASSESSMENT.-The term "classroom-based instructional reading assessment" means an assessment that—

(i) evaluates children's learning based on systematic observations by teachers of children performing academic tasks that are part of their daily classroom experience; and

(ii) is used to improve instruction in reading, including classroom instruction.

Subpart 2-Early Reading First

SEC. 1221. [20 U.S.C. 6371] PURPOSES; DEFINITIONS.

(a) PURPOSES.-The purposes of this subpart are as follows:
(1) To support local efforts to enhance the early language,
literacy, and prereading development of preschool age children,
particularly those from low-income families, through strategies
and professional development that are based on scientifically
based reading research.

(2) To provide preschool age children with cognitive learning opportunities in high-quality language and literature-rich environments, so that the children can attain the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary for optimal reading development in kindergarten and beyond.

(3) To demonstrate language and literacy activities based on scientifically based reading research that supports the ageappropriate development of—

(A) recognition, leading to automatic recognition, of letters of the alphabet;

(B) knowledge of letter sounds, the blending of sounds, and the use of increasingly complex vocabulary;

(C) an understanding that written language is composed of phonemes and letters each representing one or more speech sounds that in combination make up syllables, words, and sentences;

(D) spoken language, including vocabulary and oral comprehension abilities; and

(E) knowledge of the purposes and conventions of print.

(4) To use screening assessments to effectively identify preschool age children who may be at risk for reading failure.

(5) To integrate such scientific reading research-based instructional materials and literacy activities with existing_programs of preschools, child care agencies and programs, Head Start centers, and family literacy services.

(b) DEFINITIONS.-For purposes of this subpart:

(1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT.-The term "eligible applicant"

means

(A) one or more local educational agencies that are eligible to receive a subgrant under subpart 1;

(B) one or more public or private organizations or agencies, acting on behalf of one or more programs that serve preschool age children (such as a program at a Head Start center, a child care program, or a family literacy program), which organizations or agencies shall be located in a community served by a local educational agency described in subparagraph (A); or

(C) one or more local educational agencies described in subparagraph (A) in collaboration with one or more organizations or agencies described in subparagraph (B).

(2) SCIENTIFICALLY BASED READING RESEARCH.-The term "scientifically based reading research" has the same meaning given to that term in section 1208.

(3) SCREENING READING ASSESSMENT.-The term "screening reading assessment" has the same meaning given to that term in section 1208.

SEC. 1222. [20 U.S.C. 6372] LOCAL EARLY READING FIRST GRANTS.

(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.-From amounts appropriated under section 1002(b)(2), the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, for periods of not more than 6 years, to eligible applicants to enable the eligible applicants to carry out the authorized activities described in subsection (d).

(b) APPLICATIONS.-An eligible applicant that desires to receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary, which shall include a description of

(1) the programs to be served by the proposed project, including demographic and socioeconomic information on the preschool age children enrolled in the programs;

(2) how the proposed project will enhance the school readiness of preschool age children in high-quality oral language and literature-rich environments;

(3) how the proposed project will prepare and provide ongoing assistance to staff in the programs, through professional development and other support, to provide high-quality language, literacy, and prereading activities using scientifically based reading research, for preschool age children;

(4) how the proposed project will provide services and use instructional materials that are based on scientifically based reading research on early language acquisition, prereading activities, and the development of spoken vocabulary skills;

(5) how the proposed project will help staff in the programs to meet more effectively the diverse needs of preschool age children in the community, including such children with limited English proficiency, disabilities, or other special needs;

(6) how the proposed project will integrate such instructional materials and literacy activities with existing preschool programs and family literacy services;

(7) how the proposed project will help children, particularly children experiencing difficulty with spoken language, prereading, and early reading skills, to make the transition from preschool to formal classroom instruction in school;

(8) if the eligible applicant has received a subgrant under subpart 1, how the activities conducted under this subpart will be coordinated with the eligible applicant's activities under subpart 1 at the kindergarten through grade 3 level;

(9) how the proposed project will evaluate the success of the activities supported under this subpart in enhancing the early language, literacy, and prereading development of preschool age children served by the project; and

(10) such other information as the Secretary may require.