E1

May a state educational agency reserve a portion of its grant for state use?

Yes. Section 2254 specifies what funds may be reserved for state use.

For administrative costs:

• Each SEA may reserve no more than 5 percent of its REA grant funds for (1) costs of state administration of the Section 2255 Local Reading Improvement Subgrants and (2) evaluation of both programs—see below.

• SEAs pay for state administration costs related to the Section 2256 Tutorial Assistance subgrants (TAS) out of the grant funds reserved for the TAS subgrants. (States reserve up to 15 percent for the TAS program and may use an unspecified amount for soliciting applications, making awards, and overseeing the performance of the subgrants.)

For evaluation and performance reporting:

• Each SEA may use no more than 2 percent of its REA grant fund to carry out evaluation and performance reporting required by section 2259. Evaluation and reporting activities must cover both the Local Reading Improvement Subgrants and the Tutorial Assistance Subgrants.

• Further, this 2 percent is part of the 5 percent reserve for administration.

E2

Must a state conduct an evaluation of its Reading Excellence Act program?

Yes. Each SEA that receives a grant must evaluate the success of the agency?s subgrantees in meeting the purposes of the Reading Excellence Act. (Section 2259(a)) At a minimum, the evaluation shall measure the extent to which students who are the intended beneficiaries of the subgrants made by the agency have improved their reading skills. The SEA must submit the findings from the evaluation under this subsection to the Secretary.

The Secretary must submit a summary of the findings from the SEA evaluations to the appropriate committees of the Congress, including the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate. (Section 2259(a)(3))

E3

Will the Department conduct a national evaluation of the Reading Excellence Act?

The Secretary must submit the results of a national evaluation of the Reading Excellence Act to the Congress (see sections 2257 and 2259). The national evaluation will cover several aspects of the program, including monitoring the program's implementation by states, local educational agencies, and tutorial assistance providers; evaluating outcomes and impact; and identifying effective practices.

Research questions may include such questions as:

• How effective is the training provided to teachers, tutors, and parents?

• "What works" in reading instruction and tutoring? What are effective models for instruction and teacher training in reading?

• How well are state and local evaluations going? Are SEAs and LEAs using performance information for continuous improvement?

• What is the impact of the REA program on student achievement in participating schools?

The Department will also provide technical assistance to SEAs and LEAs regarding state and local evaluations.

In developing the criteria for the national evaluation, the Secretary will obtain recommendations made by the expert peer review panel that reviews the state applications. The Secretary submits this report to the Congress.

The Department of Education plans to convene a national meeting to discuss options for the required national program evaluation and will invite SEA representatives to that meeting. To the extent possible, the Department will coordinate national evaluation activities with SEA evaluations.

E4

Who should conduct the state evaluation?

The SEA must carry out the evaluation through a contract with an entity that conducts scientifically based reading research. That entity, not the SEA, conducts the evaluation.

When determining an appropriate contractor for the work, state educational agencies are encouraged to look at the contractor?s past record in conducting rigorous, high-quality evaluations. Evidence of successful past work could include publications in rigorous peer-reviewed journals; research awards from national research organizations; and recognized reports to Congress, state educational agencies and other government agencies.

E5

What reports must a state file on the performance of its grant?

Each SEA that receives a grant must submit an annual performance report to the Secretary. The report shall include (1) a description of the LEAs that received funds; (2) information on the program or programs of reading instruction used by the LEAs; (3) the results of the state evaluation; and (4) other information as required by the Secretary.

E6

How can the evaluation of REA family literacy services be coordinated with evaluations of Even Start and Adult Education and Family Literacy Act programs?

In evaluating the quality of family literacy services carried under subgrants, SEAs may employ the methodology used at the state and local level to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of programs that receive funds under the Even Start program and the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act. Under both programs, states establish systems for measuring the success of local programs in achieving specific student outcomes for participating adults and children. These performance indicators may be used in evaluating family literacy services supported by reading improvement subgrants.