Self-Study Guide for Implementing Early Literacy Interventions. REL 2016-129

While literacy interventions can be implemented in any grade, focusing on prevention and intervention in kindergarten through grade 2 is optimal because reading difficulties become expensive and challenging to remediate as students become older. The Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 allows districts to do just this, with 15 percent of special education funds permitted to be used for prevention and early intervention. This Self-study Guide for Implementing Early Literacy Interventions was developed to help district- and school-based practitioners conduct self-studies for planning and implementing early literacy interventions. It is intended to promote reflection about current strengths and challenges in planning for implementation of early literacy interventions, spark conversations among staff, and identify areas for improvement. This guide provides a template for data collection and guiding questions for discussion that may improve the implementation of early literacy interventions and decrease the number of students failing to meet grade-level literacy expectations by the time they enter grade 3. States in the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast Region and across the country are implementing large-scale initiatives focused on providing reading interventions in the early grades. This self-study guide provides a template for data collection and guiding questions for discussion that may improve the implementation of early literacy interventions and decrease the number of students failing to meet grade-level literacy expectations by the time they enter grade 3. The guide was developed in partnership with REL Southeast's Improving Literacy Research Alliance. The following are appended: (1) Support for "Scoring Guide" areas; and (2) Sample master schedules.