District/School Resources PK-16 Program Support
Office of Reading

MRFP Monitoring and Technical Assistance

1. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

   Office of Reading staff visit every district annually as well as most, if not all, of each district's Reading First schools. Staff members use a monitoring tool developed by the Office of Reading to establish strengths and continuing challenges of the Reading First implementation and to recommend priorities for action planning in the next school year.

      Reading First Monitoring Tool 2007-2008

   Beginning in Year 3 of a district's Reading First project, the state's Continuation Policy becomes effective. The policy relies on evidence of improvement in reading achievement over the most recent two-year period for each of grades 1, 2, and 3 on the Group Reading and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) and evidence of the extent to which the district's Reading First project is fully implemented at the district and school levels. Following the monitoring visit in Year 3, a determination is made as to whether a district or school should continue in the project. Districts and schools are assigned a category rating, from one to four, to signify the relationship between implementation and student outcomes.

   Reading First Continuation Policy 2007-2008

2. Implementation Facilitators:

   As technical assistance providers, the implementation facilitators' roles are two-fold: 1) to lead periodic regional meetings which bring together school coaches, principals, and district staff to share experiences and address implementation challenges; and 2) to provide on-site support and guidance in districts and schools. Implementation facilitators draw upon the state's annual monitoring reports as they work with school and district staff to develop action plans for the school year. Throughout the year, implementation facilitators visit districts and schools to: 1) consult with district and school administrators on the implementation of the district's 3-tier model linking assessment and instructional approaches targeted to individual student needs; 2) consult with school coaches on strategies to help classroom teachers and interventionists implement evidence-based practices and use data to inform instruction; 3) consult with principals on strategies to improve the use of staff and resources for the effective implementation of Reading First. Implementation facilitators also work with district staff to develop sustainability plans for the long-term institutionalization of Reading First's key components, recommend appropriate technical support of schools, and assist with professional development on scientifically based reading instruction for non-Reading First schools.

3. District

   The district works with the implementation facilitators to provide direct support to schools and disseminate scientifically based reading instruction to all schools.