WISCONSIN

 

Grantee: School District of Janesville

Project Name: Janesville Early Literacy Project

Project Director: Ann Lund (608) 743-7303, alund@janesville.k12.wi.us

Funding: $1,577,603 for a three-year project period

Number of Teachers Served: 21 teachers and staff per year

Number of School Districts Served: 1

Number of Students Served: 235 per year

 

The Janesville Early Literacy Project is a partnership of the Janesville School District, Head Start, Even Start, and Janesville Community Day Care Center.  The project will serve 235 children, ages three to five, and provide professional development to 18 teachers and three parent liaisons.  The Janesville Early Literacy Project has four goals:

  • Increase children’s oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge to level that ensure success in kindergarten and beyond.
  • Expand language- and literacy-related learning opportunities through increase language and literacy choices within the classroom environment.
  • Increase the knowledge of teachers and staff regarding scientifically based reading research, curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
  • Increase systematic and explicit instruction through activities that develop oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge.

The Janesville Early Literacy Project will implement Scholastic’s Building Language for Literacy (BLL).  Mid-Continent Educational Laboratory will provide professional development that will support teachers in using explicit, intentional, and scaffolded instruction based on scientifically based reading research.  In addition to the workshops, the Janesville Early Literacy Project will provide teachers with literacy coaches to provide support on a weekly basis.  The Get Ready to Read, the Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test and the Receptive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test will be used to screen children at the beginning of the year.  The project will use the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-PreK (PALS-PreK) and BLL assessments to monitor progress through the curriculum.  Dr. Gwendolyn Coe, University of Wisconsin, Platteville, will conduct program evaluation.