The seven key focus areas include:

Leadership for Literacy

Administrators provide strategic vision and leadership for literacy instruction, to improve student access.

Standards, Curriculum and Assessment

Horizontal and vertical alignment of literacy standards, curriculum, and assessment to ensure seamless transitions for children between educational programs and expectations that are developmentally appropriate and research-based.

Instruction

Quality classroom instruction is developmentally appropriate and includes research-based practices on literacy to ensure student learning for diverse learners.

Teacher Professional Development

Educators (early childhood and K-3) are trained in research-based, developmentally appropriate practices (child development) and developing literacy proficiency among children. Educators are highly qualified, effective, and culturally competent.

Comprehensive Early Learning Services and Access to 0-5 Opportunities

Schools are a community-based hub for resource and referral to comprehensive services that support children's well-being through enhanced outreach to children ages 0-5. Increase the number of young children participating in effective and high-quality learning experiences through improved coordination and recruitment for early-learning programs in the community.

Family and School Partnerships

Families and education programs partner to support children's early learning and literacy development from early years through elementary school.

Data

Student-level enrollment and assessment data are used to improve curriculum and instruction with: 1) Data requirements and data collection plan for EC component of a statewide, interagency longitudinal data system (EC to workforce), 2) Demonstration of use of student participation, progress and performance data to identify feeder patterns of students from early learning programs to elementary schools and to inform teaching.