70100020 - Bay State Reading Institute

Account Description FY2010
Spending
FY2011
GAA
7010-0020 Bay State Reading Institute
For the Bay State Reading Institute; provided, that the program shall be administered under contract to Middlesex Community College in programmatic collaboration with Framingham State College and Fitchburg State College; provided further, that the Institute shall provide literacy based intervention in schools and districts at risk of or determined to be underperforming in accordance with sections 1J and 1K of chapter 69 of the General Laws; provided further, that schools not meeting the above criteria may be selected for assistance if they contribute not less than half of the cost of the services they receive; provided further, that preference in the awarding of said funds shall be given to schools and districts with a high percentage of minority or low-income students; provided further, that such school-wide literacy-based intervention programs shall be based on effective, research-based instruction in reading, as called for in Reading First; provided further, that in its evaluation of applications for said initiative, the executive director of said initiative may take into consideration schools' cumulative grade 3 Massachusetts comprehensive assessment system scores; provided further, that such school-wide literacy-based intervention programs shall provide for the evaluation and tracking of all students' reading and writing skills at least annually, shall include measurable goals and benchmarks, shall be led by a school-based planning team which includes teaching faculty and the school principal, shall provide for the training of teachers in effective, research-based strategies for reading instruction and shall include a school-wide literacy coordinator who shall be responsible for the coordination and training of other school staff; provided further, that said initiative shall require that participating schools engage in frequent assessment of the progress of individual students, including diagnostics to pin point the source of difficulty for struggling students, use small-group, student-centered instruction for a substantial part of the school day in order to allow teachers to meet the needs of individual students and differentiate instruction to help every student reach that student's potential, use research-based interventions that address the particular needs of struggling students, focus on literacy instruction, including writing across the curriculum, monitor progress frequently to make sure that the strategies used with these students are working and seek out additional funding for after-school time and for substitutes to give teachers an opportunity to plan together, to take a leadership role in implementing change and to meet with and observe their peers in partner schools; provided further, that funds may be used for a program to train new reading coaches and reading coach trainers; and provided further, that funds appropriated in this item for this initiative may be expended through June 30, 2012



General Fund 50.000%

FMAP Budget Relief Fund 50.000%


0 400,000

Veto Explanation:   I am vetoing this language and reducing this amount because none of the enhanced FMAP funds have been received from or committed by the federal government.