We know the importance of students reading on grade level by the end of third grade, so the Stand for Children team is collecting feedback through this survey from K-3 early literacy educators, administrators, and support staff, like interventionist. We will not share any identifiable information, including district or school information; we want to ensure we are hearing from educators across Colorado.
As champions of early literacy, we know the importance of educators having the necessary support, tools, and resources, to ensure all children are reading on grade level by the end of third grade. We want to understand how recent early literacy policy changes are working and where additional support is needed.
Educator voice is essential, so ff you are an early literacy educator and/or K-3 classroom administrator, please take a few minutes to share your feedback by completing the survey.
This information will be compiled into materials to report out the views of educators and may be used to inform future policy to support early literacy educators.
About Our Early Literacy Work:
Stand for Children Colorado has a longstanding and deep commitment to improving early literacy outcomes for Colorado students and supporting educators. In 2012, Stand supported the passage of the READ Act, Colorado’s early literacy policy to provide targeted supports for K-3 students reading significantly below grade level. In 2018, we championed HB18-1393, which strengthened the READ Act by increasing funding for Early Literacy Grants and for evidence-based approaches to be used. SB19-199 ensures that evidence-based literacy programming supports teacher training. In 2021, we advocated for the addition of a literacy-specific component to exams for teacher licensure to ensure that training programs prioritize using evidence-based reading approaches. Finally, in 2022, we championed SB22-004, which expands the science of reading training to principals and administrators. These policies were developed after hearing feedback from teachers about changes that would support them, and we are proud to advocate for them alongside educators from across the state.
We have also developed two reports studying early literacy in Colorado: Improving Early Literacy in Colorado: Realizing the Promise of the READ Act (2016) and The State of Literacy In Colorado (2017).