The K–12 Literacy Pilot, based on the Louisiana Literacy Plan, is a state-funded initiative intended to provide high-quality literacy instruction concentrated in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The K-12 Literacy Pilot aligns with the Reading First (RF) instructional model for kindergarten through 3rd grade. For 4th through 12th grade, the Literacy Plan implements the recommendations from a report by the Alliance for Excellent Education to Carnegie Corporation of New York, Reading Next: A Vision For Action And Research In Middle And High School Literacy. 

This literacy initiative is currently being piloted in 28 schools in nine school districts. The districts/schools were chosen through a competitive process, and the participating districts are Assumption, Avoyelles, Sabine, St. Bernard and West Baton Rouge (cohort 1), and East Feliciana, Lafourche, Recovery School District (RSD) and Tangipahoa (cohort 2).

The 2006-07 school year was the first year of the pilot, and a total of 15 schools from five school districts participated. In 2007-08, four additional districts joined, bringing the total number of schools to 28. The majority of the action steps addressed two areas: getting the targeted professional development and resources to the selected schools.

While a full, year-long implementation did not begin until 2008-09, the results are still promising and encouraging.

The Picard Center is the external evaluator for Louisiana's K–12 Literacy Pilot. The Center gathers not only outcome test score data for the evaluation, but is investigating all aspects of the implementation to determine whether the program is implemented with fidelity to the requirements set out in the State's plan.

See Also:

   Ensuring Literacy for All

   Reading First