Reading First Impact Study (RFIS) 2004-2007

This report presents findings from the third and final year of the Reading First Impact Study (RFIS), a congressionally mandated evaluation of the federal government’s $1.0 billion-per-year initiative to help all children read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (PL 107-110, Title I, Part B, Subpart 1) established Reading First (RF) and mandated its evaluation. This evaluation is being conducted by Abt Associates and MDRC with collaboration from RMC Research, Rosenblum-Brigham Associates, Westat, Computer Technology Services, DataStar, Field Marketing Incorporated, and Westover Consulting, under the oversight of the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES). This report examines the impact of Reading First funding on 248 schools in 13 states and includes 17 school districts and one statewide program for a total of 18 sites. The study includes data from three school years: 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07. The Reading First Impact Study was commissioned to address the following questions: 1) What is the impact of Reading First on student reading achievement? 2) What is the impact of Reading First on classroom instruction? 3) What is the relationship between the degree of implementation of scientifically based reading instruction and student reading achievement?