Pupil instruction: third-grade literacy: literacy grant program.

Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, to include certain areas of study, including English, mathematics, social sciences, science, visual and performing arts, health, and physical education, as specified. Existing law requires the study of English to include knowledge of and appreciation for literature and the language, as well as the skills of speaking, reading, listening, spelling, handwriting, and composition. This bill would create the Family and Community Literacy: Supporting Literacy and Biliteracy in Schools, Families, and Communities Grant Program for the purpose of supporting the goal of all of California's pupils reading at grade level by third grade and engaging families at every stage of that process. The bill would require the department to award competitive grants from the California Family Literacy Innovation Project to local educational agencies, as provided. This bill would establish the California Family Literacy Innovation Project, under the administration of the department, in order to support community literacy and educational enrichment by supporting local educational agencies to engage families to improve literacy and biliteracy outcomes. The bill would require the department to award grants of up to $1,900,000 each to at least 25 local educational agencies that conduct a needs assessment and analysis, and design an evidence-based Family Literacy and Biliteracy Innovation Plan, as provided. The bill would require grant recipients to provide annual progress reports to the department, and would require the department to contract with an external evaluator to develop a final report and evaluate program effectiveness, as provided. This bill would make the implementation of its provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute.