Independent Evaluation of Colorado READ Act: Per-Pupil Funding

Prepared for the Colorado Department of Education in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025

The Colorado State Legislature passed the Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act in 2012 and updated the Act in 2019. The revised Act requires an independent evaluation to identify and assess strategies that the state, local districts, and schools have taken to support Colorado students in achieving proficiency in reading.

APA, in partnership with WestEd and RTI, entered the sixth and final year of the statewide evaluation of the Colorado READ Act and Early Literacy Grant (ELG), marking the culmination of a multi-year effort to understand how state investments in early literacy are implemented and experienced across districts, schools, and classrooms. This year’s work has focused on synthesizing longitudinal trends, examining the sustainability of district- and school-level practices, and integrating insights from years of quantitative analysis, site visits, educator interviews, and stakeholder feedback. APA is analyzing how shifts in policy, professional development, curriculum adoption, intervention models, and funding structures have shaped literacy instruction and outcomes for K–3 students statewide. The final report will distill lessons learned, highlighting promising practices, persistent challenges, and opportunities to strengthen coherence, equity, and instructional capacity as Colorado continues to refine its early literacy strategy.

Each contracted year, a final evaluation summary report is provided: