(a) The Commissioner of Education shall establish, within available appropriations, an early reading success grant program to assist local and regional boards of education for priority school districts and school districts in which priority elementary schools are located in: (1) Establishing full-day kindergarten programs; (2) reducing class size in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, to not more than eighteen students; and (3) establishing intensive early intervention reading programs, including after-school and summer programs, for students identified as being at risk of failing to learn to read by the end of first grade and students in grades one to three, inclusive, who are reading below grade level. Eligibility for grants pursuant to this section shall be determined for a five-year period based on a school district’s designation as a priority school district or as a school district in which a priority elementary school is located for the initial year of application. In order to receive a grant, an eligible board of education shall submit a plan for the expenditure of grant funds, in accordance with this section, to the Department of Education, at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes. An eligible school district may receive a grant for one or more purposes pursuant to subdivisions (1) to (3), inclusive, of this subsection, provided at least fifty per cent of any grant funds received by such school district are used for programs pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection. If the commissioner determines the school district is addressing the issue of early reading intervention sufficiently, the commissioner may allow the school district to set aside a smaller percentage of the funds received pursuant to this section for such programs.

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(b) (1) In the case of proposals for full-day kindergarten programs, the plan shall include: (A) Information on the number of full-day kindergarten classes that will be offered initially and the number of children to be enrolled in such classes; (B) how the board anticipates expanding the number of full-day kindergarten programs in future school years; (C) the number of additional teachers needed and any additional equipment needed for purposes of such programs; (D) a description of any proposed school building project that is related to the need for additional space for full-day kindergarten programs, including an analysis of the different options available to meet such need, such as relocatable classrooms, the division of existing classrooms, an addition to a building or new construction; (E) information on the curriculum for the full-day kindergarten program pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection; (F) information on coordination between the full-day kindergarten program and school readiness programs for the purpose of providing (i) information concerning transition from preschool to kindergarten, including the child’s preschool records, and (ii) before and after school child care for children attending the full-day kindergarten program; and (G) any additional information the commissioner deems relevant.

(2) A full-day kindergarten program that receives funding pursuant to this subsection shall: (A) Include language development and appropriate reading readiness experiences; (B) provide for the assessment of a student’s progress; (C) include a professional development component in the teaching of reading and reading readiness and assessment of reading competency for kindergarten teachers; (D) provide for parental involvement; and (E) refer eligible children who do not have health insurance to the HUSKY Health program.

(c) (1) In the case of proposals for the reduction of class size in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, to not more than eighteen students the plan shall include: (A) A time frame for achieving such reduction in class size; (B) information on the class size in such grades at each school at the time of application for the grant and the number of classes to be reduced in size with grant funds; (C) the number of additional teachers needed and any additional equipment needed; (D) a description of any proposed school building project related to the need for additional space for smaller classes, including an analysis of the different options available to meet such need such as relocatable classrooms, the division of existing classrooms, an addition to a building or new construction; (E) an estimate of the costs associated with implementation of the plan; and (F) any additional information the commissioner deems relevant.

(2) If a school district accepts funds pursuant to this subsection, such school district shall limit the class size of classes in which core curriculum is taught in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, in accordance with its plan to eighteen or less students, provided students who enroll after October first in any school year are not included for purposes of such count.

(d) In the case of proposals for intensive early intervention reading programs including after-school and summer programs, the plan shall: (1) Incorporate the competencies required for early reading success, critical indicators for teacher intervention and the components of a high quality early reading success curriculum in accordance with the findings of the Early Reading Success Panel delineated in section 10-221l; (2) provide for a period of time each day of individualized or small group instruction for each student; (3) provide for monitoring of programs and students and follow-up in subsequent grades, documentation of continuous classroom observation of students’ reading behaviors and establishment of performance indicators aligned with the mastery examinations, under section 10-14n, measures of efficacy of programs developed by the department pursuant to subsection (i) of this section, the findings of the Early Reading Success Panel pursuant to section 10-221j; (4) include a professional development component for teachers in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, that emphasizes the teaching of reading and reading readiness and assessment of reading competency based on the findings of the Early Reading Success Panel pursuant to section 10-221j; (5) provide for on-site teacher training and coaching in the implementation of research-based reading instruction delineated in section 10-221l; (6) provide for parental involvement and ensure that parents have access to information on strategies that may be used at home to improve prereading or reading skills; (7) provide for data collection and program evaluation; and (8) include any additional information the commissioner deems relevant. Each school district that receives grant funds under this section shall annually report to the Department of Education on the district’s progress toward reducing the achievement gap in reading, including data on student progress in reading and how such data have been used to guide professional development and the coaching process.

(e) (1) The model programs established pursuant to section 10-265j shall be funded from the amount appropriated for purposes of this section. The department shall use ninety per cent of the remaining funds appropriated for purposes of this section for grants to priority school districts. Priority school districts shall receive grants based on their proportional share of the sum of the products obtained by multiplying the number of enrolled kindergarten students in each priority school district for the year prior to the year the grant is to be paid, by the ratio of the average percentage of free and reduced price meals for all severe need schools in such district to the minimum percentage requirement for severe need school eligibility. (2) The department shall use nine per cent of such remaining funds for competitive grants to school districts in which a priority elementary school is located. In awarding grants to school districts in which priority elementary schools are located, the department shall consider the town wealth, as defined in subdivision (26) of section 10-262f, of the town in which the school district is located, or in the case of regional school districts, the towns which comprise the regional school district. Grants received by school districts in which priority elementary schools are located shall not exceed one hundred thousand dollars and shall be used for the appropriate purpose at the priority elementary school. (3) The department may retain up to one per cent of such remaining funds for coordination, program evaluation and administration.

(f) No funds received pursuant to this section shall be used to supplant federal, state or local funding to the local or regional boards of education for programs for grades kindergarten to three, inclusive.

(g) Expenditure reports shall be filed with the department as requested by the commissioner. School districts shall refund (1) any unexpended amounts at the close of the program for which the grant is awarded, and (2) any amounts not expended in accordance with the approved grant application.

(h) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009, the amount available for the competitive grant program pursuant to this section shall be one million eight hundred fifty thousand dollars and the maximum administrative amount shall not be more than three hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred forty-six dollars.

(i) (1) The Department of Education shall develop measures of efficacy of the early reading intervention programs employed by grant recipients under this section and the department shall list programs that are efficacious and make such list available to grant recipients. Not later than January 1, 2008, the department shall report the measures of efficacy and the list of efficacious programs to the Governor and the General Assembly, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.

(2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and each fiscal year thereafter, using the measures developed pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, the Department of Education shall determine the efficacy of the early reading intervention program employed by each grant recipient pursuant to this section. If any grant recipient is determined to be employing a program that is not shown to be effective, the department shall require the grant recipient to employ a program listed as efficacious by the department pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection.