state chamber of OKCatapult Learning’s Literacy First™, a professional development and job-embedded coaching program, is featured on the Member Spotlight page of the State Chamber of Oklahoma’s website. Literacy First is a research-based framework of best practices and strategies designed to build teacher capacity to create a literacy-rich environment that motivates and engages students in their own learning. Since 1998, Literacy First has been an integral part of the culture in over 100 Oklahoma schools, and consultants are currently working in 35 schools throughout the state. The three-year process, which includes professional development, job-embedded coaching, and curricular materials, has experienced significant success in schools throughout Oklahoma.

Between 2009 and 2012, the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (OCTP) conducted a large independent study to ascertain the effectiveness of the Literacy First program. Based on their findings, OCTP stated, “Literacy First has made a difference for many students, teachers, and schools across Oklahoma, as evidenced by the data.” The data confirmed that the 43 Literacy First schools significantly outperformed the state’s control group in both teacher performance and student outcomes.

In Spring 2014, every third grade student at Lanier Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, passed the state reading test. Lanier’s principal Robert Morris cited Literacy First as a key factor in the success of his economically and ethnically diverse student population.

In the 2013−14 school year, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) awarded Catapult Learning a $445,000 grant, which funded the implementation of Literacy First in 15 schools. For the 2014−15 school year, Catapult Learning received a $1.29 million grant from the OSDE, which expanded Literacy First to more than 25 Oklahoma schools. The OSDE competitive grant allowed Literacy First to expand its reach from elementary schools to include early childhood programs, middle schools, and high schools in Oklahoma.

More information about Literacy First can be found here.