New Jersey Department of Education

Early Literacy Initiative (SISEP)

Our Vision. In New Jersey, all students will have access to equitable, high-quality, evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices to achieve academic excellence and self-actualization. 

Our Mission. To build state, regional, and district capacity in the adoption, integration, and implementation of evidence-based instructional and behavioral innovations that are effective and sustainable to enhance student learning outcomes. 

Initial Focus. The use of implementation science to build state, regional, and district capacity in the adoption, integration, and implementation of evidence-based instructional practices in early literacy that are effective and sustainable to enhance student learning outcomes. 

“Students who experience difficulty acquiring proficient literacy skills, a central factor at play is often underdeveloped phonemic awareness.” Melby-Lervåg

Rationale for Phonemic Awareness Focus.  

  • Positions students to achieve the alphabetic principle and build strong alphabetic decoding skills. 
  • Identified priority early reading skills that must be taught explicitly. 
  • Phonemic awareness and letter knowledge are the two best early predictors of how easily young children will acquire reading and writing skills (Ehri 2001). 
  • Phonemic awareness assessment and instruction as essential evidence-based components of a comprehensive literacy program.

New Jersey Department of educations timeline for implementation of the early literacy initiative using the SISEP Model 

Anticipated Outcomes. By 2027, New Jersey will increase the percentage of students with IEPs in the Transformation Zone schools who score at or above benchmark on a district-selected literacy assessment tool by a minimum of 10% (compared to baseline) by the end of their third-grade year.  

By utilizing targeted and comprehensive school data and the Implementation Science framework to identify schools, New Jersey will establish literacy "Transformation Zones" that receive intensive coaching and support in early reading. 


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