Sacramento County Office of Education outlines Sacramento County Reads initiative, urges countywide coordination on early literacy

Becky Sullivan, director of K–12 English language arts at the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), presented an overview of Sacramento County Reads and asked local partners to support a countywide approach to early literacy.

Sullivan said the initiative rests on three pillars — teaching and learning, family engagement and community partnerships — and is “grounded in the science of reading.” She explained the initiative’s framework, noting that the “simple view of reading” treats reading comprehension as the product of word recognition and language comprehension: “word recognition times language comprehension equals reading comprehension.”

SCOE shared data showing Sacramento County’s proficiency rates on the California Standards Test (CAST) lag behind statewide averages and emphasized persistent gaps by student group. Sullivan said the county adopted a Sacramento County Reads resolution and has encouraged districts to develop their own commitments; she described a county effort to convene school and district leaders for training and shared guidance.

Sullivan summarized key programs and resources: a five‑year Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialist Educator Training grant serving cohorts of county schools (19 schools initially, with a third cohort adding 11 more), technical assistance and credential pathways in partnership with three universities, a “Getting Reading Right” training series for K–6 and 6–12 educators, monthly office hours to support rollout of the new reading‑difficulties risk screener, and county communications materials for families and partners. She said SCOE is supporting the state’s new requirement that districts adopt an early‑literacy screener for grades K–2 and noted districts must decide how to administer screeners and what interventions to offer when students are flagged.

Sullivan also described community‑facing work: film screenings and family events, a county “community of practice” attended by about 100 leaders, and enrollment in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (about 2,800 children aged 0–5 signed up countywide). She said SCOE is running state grants that reach 800 schools across 250 districts and is part of the statewide Literacy Roadmap work.

Directors on the Sacramento Public Library Authority board responded with questions about how the library system can support the county effort. Board members noted the scope of the challenge: one director called the data “disturbing,” citing that a majority of county students are not reading at grade level and that many teens in county‑run juvenile education programs read far below grade level. Directors discussed partnering on book giveaways, community reading programs and volunteer tutoring, and asked SCOE for materials and event dates so libraries can coordinate outreach and share space for events.

Sullivan said SCOE provides resources and recordings (including a session on the screener with the Diagnostic Center of Northern California) that will be posted to the SCOE YouTube channel, and invited the library board and member cities to participate in upcoming community events and trainings.

Why it matters: SCOE framed the effort as a county‑wide, multi‑year initiative intended to change classroom practice and family engagement patterns to improve early reading outcomes. The presentation identified specific tools (screeners, coach training, credential programs and a data‑driven intervention model) that districts and community partners must use together to reach students earlier.

What’s next: SCOE said it will share links to recorded trainings and the registration for community “coffee” meetings; board members asked staff to consider whether the authority board should adopt a supporting resolution and to explore coordinated library programming and book distribution to help reach families.