Although Deaf students can be significantly delayed in their expressive and receptive language, we believe they can obtain the state and national standard in literacy. As educators, we are well aware that many parents of our students find it difficult or are unable to communicate with their children. This specific issue continues to create numerous challenges for our students and their teachers. There is overwhelming evidence that we need to increase the reading and writing levels of our students. Without continuous and direct access to language and communication, our students will continue to lack background knowledge and experiences to pull from, limiting their vocabulary and social opportunities.

To meet these challenges, we are starting an initiative for elementary students in which:

The new project is aligned to a rigorous initiative highlighted by the State Education Department and directly linked to the "Reading Excellence Act of 1998," in which teachers use scientifically-based reading program assessments. Within this initiative, teachers assess students throughout the school year, maintain data and modify their student's individual reading instruction based on their findings.