The Basic Literacy Test (BLT) is administered to students in grades K-3 three times per year. The BLT assesses decoding skills, sight words and reading comprehension.

Reading First schools use the basal reader books and other materials purchased with Reading First grant funds from the Reading First materials list available through the Georgia Department of Education.

Parents, as well as community members, are encouraged to become volunteer reading tutors who tutor students on a weekly basis. In addition, parents are included on each Reading First school advisory committee, which oversees the program at the individual school sites.

Reading First was designed to address the Quality Core Curriculum requirements at each grade level in language arts.

Professional development is provided to teachers in teaching decoding skills, using the basal reading program and teaching comprehension strategies. All personnel involved in the Reading First program are required to complete 30 hours of staff development during the school year. Three thousand teachers received professional development in comprehension in summer 2001. This training equipped each participant to "redeliver" the identical training to the staff at their school.