Pittsburgh will be one of 11 sites in the country this summer to test a program designed to keep students from losing the reading skills they gained over the school year.

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige will be at Spring Hill Elementary School tomorrow to formally announce the city district's participation in the program.

Through the "Summer Reading Achievers" program, children in kindergarten through eighth grade will receive prizes if they read 10 books during the summer and write brief reports for each book. Companies and organizations will provide prizes and other incentives.

The program began last year with 18,000 students in the Atlanta Public Schools.

First Published: April 20, 2004, 4:00 a.m.