Concerned about quality of reading instruction, Legislature asks SED to define best practices


On Board Online • June 10, 2024

By Dr. Gayle Simidian
Communications & Research Specialist
and Eric D. Randall
Editor-In-Chief

Moving forward with Gov. Kathy Hochul's "Back to Basics" plan, the enacted state budget directs the State Education Department (SED) to provide school districts with instructional best practices for the teaching of reading in grades PK-3 by Jan. 1, 2025. The legislation specifies that methods must be based on scientific evidence - an approach often called the "science of reading."

Currently, a majority of schoolchildren lack the ability to read well, according to standardized tests:

  • In 2022, only a third of American fourth graders were able to read at "proficient" or "advanced" levels, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation's Report Card. Twenty-nine percent were sub-par with "basic" skills, and a whopping 37% were categorized as "below NAEP basic."
  • The average reading score among 13-year-olds is at a 40-year low.
  • Less than half of New York State students in grades 3-8 score at levels 3 or 4 (proficient or excelling) on state English language arts tests, with the exception of seventh grade, where 55% of students tested at levels 3 or 4 in the 2022-23 school year.

Students who cannot read by the end of third grade are less likely to graduate, Gov. Kathy Hochul noted in her State of the State address in January. Reading deficiencies are correlated with poorer health and lower levels of economic success, she noted.

Other state governments also have been pushing for change in how reading is taught. "Since 2019, 42 states have passed laws requiring schools or teacher training programs to use research-backed reading strategies," according to The New York Times.

In New York, updating teaching methods will be a major undertaking in a significant portion of elementary schools in New York State, according to a survey conducted by the School Administrators Association of New York State in May. The survey was sent to 549 elementary principals and 109 responded (20%).

One question was: "How much professional development do you anticipate your teachers and staff will need during the next school year to improve reading instruction?" In response, 11% said "total curricular revamping," while 22% said "significant" and 47% said "moderate."

Regarding the need to purchase new books or materials for reading instruction, 20% said "a great deal" and 25% said "significant."

The good news is that 41% of principals said their schools' current teaching methods are consistent with the science of reading, and 51% said teachers use a blend of methods that include the science of reading.

In a space for comments on the survey, one principal wrote: "We are in the first year of implementation of evidence-based curriculum consistent with current science. However, teachers are markedly underprepared with respect to the necessary instructional practices necessary to make the pedagogical shift."

Another principal said it would be a mistake to abandon balanced literacy as interpreted by the Ohio State Literacy Collaborative, writing:

The research is clear, students need to have an understanding of the written code through phonics while also being taught how to make meaning from text . Phonics instruction is important, but we cannot eliminate other critical aspects of literacy instruction for our K-3 students, such as comprehension and vocabulary development. The literacy briefs that SED published do a nice job of summarizing the research and the need for balance.

Read SED's literacy briefs at bit.ly/45bXNHZ .

Reading wars 101

How did we get here? In the 1980s and 1990s, "whole language" was the rage. It focused primarily on recognizing the meaning of words and typically involved students being encouraged to read whatever interests them.

In 1997, Congress formed the National Reading Panel to examine research on reading. The panel identified five key aspects of literacy instruction:

  • Phonemic awareness (to hear and play with sound units).
  • Phonics (how letters are associated with sounds).
  • Oral reading fluency (relates to pace, accuracy and reading affect).
  • Vocabulary (to understand the meaning of words read).
  • Comprehension (to understand the meaning of full texts).

In the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Congress funded these approaches in a $1 billion program called Reading First. After an inspector general report questioned the effectiveness of the program and found favoritism to certain




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