Dive Brief:
- States are making progress on science of reading initiatives, resulting in better access to high-quality literacy instructional materials, expanded professional development and dedicated funding streams to help students read at grade level or better, said state education leaders from Indiana, Rhode Island and Texas in a Tuesday webinar hosted by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
- While their states are showing movement toward prioritizing literacy improvements, the state education leaders emphasized the difficult work that it required. This includes multiple years of sustained efforts, consistent monitoring to evaluate progress toward goals, and the struggle to modify other priorities to support states' literacy goals.
- It's important that state education agencies foster consensus building with communities, businesses, educators, parents and higher education institutions, as well as provide other support to help schools and districts increase their science of reading instructional capacity, the leaders said.
Dive Insight:
CCSSO also on Tuesday released two resources on states' work to implement effective literacy initiatives, following up on a 2021 report the organization issued on how states can help improve reading scores.
The first resource provides examples of the progress states have made regarding science of reading policies and instructional practices. It notes an increase in states with science of reading policies or legislation on evidence-based research — from one state (Mississippi) in 2013 to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American Samoa as of February.
The summary also said states have collectively dedicated nearly $900 million in federal COVID-19 emergency funding for literacy initiatives.
The other CCSSO resource is a tool describing state science of reading legislation and implementation, including instructional materials and descriptions of training for educators.
During the CCSSO webinar, Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner explained how the state education agency created heat maps to show literacy rates across the states. Jenner said the maps help educators and other stakeholders better understand where supports are most needed, as well as areas that are meeting and exceeding expectations.
Indiana also worked with parents, teachers and education experts to streamline and reduce state standards in core subject areas by 25% or more. "Basically we were asking teachers to teach all of these things that no human could get done in 180 days," said Jenner, who added the state is planning to have a through-year assessment with key checkpoints school year-round, rather than relying on one final assessment.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island has set a goal to outperform neighboring Massachusetts by 2030, said Angélica Infante-Green, commissioner of elementary and secondary education in Rhode Island. "We will have, hopefully, the highest NAEP [National Assessment of Educational Progress] scores at the end of the day in literacy. That's our goal," Infante-Green said.
The state is taking various actions toward that goal, including understanding how high quality literacy curriculum is being used in classrooms so it can identify barriers and better allocate supports to teachers, Infante-Green said.
Shannon Trejo, Texas Education Agency's deputy commissioner in the Office of School Programs, said the state has made investments in professional development and literacy development for English learners, as well as other initiatives. Texas educators also are focused on preparing students for success after high school.
"Until we place a strong emphasis on foundational literacy skills, and run that all the way through our programming K-12, students will not have access to their post secondary pathway that they need to have," Trejo said.
Also on Tuesday, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued a report calling for action to correct declining literacy rates nationally. The report highlights negative consequences of low literacy attainment, such as higher dropout rates and economic losses.
“If we do not act, the long-term implications will be dire,” said Cassidy in a statement. “While states continue taking meaningful steps in the right direction to improve literacy instruction, more must be done to ensure that students are reading proficiently.”
