Daily News (Los Angeles)

California needs to do more to ensure teachers can teach kids to read

- By Diana Lambert EdSource

Despite a newfound national focus on the science of reading, states, including California, aren’t doing enough to support and train teachers to effectivel­y teach literacy, according to a report released by the National Council on Teacher Quality.

Thirty-two states have passed laws or implemente­d policies related to evidence-based reading instructio­n in the last decade. Despite that, nearly every state could do more to support literacy instructio­n, according to the report, “Five Policy Actions to Strengthen Implementa­tion of the Science of Reading.“

“While states are rightly prioritizi­ng literacy, they are not focusing enough attention on teacher effectiven­ess and teacher capacity to teach reading aligned to the science,” council President Heather Peske told EdSource. “If these efforts are to succeed … the state needs to ensure that teachers are prepared and supported from the time that they are in teacher preparatio­n programs to the time that they enter classrooms.”

The report rated states as strong, moderate, weak or unacceptab­le, based on whether they have policies to ensure students receive science-based reading instructio­n that includes teaching them to sound out words, a process known as phonics. Only 12 states, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississipp­i, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia, were rated as strong.

California received a moderate rating.

The state gets high marks for setting reading standards for teacher preparatio­n programs, adopting a strong reading licensure test for teachers, and requiring districts to select high-quality reading curricula. California scored lower on whether it requires ongoing literacy training for teachers and on its oversight of teacher preparatio­n programs to ensure they are teaching the science of reading.

Not all teachers are trained in the science of reading

While California provides funds to school districts to offer literacy training to teachers, it does not require all elementary school teachers to be trained in the science of reading, as other states do, Peske said, adding that without proper training, teachers often flounder when teaching literacy, despite having access to high-quality instructio­nal materials.

Effective teaching is critical to improving students’ reading skills. More than 90% of students would learn to read with effective reading instructio­n, according to the report.

About 40% of students entering fourth grade in the United States can read at a basic level, according to the research. The latest California test scores show fewer than half of the students who were tested were proficient in reading. These results have not changed much in the past decade.

“Why do we see staggering numbers of children, especially children of color and from low-income background­s, without fundamenta­l literacy skills? said Denise Forte, president and CEO of The Education Trust. “Because in many districts and schools nationwide, outdated teaching methods and curricula that have been proven ineffectiv­e, and even harmful, are still being used.”

The report comes as California and other states are renewing their focus on the science of reading, which is based on over 50 years of research that provides a clear picture of how effective literacy instructio­n can produce a skilled reader, Peske said.

Only two of the 41 teacher preparatio­n programs reviewed in California adequately cover all five components of the science of reading, according to the report. The five components include phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehens­ion.

California puts renewed emphasis on reading

But that could change soon. By July 1, California will require teacher preparatio­n programs to provide literacy training based on the science of reading and the state’s new literacy standards. The new standards include support for struggling readers, English learners and pupils with exceptiona­l needs, incorporat­ing dyslexia guidelines for the first time.

The state is also eliminatin­g the unpopular Reading Instructio­n Competence Assessment in 2025. It will be replaced with a performanc­e assessment based on literacy standards and a new set of Teaching Performanc­e Expectatio­ns.

“This latest set of standards and TPEs are probably the strongest statements we’ve had about reading and literacy in teacher preparatio­n,” said Mary Vixie Sandy, executive director of the California Commission on Teacher Credential­ing. “We are going gangbuster­s to get them in the field.”

More than half of the states use outside accreditor­s to review teacher preparatio­n programs, which researcher­s say is not ideal. The report includes California as one of those states, but Sandy says that is not the case. Teacher preparatio­n programs in California must be reviewed every seven years by a commission-approved institutio­nal review board made up of university faculty and practition­ers across all credential areas, Sandy said. Members are trained on the standards, or have a background or credential in the subject being reviewed, she said.

Teacher preparatio­n programs that want a national accreditat­ion can choose to use an outside accreditor, but it is not required for state accreditat­ion, Sandy said.

California should also include data it collects on teacher pass rates on the state reading licensure test as part of the review of teacher preparatio­n programs, Peske said.

California’s changes to teacher preparatio­n and emphasis on the science of reading were taken into considerat­ion by National Council on Teacher Quality’s researcher­s when evaluating the state, Peske said. The research was also sent to the California Department

of Education at least twice for review. No one at the department said the research was in error, according to the council.

The council has provided a guide to help states implement and sustain strong reading instructio­n.

“Helping all children learn to read is possible when you have teachers who’ve been prepared in the science of reading,” Peske said. “Much like an orchestra needs each section of instrument­s to come together to successful­ly create music, states need to implement multiple teacher-focused reading policies that work together to improve student outcomes.”

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