Below, you'll find some of the biggest science of reading stories from the month of November. The topic of evidence-based literacy instruction continues to gain traction in mainstream publications, and more and more states are pushing forward with high-quality literacy resources and PD. Take a look at some highlights below!
How Legislation on Reading Instruction is Changing Across the Country (APM Reports) A growing number of states are passing legislation requiring school districts to adopt reading curriculum that is backed by scientific evidence. Currently, six states have general guidance about evidence-based programs, fourteen states offer advisory lists of curricula that meet state requirements, and twelve states maintain state-mandated lists. Additionally, at least twenty-six states have passed laws intended to help teachers learn about the science of reading.
Nation’s Second-Largest School System Plans to ‘Embrace’ the Science of Reading (Education Week) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is working to implement the science of reading within the Los Angeles Unified School District, and is calling on other school districts and teacher preparation programs to do the same. While the California Department of Education has not mandated specific instructional approaches for literacy, a new $250 million initiative has been established to bring reading coaches and specialists
to high-needs schools. Advocates assert that more is needed to ensure best practices are implemented throughout the state.
Want Kids To Be Better Readers And Writers? Look To Cognitive Science (Forbes) If you've taken any of our professional development, you've heard us talk about cognitive load and its importance in reading instruction. When applied to literacy development, cognitive load theory explains why being able to decode effortlessly and automatically are essential to comprehension. When the brain is trying to take in new information, it does so through working memory. Without automatic decoding skills, the brain has minimal cognitive capacity to comprehend the meaning of a text. Natalie Wexler breaks this down further in this Forbes article.
Is Dyslexia Genetic? Study Identifies 42 Genes Tied to the Learning Disorder (ADDitude) A genome-wide association study has identified 42 genes that are responsible for dyslexia. Previous family-based studies have suggested dyslexia heritability of up to 70%, without much information regarding genetics. While most of the genetic variation underlying dyslexia remain undiscovered, researchers are hopeful that findings will "expand diagnostic capabilities, facilitating earlier identification of individuals prone to dyslexia and co-occurring disorders for specific
support."
Did any of these stories pique your interest? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
What We're Working On
We spent time with DCPS principals before the holiday talking about how to improve phonemic awareness in kindergarten and first grade.
For Tier 1 instruction, we focused on their implementation of Heggerty, and for Tier 2, we dove deep into DIBELS PSF data.
Check out what they had to say!
In Case You Missed It
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The Literacy Architects is a team of current and former reading specialists, literacy coaches, PreK-2nd grade teachers, secondary ELA teachers, dyslexia practitioners, school principals, district literacy directors, and chief academic officers.
We support practices such as explicit and systematic phonemic awareness and phonics instruction, needs-based small group instruction, and close reading lessons with grade-level texts.
