Key points:
- Educators can’t give up, despite hard work to be done in reading instruction
- Science, math, history teachers–we’re all reading teachers now
- NAEP scores show disheartening trends for the lowest-performing students
- For more news on reading scores, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub
Millions–probably billions–of dollars invested. Not to mention the blood, sweat, and tears of hundreds of thousands of teachers. And yet, we are facing yet another heartbreaking report on student performance in reading.
By now, you have probably heard or read about the just-released 2024 NAEP reading scores, which reveal a continued downward trend. Reading scores dropped five 5 points for both 4th and 8th graders from 2019 to 2024, and two points just from 2022, with no evidence of recovery from pandemic-era learning loss.
The question on everyone’s mind is “why,” and it would seem the answer is a complex one, with myriad factors named, including: absenteeism, overuse of devices, teacher burnout, student behavior, lack of motivation, lack of parental involvement, poverty, continuing effects of virtual learning, misuse of funding, teacher shortages, and lack of resources. While most, if not all, of these are likely factors, and the analyses of “why” will continue, the prominent question for many of us is: Why, with so many states now signed on to the science of reading, do we still have this significant literacy crisis?
Those of us immersed in the science of reading research and in putting evidence-aligned resources into the world feel like we have been working hard, that we’ve made gains, that the more than 41 states where science-of-reading legislation is in place are moving the needle, that professional learning is changing practice, and that balanced literacy resources are no longer being used. And let’s not forget the conferences, podcasts, publications, and media reporting that would seem to indicate that all roads lead to the science! But is that actually true?
So, while we have all been WORKING HARD, the truth is that we still have a long way to go. There are still many levers that need to be pulled before we are ALL rowing in the same direction. There are institutions of higher education in which teachers are not learning instructional practices aligned with the research. There are balanced literacy and whole-language instructional resources that dominate the market. While there is legislation, it may be too new, too vague, or lacking accountability to really measure the impact. Leadership, community, targeted funding are all areas which need our attention.
So where do we go from here? Here are some suggestions for how we move forward:
- Stay the course on following the evidence. While the evidence is not static or unchanging, continuing to humbly follow the evidence will ultimately serve us well.
- Attend to success stories. There are a lot of them out there. Learn from places where they have moved the needle, such as South Western School District in Hanover, Penn.
- Form coalitions. Louisiana is the only state that showed an upward trend in 4th grade scores, and its comprehensive approach included partnerships between organizations such as the DoE, Louisiana Literacy Advisory Committee, The Center for Literacy and Learning, and school districts committed to change.
- At a school-district level, honestly appraise all students’ reading performance and commit to transformative literacy change, knowing that this is a multi-year commitment. It takes courage to lead change like this and knowing the phases for change based in implementation science helps.
- Be relentless in choosing evidence-aligned (with the science of reading research) and evidence-based (proven to work through rigorous efficacy studies conducted by independent researchers in real schools and classrooms) instructional resources and to give up what is not working. Pull weeds to plant flowers.
You know the adage that change takes time. Well, it is true. For some of us, our somewhat myopic worldview would lead us to believe that the research on reading is well-known and dominates practice, but that just isn’t true. Many places are just instituting evidence-aligned instruction in the early grades, which WILL reap benefits. We have a long way to go, as these recent scores illustrate. But the stakes are too high to give into the heartbreak. There is work to be done.
Millions–probably billions–of dollars invested. Not to mention the blood, sweat, and tears of hundreds of thousands of teachers. And yet, we are facing yet another heartbreaking report on student performance in reading. eSchool Media, Featured on eSchool News, Innovative Teaching, Literacy, dollars, educators, instruction, NAEP, news, reading, reading instruction, student, student performance, student reading eSchool News