Since 2013, before California overhauled how reading is taught in its elementary and middle schools, the state ranked 47th nationally in fourth-grade reading proficiency on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the Nation’s Report Card. At the time, just 27% of California students scored “proficient” or “advanced” on the exam, which is administered every two years to students across the country.

The following year, the state adopted a new curriculum framework for English language arts that pushed schools toward phonics-based instruction, alongside stronger vocabulary teaching and other foundational reading strategies. Phonics instruction won’t be mandatory statewide until next year, but most districts have already begun incorporating it.

Since then, the state has rolled out new curriculum materials, a dyslexia screening tool, and updated requirements for teacher credentialing programs. Officials also expanded transitional kindergarten and introduced new guidelines for supporting English learners.

Perhaps the most significant investment came in 2023, when the state distributed $500 million in grants to help schools hire literacy coaches and take other steps to strengthen reading instruction. These coaches — typically former teachers with specialized training in reading — work directly with classroom teachers to sharpen how they teach children to read. Last year, the state added $215 million more to the effort, and the most recent state budget includes an additional $350 million for literacy coaching.

The approach echoes what happened in Mississippi, a state that leapt from 49th in the nation in fourth-grade reading in 2013 to 9th place by 2024. Mississippi credits much of that turnaround to literacy coaches and intensive teacher training. While California’s reading framework closely resembles Mississippi’s, the Southern state moved much faster and more aggressively to train teachers, whereas California has phased in its rollout over several years.

Reading scores creep upward

California’s reading scores have improved steadily, if modestly, since 2013. Last year, the state landed roughly in the middle of the pack nationally, with 13 states outperforming California and the rest scoring the same or lower — a shift that also reflects declining reading scores nationwide.

On state assessments, the share of fourth graders reading at grade level rose from 40% in 2014 to 46% last year. Scores had approached 50% before the pandemic, dipped when schools shifted to remote learning, and have been gradually climbing back since.

Fourth grade is considered a critical benchmark in literacy development, since by fifth grade students need solid reading skills to keep pace in subjects like history and science. Children who aren’t reading fluently by fourth grade are more likely to struggle academically in other areas. Research has also linked weak literacy skills in adulthood to higher rates of unemployment and incarceration, among other challenges.

Sarah Novicoff, a researcher with the Public Policy Institute of California, recently studied the state’s literacy investments and found they’ve made a real difference — with one important caveat.

“They’ve clearly had a positive impact,” Novicoff said. “But there’s an opportunity to do even better.”

Novicoff found that nearly 60% of school districts used their grant funding to hire literacy coaches to support teachers, reading specialists to work directly with students, or otherwise expand literacy-focused professional development.

Districts that made those investments saw measurable gains in reading scores, including among English learners, her research found. While results varied from district to district, students overall scored about six points higher on state tests within two years of the investment being made. Novicoff expects those gains to keep growing over time.

Rural districts struggle to find coaches

Not every district was able to hire a literacy coach — not for lack of interest, but for lack of available candidates. Novicoff’s research found that 42% of districts reported difficulty filling these positions.

“I would love to hire a literacy coach,” said Patricia Gunderson, superintendent of the Lassen County Office of Education. “It’s great that the state is offering the funding, but we simply can’t do it. We don’t have the capacity.”

In California’s rural and remote regions, finding qualified literacy coaches has proven nearly impossible, Novicoff found, which has slowed progress in those areas. In Lassen County, near the Nevada border, districts already struggle to find enough credentialed teachers, let alone educators with advanced specialized degrees. Even if schools could hire coaches, there aren’t enough substitute teachers available to cover classrooms while teachers attend training.

Still, Lassen County has found creative workarounds. In 2023, the county organized a weeklong summer training program, paying teachers to learn the new curriculum without disrupting the school year. Gunderson said the effort paid off — state reading scores rose more than 7 percentage points, though they remain below the state average.

In Siskiyou County, along the Oregon border, county superintendent Allan Carver said he welcomes the state’s investment in literacy coaching, but it’s created an unintended side effect: teachers are leaving classrooms to become literacy coaches, possibly drawn by less stressful work or slightly higher pay, leaving teaching vacancies behind.

“We’re trying to solve one problem and, in the process, making the teacher shortage worse,” Carver said. “We need a comprehensive plan for training literacy coaches before we simply hand out funding and set expectations for training.”

In Baldwin Park, in the San Gabriel Valley, Principal Laura Rodriguez said literacy coaching has been a turning point for her school’s reading outcomes. Using a state grant, Tracy Elementary School hired a literacy coach who works closely with teachers, instructional aides and the school’s reading specialist.

The coach, Claudia Barba, leads workshops for teachers and parents, trains aides, assesses students, reviews data and provides feedback to classroom teachers. She also developed a literacy plan that closely examines the root causes behind low reading scores and targets them directly.

“It’s amazing,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve seen a huge difference since we started this. It’s transformed our campus.”

Tracy Elementary, a dual-language immersion program in Spanish and English, primarily serves low-income students, more than 30% of whom are English learners. The school’s literacy plan teaches children to read first in Spanish, then in English, emphasizing vocabulary and phonics in both languages. By third grade — when the state begins administering reading assessments — students are already reading fluently in both languages.

Just two years after hiring its literacy coach, Tracy’s reading scores climbed more than 10 percentage points, with English learners showing significant gains as well. Other measures of school success have improved too: chronic absenteeism dropped from 44% shortly after the pandemic to 11% last year, and math scores are trending upward as well.

“Literacy is the key to everything. If a child can read, they can access knowledge. They start to enjoy school,” Rodriguez said. “They can get a better education.”

Original source: CalMatters

The post California Reading Scores Rise After Literacy Investments — But Can the State Do More? appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The state isn’t experiencing anything close to the so-called “Mississippi Miracle,” in which that state’s reading scores rocketed from near the bottom of national rankings to among the best. But California’s scores have been climbing steadily since officials began rethinking early reading instruction more than a decade ago.

Back in 2013, California ranked 47th in the nation for fourth grade reading proficiency on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the Nation’s Report Card. Just 27% of students tested as proficient or advanced. The following year, the state adopted a new English language arts framework emphasizing phonics and vocabulary-building — the building blocks of reading instruction. While phonics-based teaching won’t be required statewide until next year, most schools have already been shifting toward it.

Since then, California has rolled out new curriculum materials, a dyslexia screening tool, updated teacher training requirements, expanded transitional kindergarten and new support systems for English learners. But arguably the most significant investment came in 2023, when the state set aside $500 million in grants to help schools hire literacy coaches — often former classroom teachers with specialized training — to work directly with teachers on reading instruction. Lawmakers added another $215 million last year, and the newest state budget includes $350 million more for coaching efforts.

Mississippi, meanwhile, jumped from 49th to 9th in the nation over roughly the same period, an improvement officials there attribute largely to intensive teacher training. Its reading framework closely mirrors California’s, though Mississippi moved faster and more aggressively to train its teachers, while California has taken a more gradual approach.

Still, the numbers show progress. California ranked around the middle of the pack nationally on last year’s Nation’s Report Card, with 13 states scoring higher, even as reading scores nationwide have generally declined. On statewide tests, the share of fourth graders reading at grade level rose from 40% in 2014 to 46% last year. Scores dipped during pandemic-era remote learning but have been climbing back since.

Fourth grade is considered a pivotal benchmark, since students who aren’t reading proficiently by then often struggle across other subjects as coursework grows more complex. Research also links low literacy in adulthood to higher rates of unemployment and incarceration.

Sarah Novicoff, a researcher with the Public Policy Institute of California, studied the effects of the state’s literacy investments and found real improvement — though she says there’s clear room to do more.

“They’ve absolutely had a positive impact,” Novicoff said. “But we have an opportunity to do an even better job.”

Her research found that nearly 60% of California school districts used their grant funding to hire literacy coaches, reading specialists or provide additional teacher training. Districts that made those investments saw meaningful gains, including among English learners — an average six-point jump in reading scores within two years, with Novicoff predicting further improvement over time.

However, a substantial number of districts — about 42% — reported they simply couldn’t find literacy coaches to hire, even though funding was available.

“I’d love to hire a literacy coach,” said Patricia Gunderson, superintendent of the Lassen County Office of Education. “It’s great the state is offering the money, but we just can’t do it. We don’t have the capacity.”

In rural and remote regions, the challenge is especially acute. Lassen County, near the Nevada border, struggles even to keep enough credentialed teachers on staff, let alone attract specialists with advanced reading credentials. Finding substitute teachers to cover classrooms while staff attend training sessions has proven just as difficult.

Even so, Lassen has found creative workarounds. In 2023, the district held a paid, weeklong summer training for teachers on the new reading curriculum, avoiding disruption to the school year. Gunderson said the effort paid off — reading scores rose more than seven percentage points, though they still trail the state average.

In Siskiyou County, near the Oregon border, county superintendent Allan Carver said the state’s coaching investment has created an unintended side effect: some teachers are leaving classrooms altogether to become literacy coaches, drawn by less stressful working conditions or slightly higher pay. That’s left new vacancies for districts already struggling with teacher shortages.

“We work to solve one issue and further exacerbate the teacher shortage,” Carver said. “We have to develop the literacy coach pipeline before we simply allocate funds and expectations for training.”

The picture looks different in Baldwin Park, in the San Gabriel Valley, where literacy coaching has transformed outcomes at one elementary school. Principal Laura Rodriguez said Tracy Elementary used its state grant funding to bring on literacy coach Claudia Barba, who works closely with teachers, instructional aides and the school’s reading specialist.

Barba runs workshops for teachers and parents, trains classroom aides, evaluates students’ progress, reviews data and coaches teachers individually. She also developed a customized literacy plan aimed directly at the root causes behind the school’s low reading scores.

“She is amazing,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve seen such a difference since we started this. It has changed our campus.”

Tracy Elementary is a dual-language Spanish-English immersion school serving a mostly low-income student population, with more than 30% classified as English learners. Its literacy approach teaches students to read first in Spanish, then in English, building vocabulary and phonics skills in both languages. By third grade — when the state begins formally testing reading proficiency — most students are fluent readers in both.

Since bringing on the literacy coach two years ago, Tracy’s reading scores have jumped more than 10 percentage points, with strong gains among English learners as well. Chronic absenteeism has plummeted, from 44% shortly after the pandemic to just 11% last year, and math scores have improved too.

“Literacy is the key to everything. If a child can read, they can access knowledge. They start to enjoy school,” Rodriguez said. “They can get a better education.”

Original source: CalMatters

The post California’s Reading Scores Rise as Literacy Investments Pay Off—But Is It Enough? appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.