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.