Proficiency in reading for all students is essential for establishing equity in schools. Students who are not proficient in reading are much more likely to drop out of school or graduate with a subpar education which in turn increases the probability that as adults they will have diminished employment and opportunities to fully participate and contribute to our nation’s economy.

The Science of Reading has been a recent topic of discussion in both the national media and in educational literature. There is substantial evidence, over many years of education research, that we know what it takes to teach all students to read on or above grade level (Fien, Chard, & Baker, 2021; National Reading Panel, 2000; Seindenberg, M.S., Borkenhagen, M.C., & Kernss, D. M., 2020; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). The Science of Reading is built on five decades of extensive research on how proficiency in reading is developed (The Reading League, 2022). Proficiency in reading is essential to success in school and we have the information to teach all students to read on or above grade level. We must do this now!

We must do whatever it takes to ensure all students are reading on or above grade level. Therefore, we must teach in ways that are research proven and ensure all students master the components of the science of reading. The science of reading includes the reading skills or competencies that students must learn in order to read and comprehend rigorous text.  Reading instruction that follows the science of reading includes:

• Teaching students to manipulate phonemes in words
• Explicit and systematic phonics instruction with application
• Explicit oral and written vocabulary development for comprehension, including the academic language of the various disciplines.
• Experiences reading a large variety of rigorous text and engaging in robust conversations with peers around text.
• Comprehension and metacognition strategies taught so that there is an exchange of ideas between the reader and the text. Explicit instruction in monitoring comprehension and what to do when comprehension breaks down. (The Reading League, 2022; Holmes, G., 2023)

I worry that the Science of Reading is being represented to the general public and to educators as teaching phonemic awareness and phonics only. That is what you see and hear about in the national news stories. Phonics is an essential component of learning to read, but it is not sufficient in itself.  The science of reading also includes vocabulary development, academic literacy, and explicit instruction and practice in comprehension and metacognition strategies.

In addition, the instructional strategies used to teach these necessary reading skills must be research proven strategies that include all students in learning and mastering grade level skills.  Instruction that includes explicit or direct instruction of the targeted skills from simple to complex with plenty of guided practice that includes rich student to student and student to teacher interactions such as in cooperative learning. Once again, I worry that the emphasis on phonics, glosses over how critical and possible it is to ensure all students are being supported in achieving grade level reading skills, not just phonics skills.

If the knowledge from the Science of Reading is used to teach every student the necessary components of reading with proven instructional strategies, then many more children will be proficient readers.  If we distill the science of reading down to phonics only or leveled reading, or endless worksheets, once again we will fail to ensure all our children become proficient readers.  If we fail to understand that instruction needs to be explicit with lots of practice provided with a variety of rigorous and authentic grade level texts, once again we will fail to ensure all our children become proficient readers.  Or if we fail to understand that proven instruction includes plenty of opportunities for interaction and exchange of ideas between teacher and students, we will again fail our students. Remember literacy is the exchange of ideas, both written and oral, not just the ability to decode individual words.

Using what we know about the Science of Reading is a huge opportunity to create equity in our schools so that no students receive a marginal education. However, it is up to us as educators to make sure that what we have learned over decades about how children learned to read is fully applied from phonics to metacognition with instructional strategies that have also been proven to work time and time again.

Note: Schools desiring to help their educators learn how to teach the components identified in the science of reading, using proven instructional strategies, should check out the Success for All Reading Program. It is a program proven over and over again in rigorous research studies and includes robust professional learning.

References: 

Fien, H., Chard, D. J. & Baker S. K. (2021). Can the evidence revolution and multi-tiered systems of support improve education equity and reading achievement? Reading Research Quarterly, 56(S1), S105-S118.

Holmes, G. (2023). Equity in our schools: Ensuring marginalized students achieve at a high level. Rowman and Littlefield.

National Reading Panel (2000). Report of the national reading panel: Teaching children to read. Executive summary and report of the subgroups. U.S. Department of Health and Human Service: National Institutes of Health. Retrieved on August 8, 2021 at https://www.nichd.hih.gov/about/org/der/branches/cdbb/nationalreadingpanelpubs

Seidenberg, M. S., Borkenhagen, M. C. & Kearns, D. M. (2020). Lost in translation: Challenges in connecting reading science and educational practice. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S119-S130.

Snow, C. E.; Burns, M. S.; Griffin, P. (Eds) (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children, Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

The Reading League. (2022). Science of Reading: Defining Guide. https://www.thereadingleague.org/what-is-thescience-of-reading/

This blog is written by Dr. GwenCarol Holmes, a long-time educator and passionate advocate for all students mastering rigorous standards.