In April 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul pledged to overhaul the state’s literacy approach, aiming to improve third-grade reading proficiency from 45% to at least 60%. She announced this initiative, known as “Back to Basics,” alongside newly signed budget legislation designed to ensure that every school district implements the “science of reading.” This method stresses phonics, emphasizing the connection between letters and sounds.
The budget allocated $10 million to retrain 20,000 teachers, with funds directed to the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) for course development. However, literacy experts criticized the course content for not reflecting the latest research and for promoting outdated teaching strategies. They argue that the course still relies heavily on “balanced literacy,” which includes the three-cueing system. This system encourages students to guess words using context clues and pictures, rather than focusing solely on phonics.
Data shows New York’s reading scores are declining while states such as Mississippi and Louisiana, which have invested in evidence-based literacy methods, are seeing improvement. Critics like Susan Neuman of New York University have pointed out numerous inaccuracies in the NYSUT course, questioning the state’s investment in it.
The “Back to Basics” plan aims to eliminate balanced literacy practices, replacing them with structured literacy rooted in phonics and comprehensive reading techniques. Despite this, over 20% of New York school districts continue to use non-evidence-based or mixed literacy curricula. Experts caution against mixing literacy approaches, suggesting it raises cognitive demands on students and hampers learning.
Anne, a parent in New York, shared her experience with the balanced literacy approach in her children’s school, noting that it led to guessing rather than decoding when reading. After switching to structured literacy tutoring, her children made significant progress, although the cost remains a concern.
Some state legislators have proposed bills to establish a list of evidence-based reading curricula and require teacher training in these methods. However, these bills remain stalled in committee. Meanwhile, a federal bill is under consideration that would limit funding to programs using the three-cueing approach.
Governor Hochul’s administration stated that the NYSUT training is under refinement to ensure it aligns with the science of reading. Despite past inaction, New York is gradually making strides towards improving its literacy instruction methods, though much work remains.
Source: The Hechinger Report
Read Original:
https://hechingerreport.org/new-york-ten-million-reading-instruction/
