Thanks for joining the conversation. We had fun during our first Reddit AMA.

Unfortunately, we're out of time for today. Thank you so much for your questions. Check out our California literacy coverage here.

Plus, we recently held a roundtable discussion on what parents and teachers can do to help their children and students learn how to read by third grade. Watch here.

While the SOR approach is ascendant, now there are many educators who remain true believers in balanced literacy, particularly followers of Lucy Calkins and the Units of Study.

You touched on a valid issue. Teachers who think SOR too will pass 1) need to see the evidence that it works; 2) receive continued funding for training like LETRS from the state. California simply has not invested money in early literacy and early numeracy instruction and coaching. It's hard work that needs more support than teachers have received.

Schools do their own assessments of early literacy. Ask your teacher. But many parents simply assess at home by listening to their child read and going with your gut. Are they looking for clues in the picture? Do they understand what they are reading? You know your child better than anyone.

I find it very hopeful that there is such a huge grassroots movement out there trying to solve the literacy crisis, one classroom at a time, parents and teachers inspired to seek their own solutions.

Also model the behavior you wish to see. Parents have to put down their own devices or they undermine their own message.

I think you have an answer to your own question. I have more hope than you.

And fund the book that captures kids' own special interests. Show how it's much more interesting than they can get on mobile.

>Where and how can parents find out whether their children are on track to be good readers? How can they get valid and reliable assessment results for phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary? Informed parents want to know!

That’s tough in an increasingly online world where there is certainly lots of computer time in the classroom. But many families are holding the line at home, limiting screen time and delaying introduction of phones and Ipads until the child is already an avid reader. The wait until 12 movement is a prime example of this.

Following the money must be done locally. That's where the decisions are made, not at the state level.

My fingers don't work fast enough to keep up with your questions ...

Not at all. We love the questions.

While many reading advocates would urge the state to take a leadership role in championing the SOR, there are others who believe that local control should always come first.

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing adopted standards based on SOR last fall. All schools giving credentialing must start teaching using them in the fall of 2024. Will CTC monitor and threaten if they don't? I am sure you have thoughts about that ...

There seems to be little appetite in California for mandating SOR, although many other states are doing so. Teacher training is at the core of the issue. Many teachers are learning the science of reading on their own time and on their own dime because they feel they have not been well served by their training programs.

As I mentioned, the state is agnostic on curriculums. However, Gov. Newsom has proposed $ 1 million for a "Literacy Roadmap" to guide teachers and the school board. The bill expanding on it specifically mentions the science of reading and the five key elements of sound reading instruction. This will move the state closer to taking a clear and concise position on effective instruction. It will not be a mandate, however. We'll see what it looks like a year from now.

You can read our literacy coverage here: https://edsource.org/2022/californias-reading-dilemma/672845

In California, there is a list of approved curriculums, but it is outdated and tied to the Common Core standards, not whether it is based on the science of reading. Districts can choose whatever they want.

That’s a great way to build background knowledge, which is crucial to prospering in school as texts grow more complex and abstract.

Letting kids read what they choose to read is key to building enthusiasm. But parents can read to their children as well, at all ages, so that they are exposed to literature that might be too challenging for them but will expose them to more sophisticated fare. Read alouds should continue long beyond the child learning to read, many experts advise.

>How much does what you're reading at home with kids matter? When my younger brother was learning to read, he only wanted to read Star Wars books, and my parents were just not onboard with that until a teacher told them "it's not what kids read, it's that kids read." Do most experts agree that's true and that the content is not as relevant as the fact kids are reading?

There’s absolutely a compelling case to be made for the arts as a way to teach literacy, the joy of reading, the love of language. There’s also a lot of research suggesting the connection between learning music and boosted spatial reasoning, a pillar of math.

Low reading scores predate the pandemic and have been accentuated by it. Scores dropped nationwide in 2022 compared to 2019. On the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, 31% of CA students at or above proficient in 4th grade reading

Also, go to the principal, then the school board to ask how the school is doing on its reading assessments and how much phonics is emphasized in the curriculum

Reading in the Brain is a great book on the neurology behind the science of reading.

>Hello! Are you answering questions about the science of reading?

Yes, what is your question?