Concerned about quality of reading instruction, legislature asks SED to define best practices

Reprinted from OnBoard, the newspaper of the NYS School Boards Association. SAANYS members surveyed.

Moving forward with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “Back to Basics” plan, the enacted state budget directs the State Education Department (SED) to provide school districts with instructional best practices for the teaching of reading in grades PK-3 by Jan. 1, 2025. The legislation specifies that methods must be based on scientific evidence – an approach often called the “science of reading.” …

… Other state governments also have been pushing for change in how reading is taught. “Since 2019, 42 states have passed laws requiring schools or teacher training programs to use research-backed reading strategies,” according to The New York Times.

In New York, updating teaching methods will be a major undertaking in a significant portion of elementary schools in New York State, according to a survey conducted by the School Administrators Association of New York State in May. The survey was sent to 549 elementary principals and 109 responded (20%).

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