Virginia is rated as “strong” in having the right policies in place to assist educators in teaching students to read, according to a new report from the think tank National Council on Teacher Quality.
The report rated each state against a series of policy actions that it said strengthen teachers’ reading instruction. They included setting specific reading standards for teacher preparation programs, reviewing teacher preparation programs to make sure they include the Science of Reading, using a strong elementary reading licensure test, requiring school divisions to pick a high-quality reading curriculum, and providing professional learning for teachers to sustain the implementation of the Science of Reading.
The Science of Reading is a phonics-based approach to teaching reading.
Heather Peske, NCTQ’s president, said the criteria were selected to determine how states are preparing teachers to teach students to read.
Virginia received the “strong” rating across all five indicators, though the report found that the state doesn’t publish any pass rate data on reading licensure tests or include licensure pass rate data as part of a preparation program renewal process.
“Virginia ranks significantly above the national average, with strong ratings in each of the five policy actions,” Peske told WTOP. “Virginia is a state that many states can learn from.”
Many states, Peske said, are shifting toward using the Science of Reading approach, but in order for it to be successful, “states have to ensure that teachers are prepared and also supported to implement and sustain scientifically-based reading instruction.”
Maryland and D.C., meanwhile, received “moderate” overall ratings. In Maryland’s case, Peske said the state is “weak in reviewing teacher preparation programs to ensure they teach the Science of Reading.”
The state also “could strengthen their work to ensure that districts and teachers are using high quality curriculum,” Peske said, adding that Maryland doesn’t have a policy that requires school divisions to publish the curriculum they’re using.
Maryland also doesn’t publish district-level information about the curriculum used in each school division on the state website.
In a news release, Carey Wright, Maryland’s interim state superintendent, said, “The path to ensuring a future where every teacher is equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively teach reading requires a comprehensive set of policies that hold departments of education, educator preparation programs, and districts responsible for promoting and delivering evidence-based reading instruction grounded in science.”
Nationally, the think tank found that 19 states are taking little, if any, action in the five policy indicators, and 28 states use what the agency categorized as weak licensure tests that don’t reveal whether teachers understand core components of reading, according to a news release.
Using the Science of Reading approach and making sure teachers are prepared to use the method are essential to helping more students, Peske explained.
“With effective reading instruction, with teachers who are well prepared to be effective in teaching reading, we could ensure that more than 1 million additional students enter fourth grade able to read each year,” Peske said.
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