English Language Development Framework News Today

A California test to prove teachers are prepared to teach reading is one of the few in the U.S. considered effective, according to an analysis released Tuesday. The state will do away with it in 2025.

English learners need foundational skills like phonics and vocabulary in addition to instruction in speaking and understanding English and connections to their home languages.

The statement aims to push policymakers to consider English learners’ needs and dispel the idea that English learners do not need to be taught phonics.

California on track to implement new literacy standards and teacher performance expectations focused on foundational reading skills, such as phonics, in teacher preparation programs next year.

Instructional guide would emphasize proven elements of "science of reading" – decoding skills as well as comprehension. But under local control, districts can ignore it.

Accreditation of California teacher preparation programs will hinge on whether they follow new literacy standards that focus more intensely on foundational reading skills.

The latest push for phonics-based instruction follows decades of debate on how to teach reading.

California fourth graders trail the nation in reading, and half of its third graders, including two-thirds of Black students and 61% of Latino students, do not read at grade level.

A national push to change the teaching of reading shows contrast between other states and California's hands-off approach.

California fourth graders trail the nation in reading, and half of its third graders, including two-thirds of Black students and 61% of Latino students, do not read at grade level.