The Magnolia State has since climbed to ninth from 49th place in fourth-grade reading scores on the NAEP tests, often called the nation’s report card. Its low-income students outperform those in all other states. States including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Indiana have followed Mississippi’s lead in recent years by returning to phonics.
Enter California, which is now jumping on the caboose. The Legislature this month passed (unanimously if you can believe it) a law to require the state Board of Education to adopt instructional materials aligned with phonics-based reading. Schools would also get more money to train teachers in phonics.
“We need to create the best opportunities for all kids to read, not just for those who can afford after-school tutors,” said Democratic Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio, the bill’s sponsor. Hear, hear. The state has much work to do. Some 44% of California fourth-graders failed to meet basic reading standards last year on the NAEP test.
Teaching students through phonics won’t by itself solve the country’s K-12 literacy crisis, but it’s an encouraging sign that lawmakers can learn from their blunders and from success in other states.