![](https://edsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/RB-Reading-Program_05-1024x683.jpg)
Teacher Jennifer Dare Sparks taught reading classes at Ethel I. Baker Elementary School in Sacramento last year.
Credit: Randall Benton / EdSource
California's largest teachers union has blocked a bill that would have mandated what's known as the “science of reading,” which emphasizes phonics, to teach children to read.
A move by the politically powerful California Teachers Association (CTA) has put the fate of Assembly Bill 2222 in question as supporters argue there is room to negotiate changes that will unite opponents.
CTA's complaint includes recent voices from some English language learner and dual language education advocacy groups opposing the bill and refusing to negotiate changes to make it more acceptable.
The teachers union expressed its opposition to AB 2222 last week in a lengthy letter to Assembly Education Committee Chairman Al Muratsuchi. The committee is scheduled to consider the bill submitted in February, at the end of this month.
The letter responded to complaints that the proposed bill would duplicate and potentially undermine current literacy initiatives, would not meet the needs of English language learner students, and would exclude teachers from the decision-making process, especially regarding curriculum. A checklist is included.
“Educators are best equipped to make decisions in their schools and classrooms to ensure student success,” the letter says. “Restricting pedagogical approaches can undermine teachers’ professional autonomy and reduce their effectiveness in the classroom.”
Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice, a nonprofit co-sponsoring the bill, said he was surprised that the CTA opposed a bill that would train all teachers to teach children how to read using the latest brain research.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people in the field aren’t really trained for this, and a lot of the training materials we have in classrooms today are not aligned with this,” Tuck said.
Tuck said CTA appears to misunderstand the body of evidence-based research known as the science of reading. “This is not a curriculum, it is not a program, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach,” he said. “This will give teachers a basic understanding of how children learn to read. Teachers have a lot of leeway locally to decide what educational moves to make for specific children on specific days. So there will still be significant differentiation.”
nationwide promotion
California's efforts to introduce a reading science approach to early literacy are aligned with 37 states and some cities, such as New York City, that have passed similar legislation.
States across the country are rejecting balanced literacy on the grounds that it does not effectively teach children how to read because it trains children to recognize words when they see them using pictures. The new method will teach children to decode words by sounding them out, a process known as phonics.
Although phonics, the ability to connect letters and sounds, has received the most attention, reading science focuses on four other pillars of literacy instruction. Phonemic awareness, identifying unique units of sound; Vocabulary; understanding; And fluency. It is based on research into how the brain connects letters and sounds when learning to read.
In addition to mandating a scientific reading approach to instruction, AB 2222 would require all TK through 5th grade teachers, literacy coaches, and specialists to take at least 30 hours of courses in reading instruction by 2028. School districts and charter schools will purchase textbooks. From an approved list approved by the State Board of Education.
The bill runs afoul of the state's local control policy, which gives school districts the authority to choose their curriculum and instructional methods as long as they meet state academic standards. Currently, the state encourages, but does not require, districts to integrate reading science instruction in the early grades.
“This is a big bill,” said Yolie Flores, president of co-sponsor Families in Schools. “We are very proud of the fact that this is a big bill. Because that means it's really consequential for children in the best possible way. But that's the kind of bill that actually makes a difference, rather than just slightly altering the edges. “So we’re hoping that Congress will look beyond the typical backlash and resistance and ultimately see that teachers see that this has been a huge benefit to them.”
seek compromise
The bill's author, Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), said she took the CTA's seven-page letter as an opportunity for negotiation rather than an outright rejection.
“I’m glad they sent this letter,” she said. “They outline their objections and their reasons, and that’s something I can work on. It's not flat. 'No, we don't want you to do that.' “He gave me concrete items that I could look at and talk about.”
She said Rep. Muratsuchi asked her to work with the CTA to reach a compromise. She said she is also meeting with consultants for House Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, “to look at the big picture.”
But Flores said the state's budget issues, along with predictions that there will be no funding for the new program, could be a bigger obstacle to passing the bill than the CTA opposition. The cost of needed professional development for teachers would total between $200 million and $300 million, she said. Because it is mandatory, the state must reimburse districts for these costs.
“It’s a drop in the bucket for something this transformative and consequential,” Flores said. “I hope the legislature actually realizes that. “We have a budget deficit, but our budget is a statement of priorities.”
Advocates say it is essential for California to mandate reading science instruction. In 2023, only 43% of California third graders met the academic standards for the 2023 state standardized tests. Only 27.2% of black students, 32% of Latino students, and 35% of low-income children were reading at grade level. 57.5% white, 69% Asian, 66% non-low-income students.
“This is basic,” Flores said. “This is not the only thing teachers need to know. “It’s not the only thing teachers need to do and stick to, but it’s kind of a basic foundational knowledge of how children’s brains work to learn to read.”
The bill expires in 2028, when all teachers must complete the training. Starting in July, all teacher preparation programs will be required to teach future educators to ground their literacy instruction in the science of reading.
Needs of English Language Learners
Other critics of CTA and AB 2222 charge that they ignore English language learners' need for the oral language skills, vocabulary, and comparisons between their native language and English necessary to learn how to read. Four in 10 California students begin school as English language learners.
Turk disputes this. “We really emphasize spoken language development,” he said. “This will be the first piece of legislation that says that when instructional materials are adopted, when teachers receive training in reading science, they must focus on English language learners and their oral language development.”
Representatives from Californians Together, a group that advocates for English language learners and bilingual education, applauded the CTA's opposition to the bill. They oppose the bill rather than propose amendments because they disagree with the bill's overall approach.
“We don’t think this is the right bill to address literacy needs,” said Executive Director Martha Hernandez. “It's very limited. We know the command doesn't work. We lack a strong, comprehensive approach for multilingual learners.”
Instead, Californians Together and the California Association for Bilingual Education both said they favored California funding teacher training and fully implementing the English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework.
The framework was adopted in 2014 and recommends, but does not mandate, explicit instruction in foundational skills and spoken language development for English language learners.
The California Language Teachers Association requested the bill be amended to include information about teaching literacy in languages not based on the English alphabet, such as Japanese, Chinese and Arabic, said Executive Director Liz Matchett. However, the organization has not yet taken a position on the bill.
“I agree that we want to support all children to read. If you cannot read, you cannot participate in the training. This is one of the ways that has been proven to change people’s situations,” said Matchett, who teaches Spanish at Gunn High School in Palo Alto. “I have nothing against that. “I’m still a homeroom teacher, and there are always kids in high school who can’t read.”
Education Trust-West wants to focus on the needs of “multilingual learners” (children who speak a language other than English at home) and provide them with more supervision and less authority, such as can hinder new teachers from joining the profession. We urge the bill to be changed to include this. .
“If the amendments we recommend are accepted, EdTrust-West will support them as a much-needed solution to California’s severe literacy crisis.”
Claude Goldenberg, professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, said it was “disappointing” to see opposition from the CTA, especially since the union did not propose amendments. He said he urged them to meet with CTA representatives to see what parts of the bill could be changed.
In a recent EdSource op-ed, Goldenberg urged opponents to “do the right thing for all students. The introduction of AB 2222 is an important step forward on California’s path toward universal literacy. We have to get on the right path and cross the finish line.”
In response to the CTA’s objections, Goldenberg said: “Obviously my urging was in vain. “We have stated the reason for our opposition, but there is no possibility of reevaluation,” he said.
Goldenberg, who served on the National Literacy Panel, which synthesizes research on literacy development in children who speak languages other than English, urged the bill's authors to include a more comprehensive definition of “reading science” and to do more. It was urged that it be revised to include more details. Information about teaching students to read in English as a second language and in their native language.
CTA has changed its position on legislation related to literacy instruction over the past two years. The bill originally supported Senate Bill 488, which passed in 2022. The bill requires literacy assessments for teachers and oversight of literacy instruction in teacher preparation. The union is currently supporting legislation to repeal both.
The course changes are due to a survey of 1,300 CTA members saying assessments cause stress, take away time that could be spent on teaching and collaborating with mentors, and fail to prepare students to meet their needs. told union vice president Leslie Littman in a previous interview.
Veteran political observer Dan Schnur said he wasn't surprised that the CTA would oppose the bill because some of its political allies are opposed. The question is how seriously the CTA considers the bill.
“If it becomes a close call, the CTA will have to decide if that is one of its top priorities this session,” he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has not yet made his position known, but Schnoor, former press secretary to Gov. Pete Wilson who teaches political communication at UC Berkeley and USC, said, “This is not the type of fight that Newsom needs or wants to get right.” . now. “When emotions are strong, it’s hard to see him going to war.”