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California took a big step toward overhauling its reading curriculum last week when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill pushing for phonics-based instruction in elementary and middle school classrooms.

The provides training for school principals and reading specialists in the 鈥渟cience of reading,鈥� a method of literacy instruction focused on vocabulary, comprehension and sounding words out rather than learning words by sight. The approach has led to improved reading scores in Mississippi, Louisiana and districts like Los Angeles Unified, which adopted it several years ago.

The law also updates the state鈥檚 list of textbooks, flash cards and other classroom reading materials to align with a phonics-based approach.

The law comes on the heels of a host of other literacy initiatives, including mandatory dyslexia screening and universal transitional kindergarten. Combined, the efforts will dramatically reshape the way children in California learn to read and hopefully lead to higher test scores, experts said.

鈥淐alifornia has one of the best literacy policy frameworks in the country right now,鈥� said Marshall Tuck, chief executive of the advocacy group EdVoice and a former candidate for state superintendent of public instruction. 鈥淲e worked very hard on this and we鈥檙e thrilled to get to this point. Now we just have to see it through.鈥�

After years of controversy, little opposition

The new law passed the Legislature unanimously and had little opposition. That鈥檚 in stark contrast to , which met steep resistance from English learner advocates and the state鈥檚 largest teachers union. English learner groups said that a phonics-based approach only works for children who are fluent in English; the California Teachers Association said teachers need flexibility to pick a reading program that works for their students.

But those groups threw their support behind the current bill after a few changes: Reading materials will be available in languages other than English, and using phonics-based instruction will be optional, not mandatory. Although the to adopt the new approach, some may choose to stay with their existing curriculum, which is permissible under the state鈥檚 school governance system that leaves most decisions up to local school boards.

鈥淲hat does this all mean? It means we鈥檒l see,鈥� said Todd Collins, an organizer of the California Reading Coalition and former Palo Alto Unified school board member. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 hopeful. I think most school districts will get the message that they need to improve early literacy.鈥�

Scores inching up

Collins鈥� group surveyed 300 California school districts in 2022 and found that 80% were not using a phonics-based approach to reading instruction. That鈥檚 changing, with some of the state鈥檚 largest districts adopting science-of-reading strategies and seeing good results. Los Angeles Unified, for example, saw its English language arts test scores jump 5.5 percentage points since it adopted a phonics-based curriculum in 2022. San Francisco Unified, Fresno Unified and Long Beach Unified have also seen improvements.

California鈥檚 reading scores are about the same as the national average, according to the latest , and have been inching up since the pandemic. Last year, 49% of students met or exceeded the state鈥檚 English language arts standards 鈥� still below pre-pandemic levels but a from the previous year.

Helping teachers

Among those who鈥檝e pushed for the switch to phonics is Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio, a Democrat from West Covina who co-authored the bill. A former elementary teacher, Rubio hopes the new law will help classroom teachers as much as students and their families.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for teachers to see their kids feel defeated and frustrated,鈥� Rubio said. 鈥淣ow they鈥檒l be equipped to really help their students succeed.鈥�

She was inspired to author the bill, she said, in part because of her younger brother鈥檚 experience in school. He was wrongly placed in special education and never properly learned to read, she said, leading him to disengage from school and drop out in ninth grade. Countless other students have had the same experience, she said.

鈥淚 know how much it means to learn to read. It can shape someone鈥檚 whole life,鈥� Rubio said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we stuck with this.鈥�

Another boost to reading instruction came in June, when Newsom included $200 million in the state budget to train teachers in the science of reading. The money should be enough to train every K-3 teacher in the state, Collins said. Credential programs are already training future teachers in the approach.

Tuck, of EdVoice, said the next step is ensuring the policy rolls out smoothly in schools. The new curriculum is a major shift for most schools, and teachers will need plenty of support.

鈥淲e can celebrate today, but tomorrow it鈥檚 back to work,鈥� he said.

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