California has been facing a literacy crisis with less than half of third- and fourth-graders achieving reading proficiency in the 2023-24 school year. The gap in reading ability between socioeconomically disadvantaged students and their wealthier peers has widened, making it one of the largest in the nation. Even before the pandemic, California students struggled with reading expectations, and recovery has been slow. Governor Gavin Newsom's proposed $200 million for literacy instruction and statewide screening of early-grade students offers hope for improvement amid long-standing debates about effective reading pedagogy.
The best way to teach kids how to read has been widely debated in the Golden State, leading to a long-standing literacy crisis among California students.
California students struggled to meet reading expectations even before the coronavirus pandemic, and recent testing data shows they have been slow to regain lost ground.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's pledge to allocate $200 million for evidence-based literacy instruction has raised hopes for improvements in California's literacy rates.
Balanced literacy focuses on teaching students to memorize sight words and use context; it has been criticized as ineffective for many students.
#california-literacy-crisis #education-funding #reading-proficiency #balanced-literacy #socioeconomic-disparities
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