2/28/2023

A Victory for Literacy in Virginia

The Virginia Literacy Act: A Paradigm Shift in Literacy Education

The Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) is set to change the way educators approach reading in the state by bringing scientifically based reading research into focus. After passing with 100% approval in the 2022 General Assembly, the Virginia Department of Education has mapped out a plan to support schools during this monumental shift. This means that by the 2024-2025 school year, funding and resources will be supplied that help educators zero in on evidence-based literacy instruction.

For school districts throughout the state, this push for literacy will necessitate the professional development of teachers who may not yet be familiar with evidence-based literacy education. The passage of the VLA comes at a critical time: The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) revealed Virginia’s fourth-grade students performed below the national average for the first time in 30 years and exhibited the greatest drop in performance in the country.

One in three kindergarten to second-grade students in Virginia are reading below benchmark. This signaled a need beyond a mere increase in funding and compelled the state to adopt a new scientifically based approach to reading instruction. Accordingly, Virginia educators turned to an instructional approach founded in the science of reading called Structured Literacy.

The Science of Reading and Structured Literacy

Lexia® has been committed to bringing evidence-based, rigorously researched reading solutions to students for 35 years. As the literacy expert, our solutions are built upon the science of reading and Structured Literacy, delivering the systematic and explicit instruction learners need to become strong and successful readers. When it's taught the right way, literacy becomes accessible to all.

The reading research that informs Structured Literacy is known as the science of reading—a synthesis of research findings across multiple fields, including education, linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, and more. It combines what we know about language with what we know about the brain. Rather than a literacy method itself, the science of reading is the existing body of knowledge about how we learn to read. While it is constantly evolving, decades of research has identified seven key concepts crucial to the ability to read: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, word recognition, and written expression.

Structured Literacy is the application of knowledge from the science of reading, which teaches children to read with an evidence-based and systematic method. It converts evidence from the science of reading into practical classroom application and informs best practices about how to best deliver it.

Originally coined by the International Dyslexia Association®, Structured Literacy is proven to be effective for all students, but more importantly, essential for students with dyslexia and other reading differences who require explicit instruction. When instruction emphasizes the formation of foundational skills, 95% of students can learn to read. The science of reading—and its application in Structured Literacy—is proven to develop deep levels of comprehension all learners need to become proficient and confident readers.

Bringing Structured Literacy to Virginia

Through the VLA, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will support school divisions through a multiyear effort with tools, resources, technical assistance, and funding. Specifically, the VDOE outlines a framework for how this switch will impact students, families, teachers, specialists, and divisions.

At the start of the 2024-2025 school year:

• All students from kindergarten to third grade will be taught to read in accordance with the science of reading. Students who struggle to meet literacy benchmarks will receive an individualized student plan, which will also follow the tenants of evidence-based instruction.
• Additional support will also be provided to the families of students via online resources, and families will have the opportunity to play a role in the development of a student reading plan if their child requires further assistance in meeting the literacy benchmarks.
• Pre-service preparation and training will be required of teachers and literary screeners, and an evidence-based literacy curriculum will guide instruction, intervention, and evaluation.
• Students who do not meet literacy benchmarks will be provided a reading specialist, who will organize and assess student progress in close collaboration with families and teachers.

The professional development of teachers, reading specialists, and principals will be a key component of each division’s literacy plan. The literacy plan will guarantee the use of evidence-based literacy curriculum and an adequate support staff to provide additional instruction for students who require assistance.

The Virginia Literacy Act is a step in the right direction, especially for using evidence-based literacy curriculum, but the reality is teachers matter more than programs, and adopting a good, research-based curriculum is not enough.

Luckily, by 2024, every teacher in Virginia will be called to participate in preparation or training in evidence-based literacy instruction. With only 51% of teaching institutions across the country providing adequate instruction in the science of reading (NCTQ, 2020), it won’t be a change that will happen overnight. It will require a renewed emphasis on literacy professional learning for all teachers.

Investing in Virginia’s Teachers

In Virginia, great progress is already being made by districts investing in professional learning for teachers. Utilizing COVID-allotted funding, Richmond Public Schools jumped into the movement to incorporate the science of reading into classrooms with LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling).

LETRS is a professional learning program that prepares elementary educators and administrators to become experts in the science of reading. The path to reframe literacy learning in Richmond may have only just begun, but The New York Times reports that city’s schools have already seen literacy scores increase by seven points, the most significant gain the district has ever seen in a single year’s time. By focusing on the core elements of reading, teachers learned the why: Enabling students to capture an acute understanding of what reading is sets students up for success in a way that is far superior to the tired old method of simply instructing students to memorize words and sounds or engage in tedious guessing games.

With LETRS, Richmond teachers entered the classroom with a solid grasp of the science of reading, and this, rendered Structured Literacy into a method they already understood well. This approach to professional development is at the heart of the LETRS program, and its ability to invigorate literacy instruction inspires confidence in teachers and their students. While the adjustment to a new paradigm in literacy education may be difficult, LETRS is capable of easing the transition and ensuring success on day one.

The Future of Literacy in Virginia

Preparing Virginia for the shift to evidence-based instruction is a multifaceted task and will require the coordination of families, literacy professionals, and school administrators. All the same, teachers are at the center of student success. For this reason, it is of paramount importance that teachers arrive in the classroom with an understanding of the essential elements of the science of reading. LETRS facilitates this fundamental first step toward achieving landmark progress in student literacy: The professional development of teachers. The measure of success for the VLA will be at the classroom level, and Lexia is confident literacy professional learning cultivates confident, inspired, and knowledgeable teachers.

Find out more about literacy professional learning.