6/13/2024

Communicating Effectively About the Science of Reading

Literacy learning is a complex and multistep process. It can be cumbersome and incredibly difficult to explain and describe all of the critical steps that are part of building a strong reader and writer. In addition to all the work of running a school building, school administrators must also take on the role of instructional leader, supporting and coaching teachers and communicating with families about their children’s learning in meaningful, accessible ways. As school and district leaders across the country begin navigating the challenging yet necessary shift to science of reading-based instruction, they have more on their plates than ever.

Fortunately, the science of reading can help administrators engage in these conversations with specific knowledge drawn from rigorous research. Lexia® is eager to support school leaders in sharing information in open, clear, and critically reflective ways that help them push their schools and districts toward meaningful change.

Understanding the Science of Reading

The science of reading (SOR) represents more than 50 years of gold-standard research about how we learn to read—and how we can teach reading most effectively. And while many schools and districts have been quick to embrace SOR-based practices, many more are only just beginning their SOR journeys. As instructional leaders driving these transitions, school administrators must have a solid understanding of SOR fundamentals:

• Reading is a Complex Process: SOR tells us reading is a process composed of initial sound work (phonological awareness), matching these sounds to print to decode (phonics), engaging in continual practice with text for comfort (fluency), building understanding (comprehension), and learning new words (vocabulary).
• SOR Is Not Just Phonics: The science of reading has been erroneously equated with phonics—but it’s much more than that. Rather, SOR informs systematic literacy instruction in sequence; it describes the entire process of reading, and recognizes the value of phonics along with the value of all of the additional components to come before, after, and alongside phonics as students grow and develop. Reading is not just about phonics; decoding and oral language practice are required for developing comprehension as well.
• SOR Also Means Comprehension: When students read, they should be able to break down words and make meaning. Landmark research about this process can be traced back to the mid-1980s (Gough & Tunmer, 1986).
• SOR is Here to Stay: Additionally, SOR is not simply a fad, or the most recent phenomenon to enter the conversation about reading.
• SOR Is Not A Movement, Program, or the Latest Acronym: Instead, SOR is a body of research that goes back many decades as educators and researchers have worked together to demystify the complex process of reading. SOR is a scientifically based set of steps that begins in early childhood and continues throughout adolescence.

While Lexia offers programs and curricula grounded in the science of reading, it should be noted the science of reading is not a specific curriculum. SOR refers to the researched, logical, and empirically proven set of steps that have been part of reading research as curricula have been developed. Sadly, not all curricula make use of this body of information in meaningful ways, and not all educational programs have historically made use of this research in consistent ways, either.

Effective Communication Strategies

As an administrator, you are uniquely positioned to drive literacy transformation in your school—but you can’t do it alone. You’ll need to build a coalition of district leaders, educators, parents, and community members alike to move the literacy needle, and to do that, you’ll need to communicate the value, consistency, and integrity of SOR-based instruction. Building a culture of evidence-based literacy starts with this common understanding: Ensuring all stakeholders know what students are learning and how they are learning—and how each adult fits into the system that makes it happen.

Communicating With Teachers

Knowledge about the science of reading is important for you as a leader, as well as teachers. Teachers are committed to the growth and development of their students. Teaching is a profession of caring and compassion, and building strong literacy skills is a non-negotiable way to empower students to take on the challenges ahead, and to be thoughtful and critical citizens. This is the heart of the valuable work educators engage in each day. Without adequate skills in reading and writing, students face numerous obstacles in their lives and career paths—and teachers provide many of the bridges that can help students get where they want to be in their future lives. Here are some key points when talking with educators:

• As mentioned above, SOR is not just phonics. This is a gross oversimplification of the vast amount of research done in reading instruction. The SOR encompasses literacy development from birth to young adulthood, and includes comprehension, oral language practice, and vocabulary. Students at all levels can benefit from SOR-driven instruction.
• Support is a key component of communicating with teachers, including providing curriculum grounded in this research, like Lexia programs and tools. Teachers are doing valuable work which should be acknowledged, and you are their best professional cheerleader. They are also doing work that requires a solid foundation in evidence-based best practices, made possible and accessible for students with high-quality materials.
• Every teacher needs what research offers. To create classrooms in which all learners can reach their potential, teachers have to be aware of the best practices and most recent, as well as historical, research about what leads to the best outcomes for students. Without thoughtful instruction that is guided by time-tested principles, the work of teaching is actually made much more difficult. A loose definition of reading instruction that includes an ill-conceived approach means teachers are not only tasked with leading instruction, but doing so in ways founded on guess work and multiple additional steps.

A clear and consistent pathway for instruction, with resources to empower teachers to work with students who need additional support or additional challenge, is sensible and logical for teachers and for learners. Otherwise, teachers are tasked with applying a scattershot approach that requires creating additional materials and assessments, and employing multiple methods at once. This is impossible work, and often results in addressing the needs of one part of the classroom population, at best.

If we are committed to inclusive education that is differentiated, we must begin with a common understanding of the strategies and approaches that are evidence-based research. Then, we must turn to the resources which are based in this body of research and make instructional decisions based on what our students need. Lexia is committed to partnering with teachers in this work of providing instruction that addresses the needs of all readers—not simply those for whom reading and writing come easily.

It is important to note that, in the busy work of teaching, SOR is not another tool designed to take up space and a set of ideas that is intended to reinvent the wheel. SOR is the wheel. It is the foundational set of ideas tested over time, and our work as educators should be made more efficient and effective as a result of using evidence-based curriculum that draws upon the science of reading.

The science of reading is not yet another tool to learn or professional development to attend—it is the evidence-based solution to address reading needs and help students develop their skills.

Teachers should be encouraged that the work they have been doing is valuable, and the SOR will only empower them even more to fine-tune what quality reading instruction looks like. There are students who are striving with reading in every classroom, and the science of reading has the building blocks teachers need to address literacy development. Lexia offers a range of tools that can help teachers gather data to know exactly where their students are and this is where knowledge of the science of reading is key as teachers work with students to address these needs.

As we continue to return to the research we know holds true, and as we continue to learn and grow, teachers can be encouraged that collaboration and growth can occur for students, as well.

Engaging with Families

When engaging with families, school administrators can celebrate and build on the rich culture of literacy and language families practice. These family traditions practiced at home could include oral skills, as well as a culture of print. While students might not all have access to the same materials at home, school administrators can help empower families to make use of the tools and resources they do have on hand to build connections for learning and growth. Part of this work is about sharing the value of literacy in the first place. By taking this approach, administrators and teachers can honor the literacy practices that are part of home culture, and create pathways to understanding how language and literacy can be connected to the instruction happening at school.

When it comes to literacy, educators and families are on the same side—helping children learn and grow. As you lead the charge for SOR-based literacy instruction in your school, clear, consistent communication about what we know works is absolutely critical. The science of reading can help families name what they are already doing and, just as SOR can demystify the reading process for educators, SOR can also support open communication with families. By leveraging your—and your teachers’—SOR understanding in clear, accessible ways, you can empower your students’ families to take an active role in their children’s learning. You can build bridges between home and school that support student literacy in a holistic, evidence-based way.

Communicating About the Science of Reading is Instructional Leadership

Educators are busy people, and administrators like you are no exception. School leaders like you must balance the needs of their districts and buildings alongside those of the teachers, staff, and students who bring the buildings to life each day. It can be overwhelming work—but, like the work of implementing evidence-based literacy instruction, it is also necessary work. It is gradual and collaborative work that, with the right resources and partners, can make literacy a reality for every child in the nation.

At its core, the science of reading is about empowering all participants in the literacy learning process with a deeper understanding of how we learn to read. As an instructional leader in your school community, you can be more than an advocate for literacy transformation. You can be an architect—and build the consensus, momentum, and inspiration across stakeholders to make it happen.

References

Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7(1), 6-10.