6/17/2024

Promoting Instructional Equity through Structured Literacy

As our education system struggles to adequately support the needs of each individual student, the opportunity gap in literacy continues to grow.

School leaders understand the urgent need to close this gap. Falling behind in reading could have lifelong implications for this generation of youth—so the stakes are high.

With two-thirds of students across the U.S. already reading below grade-level proficiency before the pandemic, we now have many students working to reverse learning loss sustained during years of remote education. In 2022, only 33% of fourth grade students and 31% of eighth grade students performed at or above Proficient in reading (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2022).

Instructional equity is widely understood to be the solution to closing this gap. It ensures all educators in the building have the skills required to support the full scope of developmental needs of all students—especially those most at risk of being left behind, such as Emergent Bilingual students or students with learning disabilities. Truly equitable instruction meets each student exactly where they are and gives them the tools they need to succeed.

But what does instructional equity look like in practice? School leaders and educators need practical, effective, evidence-supported strategies that will have a systemic, long-term impact.

True instructional equity relies on an instructional approach rooted in science—and support from district stakeholders willing to champion this approach.

This blog post explores Structured Literacy, an evidence-based methodology grounded in the science of reading, as the key to achieving instructional equity—and the steps administrators can take toward implementation.

What is the science of reading?

First, school leaders need to understand why it’s so important their instructional products are rooted in the science of reading—so they’re in a position to build consensus around this approach with teachers, support staff, and the community.

The science of reading is not a specific product, approach, or methodology—it refers to the vast (and continually growing) body of scientific research from all over the world that examines how students learn to read. Literacy approaches that don’t rely on the science of reading, many still in use around the U.S., pose a real threat to student success.

Thanks to research across multiple disciplines, from literacy and reading to psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience, the process of learning to read is no longer the mystery it once was.

In fact, it’s extremely well understood. Following analysis of this large gold-standard body of data collected over five decades, it’s been demonstrated that learning to read requires explicit, systematic, diagnostic, and cumulative instruction in these six areas:

• Oral language: The development of spoken language, including basic vocabulary and sentence structures.
• Phonological awareness: The awareness of the smallest units of sounds (phonemes) and the ability to manipulate these sounds.
• Phonics: The acquisition of letter-sound correspondences and their use in reading and spelling.
• Vocabulary: The understanding of increasingly complex words and their meanings
• Fluency: Reading with accuracy, at an appropriate rate, and with expression.
• Comprehension: Understanding connected text.

So, back to the original question: How can a school leader bring the science of reading into their school, and how can they foster instructional equity?

The answer: Through Structured Literacy.

Structured Literacy is an instructional approach backed by the science of reading. It meets each student where they are—and ensures they have an equal opportunity for success.

Many instructional approaches erroneously claim to be evidence-based and informed by research. That’s why the International Dyslexia Association® coined the term “Structured Literacy” to differentiate reading programs that are legitimately informed by the science of reading.

How the Science of Reading Supports Structured Literacy

The science of reading applied in the classroom is known as Structured Literacy, based on an approach that’s proven to be effective.

The two essential components of any Structured Literacy instruction are:

1. It teaches all six of the required components of learning to read (see the list above).
2. It employs principles that align with the necessity of each component.

According to The Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990):

Reading comprehension is the product of decoding (or word recognition) and linguistic comprehension (or language comprehension). Scarborough’s Reading Rope (2001) provides a visual representation of how language comprehension and word recognition are woven together to result in skilled reading.

By defining Structured Literacy as the product of these two components, there’s a safety net or backup plan for those students who might struggle with one or the other. If a student does struggle with one, they can rely on the other to get back on track.

It’s easy to see how this leads to a more equitable approach to education.

Structured Literacy: Decoding and Linguistic Comprehension, along with all of their underpinning components:

Decoding.

The first of the two big components of Structured Literacy is decoding, the process of translating words printed on the page from letters into words. As students become more fluent in this skill, the ultimate goal is to make this skill automatic so the brain has ample bandwidth to process meaning.

The underpinning components of decoding include phonology, orthography, and morphology.

The underpinnings of decoding are:

• Phonology is the sound system of language. Mastering the 44 phonemes in the English language is a necessary component of learning to read.
• Orthography is the writing system of language. Students learn to connect phonemes and written language.
• Morphology is the study of the meaningful units within words, like prefixes, roots, suffixes, etc. Students decode words by breaking them down into units and understanding the meaning.

Linguistic Comprehension.

The second component of Structured Literacy is linguistic comprehension—the ability of readers to derive meaning from words, sentences, and texts.

The underpinnings of linguistic comprehension are:

• Semantics refers to the meanings and relationships of words. This is where vocabulary comes into play.
• Pragmatics refers to the rules and context of a conversation or discussion—it’s the social use of language.
• Syntax refers to the order of words in sentences, as well as the structure of sentences.
• Discourse is the culmination of skills into the organization of effective spoken and written communication.

For more information about the components of Structured Literacy and how it works in practice, check out our white paper about Structured Literacy in the Classroom.

National Shifts Toward Science of Reading Legislation

As evidence-based literacy instruction sweeps across the U.S., many public educational systems are replacing outdated modes of instruction.

One long-standing approach that was the standard in literacy education for many years is known as the “three-cueing system” (also known as MSV: Meaning, Syntax, Visual). This once-common approach relied on the assumption that the brain can use multiple sources of information to identify unknown words.

However, as this press release from The Reading League points out, this approach is “not supported by research.” Many reading approaches of the early 2000s falsely claimed to be research-based, evidence-based, or science-based, even though they cherry-picked data that supported the efficacy of only certain pieces of the puzzle.

As the three-cueing system or “Balanced Literacy” approach falls out of favor due to its lack of grounding in evidence-based research, states are moving quickly to re-evaluate their pedagogical practices and enact research-based legislation.

In the past two years, 11 states have banned three-cueing, and five states have banned bills under consideration. This shift toward Structured Literacy curricula shows school leaders, legislators, and voters are motivated to get this curriculum adopted and implemented.

The transition also gives district leaders the opportunity to review curriculum holistically and ensure it’s aligned with inclusive practice—an added benefit of changing learning materials.

Implementing Structured Literacy in Schools

Whether or not Structured Literacy curricula is mandated through legislation in their individual state, school leaders play a critical role in ensuring their schools implement an approach to literacy that is evidence-based and proven to be effective.

Here are some critical ways school leaders build consensus around getting Structured Literacy implemented. The transition, designed to accommodate all types of learners, also needs to adequately support educators.

Administrators influence this process by:

• Educating themselves on Structured Literacy and the science of reading so they’re able to “talk the talk” and help all stakeholders see the benefits of this approach. 
• Keeping a finger on the pulse of the national conversation about literacy education, as well as tracking the progress of literacy legislation across the country.
• Investing in professional learning that’s grounded in the science of reading and designed to deliver high value in a short time frame—fitting seamlessly into teachers’ limited free time.
• Giving teachers the support, resources, and tools they need to implement effectively, such as actionable data and sufficient class time to target instruction of the whole-class, small-group, and individual levels.
• Ensuring the digital tools and products adopted are user-friendly with exceptional tech support and adaptive instruction that makes it as easy as possible for teachers to manage.
• Easing the transition into a new literacy product by leaning into every opportunity for support and training available through the provider.

Most important, however, is the message of instructional equity, which summarizes all of the above and packages it into a powerful nugget that’s understandable to everyone in the school leader’s orbit, from educators to the school board to parents in the community. 

Equity is the beginning and the end of these conversations because it’s the clear solution.

How Structured Literacy Supports Equity

Most K–12 leaders agree equity is the key to closing the achievement gap—and Structured Literacy products provide that differentiation.

While no one can guarantee equitable outcomes, an instructional approach based in the science of reading does guarantee every child is given an equal opportunity for success, regardless of learning disabilities, dyslexia, Emergent Bilingual status, and more. By being explicit, systematic, cumulative, and responsive, science of reading-based instruction is inherently differentiable and insists on meeting all learners where they are. 

Applying a science of reading-based approach is the best decision available to a school administrator who wants to show their district is taking an inclusive and equitable approach to literacy instruction—and to ultimately show improvement across the board.

When each child is given an equal opportunity for success, students will stop falling behind at such high rates. They’ll make consistent progress in their reading ability. The low test scores will stop being such a proverbial hot potato.

Leveraging the power of adaptive technology and differentiated instruction, Structured Literacy products help students advance step by step, starting wherever they are. Analyzing student performance and adjusting accordingly, it ensures each learner receives targeted support and a flexible learning path. Students get immediate feedback on a much more individualized level than any educator could provide in a full classroom.

Accessibility is another important component of an equitable approach because these products need to be accessible to diverse learners, including those who need alternative formats like text-to-speech, large print, or braille. The stigma of needing additional accommodations or extra support is also reduced because students are on their own discreet journey and feel a sense of belonging because their needs are being met.

Instruction is direct—there’s no assumption students are magically or naturally picking up the material. It’s also presented in a logical order that builds on itself—allowing the teacher to gain insight into student progress and where they need to focus their attention.

Given the amount of digital data generated by these programs, educators are empowered to make data-driven decisions about how to support students in their literacy education and where to focus their classroom time and resources in an inclusive learning environment.

Achieving Instructional Equity

Because Structured Literacy is backed by research—it actually works for 95% of all students.

Senior leaders can improve instruction immediately in their schools and districts by empowering teachers, who are notoriously under-resourced and yet put every ounce of their heart and soul into helping their students. They need more time for professional development, more access to actionable data so they can make informed decisions, and instructional tools that optimize their teaching power.

Given the evidence demonstrating the success of science of reading-based instruction, as well as the legislation sweeping the nation that’s moving states in this direction, implementing a new program will not only improve student literacy but will show a deep commitment to equity.

Administrators who implement instructional equity will be empowering teachers to make a difference for each and every student.

For more information about instructional equity, check out Expanding Educational Equity in No Uncertain Terms.