8/5/2024

A Guide to the Science of Reading Curriculum

Implementing a Science of Reading Curriculum

Decades of research have shown that learning to read is a combination of two skills: Decoding written words and language comprehension. Multiply these two together, and you have reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is how we are able to read, understand, interpret, and form ideas around the words in a text, and it’s what ultimately bridges the gap from learning to read into reading to learn.

A curriculum based on the science of reading will use evidence-based approaches to teaching students, and it should be taught by educators who have a full understanding of the science behind learning how to read. During the last few years, there have been compounding stressors placed on the education system in the United States, including more experienced teachers retiring before new teachers can get their footing.

The science of reading is a body of gold-standard research that tells us how students learn to read. Research has shown 95% of students have the ability to learn to read when taught with methods based on the science of reading—this is a huge leap from the current 35% or so of students who can read proficiently. Implementing curricula based on science is the key to supporting students through the literacy acquisition process and ensuring all students have the opportunity to learn to read.

What is the Science of Reading?

The science of reading is a large body of research consisting of multidisciplinary studies from the fields of education, neuroscience, developmental psychology, and cognitive psychology. This body of research explains exactly how the human brain learns to read and explains the best practices for quality reading instruction in the classroom.

It is incredibly important educators understand research surrounding the science of reading because it directly affects how reading is taught. Using other methods (e.g. balanced literacy) can have negative impacts on students’ literacy acquisition.

What is the Simple View of Reading?

The Simple View of Reading (SVR) conceptualizes reading comprehension as a combination of two skills: Word recognition and linguistic comprehension. SVR is represented as a multiplication formula, emphasizing that neither word recognition nor linguistic comprehension is sufficient on its own. It is the combination of both of these skills that leads to a successful reader and strong reading comprehension skills. 

Likewise, a lack of understanding of one concept can lead to overall reading failure. This is why it’s so important for students to develop both skills alongside each other in the classroom.

What is Scarborough's Reading Rope?

Scarborough’s Reading Rope is an infographic designed by Hollis Scarborough, Ph.d., a leading researcher of early language development and its connection to later literacy. Scarborough would provide lectures for parents about the complexities of learning to read, where she “spoke of skilled reading as resembling the ‘strands’ of a rope, using pipe cleaners to illustrate the interconnectedness and interdependence of all the components.”

This idea has since been turned into an infographic that clearly displays the complex process of learning to read in a straightforward way. Similar to the SVR, the Reading Rope is divided into two sections: The word-recognition strands (phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition of familiar words) and the language-comprehension strands (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge). These two sections weave together to ultimately produce a skilled reader.

Scarborough’s “Rope” Model from Handbook of Early Literacy Research, © 2001 by Guilford Press.

What Makes Up the Core of a Science of Reading Curriculum?

As we now know, the science of reading is a body of research explaining how the brain learns to read—it’s not a curriculum or course of study. Structured Literacy is a term coined by the International Dyslexia Association® (IDA), and it outlines the best practices for teaching students. It implements the components highlighted in Scarborough’s Reading Rope and the formula for reading comprehension in The Simple View of Reading for successful student outcomes. 

In Structured Literacy, teachers focus on instruction that is:

Systematic and Cumulative

Content must be taught in a logical order, with each concept building on the previous one. With this approach, the materials begin with the simplest, slowly building in complexity and difficulty over time, requiring an understanding of the previous concepts to successfully grasp the later ideas.

Diagnostic

Teachers must employ regular assessment (formative or summative) to diagnose which areas their students need additional support in. As part of the diagnosis, teachers should provide one-on-one, small-group, and whole-class instruction to support the acquisition of skills and concepts students need additional time with.

Explicit

Explicit instruction refers to the need for teachers to be clear and direct when explaining concepts. Teachers should not assume students have background knowledge or will automatically connect previous knowledge to the new concepts presented. An explicit approach to instruction ensures students receive the specific information they need when they need it. 

What to Look For When Developing a Science of Reading Curriculum

Before anything else, teachers must have proper education about the science behind learning to read. Teachers are the most essential factor when it comes to student success, but only about half of teaching institutions adequately prepare them for literacy instruction. Teaching reading requires a deep understanding of the processes and science behind it, so a critical component of ensuring students succeed begins with proper professional training.

There are plenty of Software as a Service (SaaS) products that allow educators to integrate learning programs based on the science of reading into the curriculum. When educators are developing their curriculum, it’s important to integrate research-proven literacy programs based on the science of reading. This means these programs should have research to support them. A great way of deciding if a learning program is effective is to review its ESSA rating.

ESSA Ratings

ESSA ratings are divided into four categories: 1—Strong Evidence; 2—Moderate Evidence; 3—Promising Evidence; and 4—Demonstrates a Rationale. Programs with an ESSA rating closest to “1” are the strongest. To learn more about ESSA ratings, take a look at this blog post.

Along with ESSA ratings, there are other criteria you should consider when choosing what learning program to implement in your curriculum. Here are a few key features to watch for:

1. Individualized instruction: Students need personalized and individualized instruction. This way, students can learn at a pace that fits their needs, and they can spend more time focusing on areas they are struggling with. It can be difficult for teachers to individualize learning for every single one of their students, which is why SaaS learning programs are so beneficial.

2. Data, data, data: Data is a key aspect of any good learning program. Educators and administrators should have a full view of student progress and be able to sort this data in various ways (by class, student, school, or district). By choosing learning programs that prioritize convenient data, educators can save hours of valuable time and put their efforts into ensuring students get the support they need right when they need it.

3. Structured Literacy approach: Good literacy programs take a Structured Literacy approach to teach students how to read. New information should be taught through explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction that is scaffolded to fit each individual student’s needs. This is much easier to do with a high-quality learning program.

Students Find Success With Evidence-Based Curriculum

The human brain has naturally evolved to acquire oral language skills through exposure, so it is often assumed reading is the same. This assumption has led to dramatically low levels of students who can read proficiently. When we look at the science behind learning how to read, it is evident the human brain needs explicit, systematic instruction to succeed in reading.

Educators must root their reading curriculum in evidence-based programs centered around the science of reading to ensure their students have the best chance at success. 

Lexia’s professional learning programs and curriculum support products meet the needs of learners: 

Professional Learning

Lexia® offers two professional learning programs. Lexia® LETRS® is designed for early childhood and elementary educators who want or need a deep understanding of how the human brain learns to read and appropriate instructional strategies for achieving literacy. Lexia Aspire® Professional Learning is for teachers of adolescents and provides just-in-time, modular instruction for all teachers, not just those teaching English Language Arts, on how to integrate literacy instruction into their content-area blocks. 

Curriculum Support Products

While teachers are continuing their own learning or as a supplement for those students who need additional support, Lexia offers programs designed to help students increase their literacy understanding. Lexia® Core® Reading is designed for elementary school students and uses personalized learning to ensure students receive the instruction (both from the program and from their teacher) they need for success. Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® is for middle and high school students who need additional support on literacy basics. The content is age-appropriate and designed with adolescent students in mind. Lexia English Language Development™ supports language acquisition for Emergent Bilingual students who are learning English as an additional language. Its advanced speech-recognition technology helps students learn to speak English effectively.

The Science of Reading in Action

Take a look at this webinar to learn more about essential strategies for educators. In it, Ohio Literacy Lead for the Ohio Department of Education Michelle Elia discusses the importance of inclusive instruction and applying the science of reading in the classroom. She breaks down how our brains create pathways from letters to sounds to meaning while learning to read and why professional learning programs are so important.