Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Tuesday that is part of an effort to raise reading scores for young readers in Iowa and to align reading instruction in K-12 schools with the methods researchers say are most effective.
To mark the bill signing, Reynolds sat in on a reading lesson in Ms. Koelker’s classroom at an elementary school in Adel. The governor took a spot on the floor with the first graders who looked up at their teacher and repeated the sound combinations they have been learning.
First, Koelker sounded out the syllables. Then, her students said the words back to her.
“B-r-ing. Bring. C-l-ang. Clang. S-o-ng. Song.”
The ADM school district is in its third year of a renewed emphasis on phonics and the fundamentals of reading. Administrators already credit the effort with a boost in reading scores.
Reynolds said it’s a model of what she’d like to see statewide.
State test scores from last year showed 66% of Iowa 3rd graders were proficient in reading. That’s about even with results from before the pandemic.
“We didn't experience the level of learning loss that many of our other states saw, but holding steady isn't nearly good enough,” she said. “Thankfully the performance of districts like ADM shows what’s possible when teaching techniques draw on proven practices grounded in an evidence based approach known as the science of reading.”
The “science of reading” is a term that describes what researchers now understand about the process kids go through when they learn to read. The Iowa Reading Research Center at the University of Iowa says experts in the field have settled on five core areas that should be the focus of early literacy instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
The Iowa Department of Education this year is offering training for thousands of teachers to help them integrate the science of reading into their classrooms. Around 3,000 teachers and administrators have already begun the training known as LETRS, or Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading. In all, the program is expected to provide training to up to 6,600 teachers and school leaders.
Under the new law Reynolds signed, college teacher prep programs must begin testing students on research-based reading instruction using Massachusetts’ Foundations of Reading exam. A passing grade is not required to graduate or earn a teaching license, but Reynolds said compiling their scores will give state officials an idea of how well new teachers understand the way students learn.
“They’ll test and it’ll be in the aggregate and that will give them some idea if the methods they’re using are working,” Reynolds said.
The law also requires schools to make individual plans for K-6 students who are behind in reading to help them catch up to grade level. If a parent chooses to hold a third grader back because of low reading scores, the school must agree to it as well.
Rep. Tom Moore, R-Griswold, worked on the legislation and said he believes it will help more students reach critical reading milestones.
“It's going to be a win for the students because this not only shows an emphasis at the third grade level, but all the way K through 6,” Moore said. “And these students are going to benefit now by not just worrying about what their third grade test score is, but every day on whether they are meeting their goals and their needs.”
According to Director of Teaching and Learning Travis Wilkins, ADM decided to review its reading instruction after seeing test scores stagnate with about 75% of students reading at grade level.
The district worked to make reading instruction consistent across classrooms with a particular focus on phonics. Wilkerson said preliminary scores from testing this spring show around 90% of students are proficient.
“I just want to encourage you to continue to focus on early literacy, because it matters,” Wilkerson said. “And I do believe as a state we can change the trajectory of what we are doing.”
