In the past year the “science of reading” has been one of the most discussed topics in the ongoing national conversation about educating our children.

               The Orcutt Union School District has been applying research-based principles and practices to reading instruction for years. This column will recap what the “science” is, how we implement it, and what parents can do to support their children’s development as readers.

The science of reading represents converging evidence on what works in reading instruction. Research is clear that reading instruction should be founded on five pillars:

               Phonemic awareness: the ability to identify the different sounds that make up speech.

               Phonics: the ability to match sounds to letters or letter groups. This is the key to decoding words.

               Fluency: the ability to read accurately and quickly.

               Vocabulary: the acquisition of new words. This also entails recognition of root words and affixes seen across words.

               Comprehension: the ability to read for understanding.

               “For our youngest children, the focus is on the first three pillars – phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency,” says Julie Kozel, the district’s executive director of curriculum and instruction, principal of Alice Shaw School, and a former primary-grade teacher. “The later grades focus more on vocabulary development and reading comprehension. To be proficient readers, students need all of these skills.”

               Orcutt’s adopted textbooks for reading instruction – McGraw-Hill Wonders for grades TK-5 and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections for grades 6-8 – are evidence-based and teach the five pillars systematically. Our teachers work to provide rich, complex text for all the students in their classroom. We utilize Acadience and Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) assessments to monitor students’ progress. We regularly bring in reading experts as consultants to make sure our teaching and assessment practices align with the latest research.

               When data shows a student is slower to develop early reading skills, we have SIPPS – short for Systematic Instruction in Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words – as an evidence-based intervention. SIPPS provides regular, explicit instruction in word recognition that puts students on track to fluency.

“With all that we have in place, we are seeing progress in individual reading scores,” Kozel says. “We feel we are able to provide students a good foundation for literacy.”

               Meanwhile, parents, guardians, and grandparents have an integral role in reinforcing children’s growth as readers.

               With younger children, parents can focus on letters, sounds, rhymes, songs, and other language play. The best and easiest way to do this is simply to read to your child. Schedule daily read-aloud time – you and your child will both love it!

               Having books in a child’s hand is critical. Children can check out books from a library. Library cards are available for free at the Santa Maria Public Library downtown and its branch libraries in our district at Orcutt and Los Alamos. As possible, parents can purchase books for their children, as having a library at home is linked to higher academic achievement.

               Technology – TV, computers, gaming, and cellphones – gets in the way of children having time with books. Parents can mandate that their children take breaks from technology and sit down and read.

               In the end, reading is one of the most foundational skills not just for school, but for life. Reading makes life more fun and enjoyable for everyone, young and old. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book!”