Maryland’s approach to teaching reading to its youngest children has evolved over the past few years.
Maryland’s approach to teaching reading to its youngest children has evolved over the past few years.
The state’s “Ready to Read Act” went into effect for the 2020-2021 school year. All students entering kindergarten had to be screened to see if they were at risk for reading disabilities.
In July, outgoing state Superintendent Mohamed Chaudhry outlined the state’s approach to the “science of reading” in a memo to the Maryland State Board of Education. A July 21 memo from Chaudhry said the method “outlines the key elements of effective reading instruction,” including an emphasis on phonics.
Mr Chaudhry said this was in contrast to the balanced literacy approach, which “often lacks a rigorous, evidence-based foundation”.
Chaudhry has since resigned to become an advisor to the State Board of Education, and Carrie Wright has been named interim superintendent. Professor Wright, who oversaw a turnaround in student achievement known as the “Mississippi Miracle,” is an advocate of a phonics-based reading approach.
In an article for the Baltimore Banner, Wright, who has also worked in public schools in Montgomery, Prince George’s County and Washington, D.C., said he was not “opposed” to adopting legislation requiring a scientific approach to reading. was quoted as saying. .
This push has raised questions about which approach is best and whether schools that have adopted a balanced literacy approach are leaving students behind.
“There is no one science of reading,” Sherry Huggins, a clinical professor and director of the Reading Clinic at Towson University, told WTOP in an interview. The complexity of learning to read and write requires educators to observe each learner individually.
“We believe in systematic phonics. It’s a way to figure out what’s going on in the decoding process. It’s not the only way,” she says, adding, “One system does everything. It doesn’t work for all children,” he added.
Huggins said there are good reasons to emphasize the importance of solid reading instruction for the youngest students. There is an “urgent need” to help students develop reading skills by the age of nine. Otherwise, it could be difficult to regain lost ground, she said.
While debate continues over which system is most effective, Huggins said the best thing parents of young children can do is read to their children. And that can start in early childhood when there’s plenty of lap time. And reading should be encouraged as an activity, not a chore, and continued as the child grows.
“Keep reading, keep talking. Do audiobooks. Belong to the public library and all the services it provides,” she said.
If concerns about reading arise, Huggins recommends parents stay in touch with their child’s teacher to “seek evaluation and advice about their child’s progress.”
Huggins said the key is to give children a strong foundation “to make their connection to reading meaningful and engaging.”
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