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The California Reading Initiative and Special Education in California

Developed by the California Special Education Reading Task Force
California Department of Education
California State Board of Education

Core Messages

1. Effective Reading Instruction
   Struggling readers become successful when they are taught the same reading skills that all successful readers must learn. However, they require increased instruction time, more precisely sequenced teaching, more feedback during learning, and more total time spent engaged in reading. Systematic and explicit instruction focused on auditory-related skills, phonemic awareness, sound-symbol relationships, etc. has proven to be successful for most students with reading difficulties.
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2. Early Intervention and Prevention
   Most reading difficulties can be prevented or minimized with effective early intervention/prevention programs, including: Kindergarten assessment coupled with effective instruction targeting phonemic awareness, concepts of print, letter recognition, oral language, and vocabulary development in the preschool and kindergarten years. In addition, it is critical to provide direct/systematic support to struggling learners in the primary grades to insure they reach Grade 3 with reading abilities at or above grade level.
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3. Assessment that Drives Instruction
   In addition to appropriate norm referenced tests, curriculum based measurement provides precise guidance for instructional decision-making and progress monitoring. Ongoing analysis of student assessment provides teachers with critical data to "drive" or inform instruction.
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4. Access to the Core Curriculum
   The Core Curriculum identifies standards for subject matter mastery.

Struggling readers need to learn content defined by the core curriculum and, learn to read through instruction at an appropriate reading level that is specific to the identified reading weakness. Adequate instructional time for reading means a minimum of:

• Two and one-half hours in the primary grades;
• Two and one-half hours in grades four through eight; and
• One course per semester in English-language arts in grades nine through twelve

However, struggling readers in Grades 7-12 may require 2-3 hours per day of focused reading instruction, regardless of their age/grade level.
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5. Practices Linked to Research
   Instructional methods for reading validated by reliable, scientific research provide promise for all students. Numerous studies follow the rigorous characteristics of reliable educational research and can supply a basis for educational approaches. An excellent example of reliable scientific research can be found in the National Reading Panel Report, available free at: http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org/Publications/publications.html
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