Nebraska literacy project aims to boost learning, test scores with ‘science of reading’

At a state board meeting in August, the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) unveiled the Nebraska Literacy Project, which includes several initiatives to increase student reading scores and evidence-based reading instruction in school districts across the state .

“We have a vision,” said Allyson DenBeste, academic officer at NDE. “The vision is to foster a culture of lifelong, proficient readers in Nebraska and to unlock students’ potential to learn, earn and live through an emphasis on evidence-based instruction.”

The project outlines three main goals, which include increasing third-grade proficiency on state English exams from 62% to 75% by 2030. The NDE also wants to reduce the number of students who need an individual plan of reading improvement and ensure all Nebraska. teacher colleges implement evidence-based instruction based on the science of reading.

The goals are part of a growing national push for states to improve low reading scores by updating practices and curriculum to align with the science of reading, a body of research on how people learn to read and how reading should be taught, according to International. Literacy Association.

Some school districts in Nebraska and across the U.S. still rely on outdated materials and strategies that are not only ineffective but harmful to students learning to read, experts say.

Earlier this year, the State Board of Education approved a rule revision to require teacher colleges to use the science of reading in their teacher preparation programs, though the change did not outline the consequences for colleges that don’t. The National Council on Teacher Quality also ranked Nebraska “weak” in national assessments of how well the state ensures its teacher workforce can implement the science of reading.

At the state board meeting, Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher emphasized the importance of ensuring that the science of reading is embedded in all reading instruction, materials and practices.

“We’ve been very clear with our staff (that) we shouldn’t be afraid of the term ‘reading science,’” Maher said. “So I’m not opposed to using evidence-based practices if they help Nebraska kids read, but I’m convinced, based on the research that we’ve done, that the science of reading will at least get us started, and then maybe we have to we broaden the perspective.”

This spring, the Legislature approved legislation to help improve reading instruction in Nebraska schools. The new requirements are also part of NDE’s new literacy plan: developing a professional learning system for teachers and providing regional literacy instructors to Nebraska elementary schools.

The professional learning system will help teachers receive training in evidence-based reading instruction, said Amy Rhone, an administrator in NDE’s office of special education.

“It’s really going to be about making sure that those teachers who are teaching children ages four through third grade are really grounded in evidence-based reading instruction and are effectively using those strategies implemented in their high-quality instructional materials.” , Rhone said.

The regional literacy instructors will come from a partnership between the state and its educational service units. Instructors will help teachers implement what they have learned in their classrooms.

“We want to make sure we provide the support educators need to make that happen in school buildings,” Rhone said.

NDE is launching a statewide early literacy survey this month to collect data on districts that practice reading instruction.

“We want to honor what the districts have already done as we work with them to help them identify their needs,” DenBeste said. “We will need an advisory panel of our most knowledgeable Nebraska experts on evidence-based reading instruction to advise our work going forward.”

DenBeste said the work will also include collaborating with and promoting the state’s already existing family literacy centers. Several school districts in the state offer family literacy programs, workshops and training courses as part of a multi-year grant.

The literacy project is still in development, and board members will receive more updates in the future, DenBeste said.

Elizabeth Tegtmeier, president of the Nebraska State Board of Education, said she hopes future revisions include more accountability for school districts and teachers colleges to follow the plan and incorporate the science of reading.

“We don’t have endless resources to retrain teachers,” Tegtmeier said. “And I think about it from a teacher’s perspective — even though I have training, but I’m back in a classroom (where) the materials are not evidence-based reading instruction. I have two options. I rewrite everything or continue with the material I have.”

Maher said literacy work will continue in future legislative sessions through the State Board of Education. The Council recently approved the legislative priorities for the next two years, and the top priority is basic literacy.

“I think we’re in the right place at the right time to really make a difference in reading scores and student success when it comes to literacy in the state of Nebraska,” he said.