Alaska Reads Act

Last updated

The Alaska Reads Act, signed into law by Governor Mike Dunleavy in June 2022, is an act aimed at improving early literacy among Alaskan children, particularly those in kindergarten through third grade. This act was co-sponsored by Governor Dunleavy and former Democratic Senator Tom Begich and is part of Alaska's strategic plan to ensure that all students can read at grade level by the end of third grade. [1]

Contents

History

In 2019, Alaska's national rankings for fourth-grade reading ability reached their lowest level. [2] Lawmakers looked at solutions and considered actions taken by other states. Mississippi, which usually ranked at the bottom, experienced a considerable increase after adopting a new assessment or screening tools and intervention reading programs in schools. Dubbed the "Mississippi Miracle," [3] students moved from 49th place in 2013 to 29th in 2019. Inspired by this success, Alaska lawmakers introduced similar legislation. [4]

Legislation

The Alaska Reads Act of 2022 [5] introduced several key initiatives aimed at enhancing reading proficiency among young students. Central to this act is the Comprehensive Reading Intervention Program, which requires the implementation of a statewide screening tool to identify reading deficiencies in students from kindergarten through third grade (K-3).

Another critical component is the School Improvement Reading Program to offer direct support and intervention to reading programs in K-3 classrooms and extends reading support across Alaska's school districts. The Alaska Department of Education evaluates how many schools can be adequately supported by reading specialists, focusing on the lowest-performing 25 percent of schools.

The act also established a Virtual Education Consortium to provide virtual education resources and professional development opportunities to students and teachers across the state. [6]

Initial results

The Alaska Legislature passed the Alaska Reads Act in May 2022. [7] [8] Implementation of the program began in 2023. Program outcomes in 2024 showed improvement. At the beginning of the school year, 41% of students reached early literacy benchmarks. By the end of the year, this figure increased to 57%. Among kindergartners, the proficiency rate rose from 24% at the start of the year to 60% by the year's end. [9]

Governor Mike Dunleavy issued the statement, "I'm encouraged by the improvements Alaska's students are already experiencing because of the Alaska Reads Act, as these results are beginning to show, when we implement effective education reform, Alaska's students are capable of success." [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phonics</span> Method of teaching reading and writing

Phonics is a method for teaching reading and writing to beginners. To use phonics is to teach the relationship between the sounds of the spoken language (phonemes), and the letters (graphemes) or groups of letters or syllables of the written language. Phonics is also known as the alphabetic principle or the alphabetic code. It can be used with any writing system that is alphabetic, such as that of English, Russian, and most other languages. Phonics is also sometimes used as part of the process of teaching Chinese people to read and write Chinese characters, which are not alphabetic, using pinyin, which is alphabetic.

Reading Recovery is a short-term intervention approach designed for English-speaking children aged five or six, who are the lowest achieving in literacy after their first year of school. For instance, a child who is unable to read the simplest of books or write their own name, after a year in school, would be appropriate for a referral to a Reading Recovery program. The intervention involves intensive one-to-one lessons for 30 minutes a day with a teacher trained in the Reading Recovery method, for between 12 and 20 weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Child Left Behind Act</span> 2002 United States education reform law; repealed 2015

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress promoted by the presidency of George W. Bush. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It mandated standards-based education reform based on the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals could improve individual outcomes in education. To receive federal school funding, states had to create and give assessments to all students at select grade levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Assessment of Educational Progress</span> Assessment

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is a congressionally mandated project administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the United States Department of Education. The first national administration of NAEP occurred in 1969. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is an independent, bipartisan board that sets policy for NAEP and is responsible for developing the framework and test specifications.The National Assessment Governing Board, whose members are appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Education, includes governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives, and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) was a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allowed the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country was performing academically according to results on standardized tests. As defined by National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), AYP was "the amount of annual achievement growth to be expected by students in a particular school, district, or state in the U.S. federal accountability system, No Child Left Behind (NCLB)." AYP has been identified as one of the sources of controversy surrounding George W. Bush administration's Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Private schools were not required to make AYP.

In education, Response to Intervention is an academic approach used to provide early, systematic, and appropriately intensive supplemental instruction and support to children who are currently or may be at risk of performing below grade or age level standards. However, to better reflect the transition toward a more comprehensive approach to intervention, there has been a shift in recent years from the terminology referring to RTI to MTSS, which stands for "multi-tiered system of supports". MTSS represents the latest intervention framework that is being implemented to systematically meet the wider needs which influence student learning and performance.

Accelerated Reader (AR) is an educational program created by Renaissance Learning. It is designed to monitor and manage students' independent reading practice and comprehension in both English and Spanish. The program assesses students' performance through quizzes and tests based on the books they have read. As the students read and take quizzes, they are awarded points. AR monitors students' progress and establishes personalised reading goals according to their reading levels.

Guided reading is "small-group reading instruction designed to provide differentiated teaching that supports students in developing reading proficiency". The small group model allows students to be taught in a way that is intended to be more focused on their specific needs, accelerating their progress.

Education in Kentucky includes elementary school, middle school, high school, and post-secondary institutions. Most Kentucky schools and colleges are accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Literacy in the United States</span>

Literacy in the United States was categorized by the National Center for Education Statistics into different literacy levels, with 92% of American adults having at least "Level 1" literacy in 2014. Nationally, over 20% of adult Americans have a literacy proficiency at or below Level 1. Adults in this range have difficulty using or understanding print materials. Those on the higher end of this category can perform simple tasks based on the information they read, but adults below Level 1 may only understand very basic vocabulary or be functionally illiterate. According to a 2020 report by Gallup based on data from the U.S. Department of Education, 54% of adults in the United States lack English literacy proficiency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading</span> Taking in the meaning of letters or symbols

Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of sight or touch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasilla High School</span> Public secondary school in Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Wasilla High School (WHS) is a public secondary school in Wasilla, Alaska, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. The school is part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes.

Education in Alabama consists of public and private schools in Alabama, including the University of Alabama, private colleges, and secondary and primary schools.

A sighted child who is reading at a basic level should be able to understand common words and answer simple questions about the information presented. They should also have enough fluency to get through the material in a timely manner. Over the course of a child's education, these foundations are built on to teach higher levels of math, science, and comprehension skills. Children who are blind not only have the education disadvantage of not being able to see: they also miss out on the very fundamental parts of early and advanced education if not provided with the necessary tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evidence-based education</span> Paradigm of the education field

Evidence-based education (EBE) is the principle that education practices should be based on the best available scientific evidence, with randomised trials as the gold standard of evidence, rather than tradition, personal judgement, or other influences. Evidence-based education is related to evidence-based teaching, evidence-based learning, and school effectiveness research.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, also known as simply Common Core, was an American, multi-state educational initiative begun in 2010 with the goal of increasing consistency across state standards, or what K–12 students throughout the United States should know in English language arts and mathematics at the conclusion of each school grade. The initiative was sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

READ 180 is a reading intervention program created by the Scholastic Corporation (Scholastic). Its focus is to utilize adaptive technology to improve literacy in students in Grades 4–12 who read at least two years below their grade level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Dunleavy (politician)</span> Governor of Alaska since 2018

Michael James Dunleavy is an American educator and politician serving since 2018 as the 12th governor of Alaska. A Republican, he was a member of the Alaska Senate from 2013 to 2018. He defeated former U.S. senator Mark Begich in the 2018 gubernatorial election after incumbent governor Bill Walker dropped out of the race. He was reelected in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Begich</span> American politician

Thomas Scott Begich is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Alaska Senate. He represented District J from 2017 to 2023 and was elected twice without general election opposition. In 2022, his seat was redistricted, and Begich chose to withdraw his candidacy for the seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carey Wright</span> American educator

Carey M. Wright is an American educator and consultant who has served as the Maryland Superintendent of Schools since 2023. She previously served as the Mississippi Superintendent of Education from 2013 to 2022, the state's first female state superintendent.

References

  1. ↑ McDermott, Christina (3 May 2023). "An intro to the Alaska Reads Act". KYUK. Public Media for Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "State Performance Compared to the Nation". The Nation's Report Card. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  3. ↑ Lurye, Sharon (17 May 2023). "Kids' reading scores have soared in Mississippi 'miracle'". PBS. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  4. ↑ Aina, Mayowa (23 April 2021). "Hoping for a 'Mississippi miracle' Alaska lawmakers push bipartisan reading bill". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  5. ↑ "House Bill 114 - Laws of Alaska" (PDF). Alaska State Legislature. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Alaska Reads Act". Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Midvag, George (2022-06-08). "Governor Dunleavy, Legislators Celebrate Successful Education Legislation". Mike Dunleavy. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  8. ↑ Anastas, Katie (2022-06-08). "Gov. Dunleavy, lawmakers celebrate passage of Alaska Reads Act". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  9. ↑ "Reading scores improving". KVAK Valdez, Alaska. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  10. ↑ "Alaska Sees Boost In Early Literacy Following Alaska Reads Act - Radio Kenai". 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  11. ↑ Schroeder, Kollette (2024-06-05). "Alaska Realizes Boost in Early Literacy Following Alaska Reads Act Implementation". Mike Dunleavy. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.