An ongoing effort in New York state to encourage schools to adopt the 鈥渟cience of reading鈥� is seeing some early success, according to a new survey, with the majority of 糖心动漫vlog reporting that their schools have adopted evidence-based instructional materials and methods.

But many of these changes have been piecemeal, with 糖心动漫vlog saying they鈥檙e mixing and matching new approaches with the curricula and teaching strategies they鈥檝e always used.

The results, from a of 765 New York state 糖心动漫vlog distributed by the Science of Reading Center at the State University of New York at New Paltz, underscore the layered challenges involved in getting large-scale instructional change off the ground.

鈥淔or the [science of reading] to be effective and meet the needs of all students, it requires more than replacing an existing non-aligned curriculum with an evidence-based reading program,鈥� the authors write.

Whether the state鈥檚 initiative succeeds or fails will come down to 鈥渃areful implementation,鈥� they write, 鈥渘ot just adding programs, assessments, and one-off, haphazard professional learning.鈥�

New York enters the 鈥榮cience of reading鈥� movement

In January 2024, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, unveiled her 鈥淏ack to Basics鈥� literacy plan, mandating that schools certify they are using curricula, teaching methods, and teacher professional development that align to 鈥渆vidence-based and scientifically based鈥� best practices in reading instruction. Soon after, the state department of education released a series of literacy briefs providing guidance.

New York state鈥檚 2025 budget allocated $10 million for teacher training and $2 million to expand reading teaching microcredential programs at SUNY and CUNY schools.

鈥淕overnor Hochul is committed to enhancing and expanding evidence-based reading instruction across the state,鈥� said a spokesperson for the governor in an email, in response to the survey findings. 鈥淭he Governor鈥檚 Back to Basics initiative sets our teachers and students up for success, and we will continue to collaborate closely with our partners in education to implement these new curriculum standards.鈥�

As more than half of states have passed legislation over the past five years to incentivize or mandate schools to adopt evidence-based approaches to literacy instruction, the Empire State was a latecomer to the movement.

New York has a long history of local control, where schools鈥攏ot the state鈥攄ecide what materials to use. The new requirements, which call for districts to align their approaches with evidence-based practices, are less prescriptive than those in some other states.

Mississippi, for example, whose reading legislation has served as a model for other states in the nation, requires schools to screen students for reading difficulties, provide individual reading plans with evidence-based interventions for identified students, and retain 3rd graders who don鈥檛 meet a cut score on the state test. The state also provides school-based reading coaches.

For evidence-based literacy practices to take root, all aspects of instruction鈥攆rom curriculum to professional development to assessment鈥攏eed to support them, said Rose Else-Mitchell, the director of SUNY New Paltz鈥檚 Science of Reading Center. But that doesn鈥檛 necessarily require states to dictate every step schools take, she said.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 always see systemic change as something that has to be top down.鈥�

Most 糖心动漫vlog support the science of reading, but mix teaching methods

The Center surveyed teachers, specialists, administrators, librarians, and a small percentage of parents. Most of the respondents, about two-thirds, were classroom teachers. About half of all survey-takers also completed the SUNY New Paltz microcredential in science of reading fundamentals.

More than 90% said they are in favor of implementing practices aligned with the science of reading. (Else-Mitchell suggested there may be some bias in these results: 鈥淧eople who answer surveys are more enthusiastic than those who don鈥檛,鈥� she said.)

But when asked about specific changes to materials and methods, the results were more mixed.

Sixty-nine percent of respondents said their schools or districts had either adopted or were piloting new curricula. But exactly what schools were using varied widely.

About a third of respondents reported using a comprehensive core curriculum, such as HMH鈥檚 Into Reading, Amplify鈥檚 Core Knowledge Language Arts, or Savvas鈥� myView Literacy. But another quarter said they had only implemented a supplement that focused on the foundational building blocks of literacy, connecting letters and sounds鈥攑rograms including Wilson鈥檚 Fundations or the University of Florida Literacy Institute鈥檚 Foundations (UFLI). Fifteen percent said they were using programs not aligned to the science of reading.

The survey also asked whether respondents used a science-of-reading-aligned approach. Twenty-eight percent said it was their primary approach, while 57 percent said it was one of several approaches used.

It鈥檚 possible that some 糖心动漫vlog interpreted this question in different ways, Else-Mitchell said.

There鈥檚 a common misperception that the 鈥渟cience of reading鈥� only refers to phonics and foundational skills instruction, rather than relying on reading research to guide all areas of literacy instruction. But, she said, 鈥淚 do think there is much greater awareness now that comprehension, vocabulary, and knowledge-building are part of that science.鈥�

Why 糖心动漫vlog revert to 鈥榯ried and true approaches鈥�

This blending of new and old methods that survey respondents reported felt familiar to Susan Neuman, a professor of childhood and literacy education at New York University.

Her team at NYU is working with two geographic districts in New York City as they implement the city鈥檚 reading initiative, NYC Reads.

New York City鈥檚 program, which requires elementary schools to choose from one of three approved curricula, launched the year before the state鈥檚 鈥淏ack to Basics鈥� plan. But it shares the goal of bringing classroom instruction in line with the evidence base on effective reading teaching.

In practice, though, change has been uneven, said Neuman.

鈥淭he mandated curricula [don鈥檛] fully address the needs of differentiated instruction,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd of course, that is what we knew when we came up with this mandate鈥攖hat it cannot be appropriate for all students in all classrooms. So teachers have to adapt that instruction, and what they鈥檙e tending to do is go back to their old tried and true approaches.鈥�

There鈥檚 鈥渁 good deal of nostalgia鈥� for how things used to be, Neuman added.

In the schools she works with, teachers are finding that some students who struggle with decoding and reading fluency have trouble understanding the text selections included in the Wit & Wisdom reading program. As a result, she said, teachers are offering those students the leveled books that they used to use鈥攖exts written to meet students at a just-right reading level.

Research has shown that restricting struggling readers to text written at lower levels can start a vicious cycle, slowing their growth and widening the gaps between higher- and lower-scoring students.

But when teachers feel that they don鈥檛 have the resources they need to make more complex text digestible for all students, they鈥檒l turn to other options, Neuman said. In one of the districts she works with, Neuman and her team have developed instructional routines that teachers can use to provide more entry points to the curriculum for students at different ability levels.

If teachers don鈥檛 get support to adapt their instruction within an evidence-based framework, she said, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e going outside鈥� the curriculum.