Reading Leadership Council
The Department of Education (Department) will establish a Reading Leadership Council (Council) that will advise the Department in the development and maintenance of reading instruction curriculum material, intervention approaches, universal reading screeners, and professional development training program lists for LEAs across the commonwealth to make programming, process, and purchasing decisions to best meet the literacy needs of all students.
Evidence-Based Reading Instruction & Curriculum Material K-3
The Department will develop and maintain a list of evidence-based reading instruction curriculum material that meets the following requirements:
- Aligned with the PA Standards and the Science of Reading
- Includes a logical scope and sequence for explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction
- Incorporates phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and building content knowledge
- MAY NOT include three-cueing, which is a model of teaching students to read based on meaning, structure, syntax, and visual cues (MSV)
Literacy Intervention Material & Approaches
The Department will develop and maintain a list of Structured Literacy intervention approaches that meet the following requirements:
- Evidence-based, skill-based specialized reading, writing, and spelling instruction
- Systematic, explicit, and intensified based on the needs of the student
- Includes phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
Reading Universal Screener K-3
The Department will develop and maintain a list of reading universal screeners that meet the following requirements:
- Aligned with the essential components of evidence-based reading instruction
- Includes phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
- Administered to all students in early elementary to determine if a student is at risk for developing reading difficulties and in need of further diagnostic assessment and targeted intervention
- Used as part of a tiered support system such as multi-tiered system of support (MTSS)
- Measures students’ reading knowledge and skills against national norms
Professional Development Training Programs
The Department will develop and maintain a list of Structured Literacy professional development training programs that meet the following requirements:
- Evidence-based intervention practices in Structured Literacy
- Explicit and systematic instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness
- The alphabetic principle, decoding and encoding, fluency and vocabulary
- Reading comprehension and building content knowledge
Vendor & LEA Application
The Department will develop a process for a vendor to submit an evidence-based reading instruction curriculum material for review.
The Department will provide a process for an LEA to submit an evidence-based reading instruction curriculum material for review.
Education Preparation Program Providers
Instructors for Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) who teach reading and literacy education programs to prospective educators will be trained in foundational skills and instructional interventions based on Structured Literacy.