-
American education system not adequately preparing students
Falling behind international rivals -
first unmaned rocket in space
-
Focus of reading materials and writing instruction
-
-
concluded: “a code emphasis method of reading, based on phonics, produced better results than a meaning-emphasis approach"
-
• Emphasis was on predictability of the text structure, quality of design, and less control of vocabulary. • Students were encouraged to draw upon their own experiences and background knowledge to derive meaning from the text.
-
Instruction included authentic, connected texts
-
appeared as "trade books", books written for the general public but used in the classroom to teach skills or content
-
• pendulum moved away from whole language to a balanced approach, some phonics and some whole language • California’s plummeting scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) attributed to implementation of literature-based reading framework (whole language).
-
• Publishers quickly marketed materials as following the balanced approach • inclusion of “little books” as a supplemental source of reading instruction; 8-12 pages in length, providing practice by combining control of vocabulary and spelling patterns with predictable language patterns; little substantive
-
requirements for reading methods were to be “scientifically based,” “reliable,” and “replicable”
-
Instruction must address five key early reading skills: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension Instructional decisions must be informed by scientifically based reading research
