At the heart of Read Vermont is a shared vision for literacy: Delivering high-quality reading and writing instruction based on scientific evidence will ensure that every child has the foundational skills necessary to successfully engage with text and experience the joy of reading. Convergent evidence1 has accumulated over the last fifty years and demonstrates that:
-
Learning to read is a complex process that involves multiple skills, knowledge, and cognitive abilities.
-
Reading and writing are taught skills.
-
All students benefit from explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing based on their proficiency and skill level.
-
The most common causes of reading and writing difficulties can be remediated by explicit, systematic, code-based instruction combined with opportunities to practice weak skills until they are mastered.
-
Students benefit from multiple and varied opportunities to practice literacy skills.
-
It is important to leverage student data to differentiate individual, small-group, and classroom instruction based on identified needs and skill level.
-
Students benefit from access to different types of texts at different times and for different purposes. For example:
- Decodable texts support mastery of sound-symbol correspondence until readers are accurate and automatic decoders.
-
Authentic, complex, and content-rich texts help build word and world knowledge, increase interest, and provide exposure to complex syntax.
-
Learners of all languages benefit from evidence-based instruction and developing oral language skills as they learn to read and write in a new language.
-
Philosophies of teaching word reading that are based on visual cues (whole words, three-cueing, word shapes) or inference do not support students’ long-term ability to automatically decode familiar or unfamiliar words.
-
The availability and use of texts that are culturally relevant and representative of historically underrepresented voices is critical to ensure that all students can connect their experiences to the text they are reading.
-
Active self-regulation, including but not limited to executive function skills, motivation and engagement, and use of evidence-based strategies, can impact reading and can be impacted by instruction.
In summary, reading comprehension, the ultimate goal of reading, relies on multiple skills, knowledge, and cognitive processes, including spoken language comprehension, accurate and automatic decoding, developed vocabulary, and background knowledge. When students master foundational skills and experience reading success, they will continue to grow as readers, setting them up for lifelong success.
Read Vermont Priorities
Key priorities of the initiative designed to support the implementation of Act 139 and improved literacy outcomes include:
- Professional Learning: A range of professional learning opportunities for educators and leaders across all grade levels
- Job-Embedded Coaching: Intensive, personalized coaching for elementary schools (K-3) in select Supervisory Unions/Districts (SU/SD) based on need
- Literacy Learning Network: A network of leaders and educators to share knowledge and best practices statewide
- Guidance Documents and Resources: Comprehensive guidance to help schools implement Act 139 and evidence-based literacy practices
- Family and Caregiver Engagement: Resources to support educators in engaging families and caregivers in their children's literacy development
1 Vermont Advisory Council on Literacy Recommendations; Reid Lyon, “Ten Maxiums: What We’ve Learned So Far About How Children Learn to Read”, Reading Universe; Vermont Act 139; National Reading Panel (US), National Institutes of Health, “Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction: Reports of the Subgroups”.