New York Students Must Now Receive Mandatory Phonics Instruction

Starting next fall, every school district in New York State must teach phonics to students in pre-kindergarten through third grade per the New York Board of Regents.

This change means schools will now focus on teaching how letters and sounds work together, instead of just memorizing words. The Board of Regents understands that some kids learn letter sounds easily, but many others need to be taught phonics directly to become better readers.

The Importance of Phonics in Literacy Education

Teaching phonics is important for young kids to learn to read well. The Board of Regents realized that kids need to have strong reading skills by third grade, so they want to make sure that students in kindergarten through third grade get good and clear lessons in reading. Deputy Commissioner Angelique Johnson-Dingle stressed that this is necessary for students to do well in school later.

New Expectations for Public Schools

The new rule says that all public schools in New York State must include six important skills in their reading lessons: understanding sounds in words, connecting sounds to letters, reading smoothly, understanding what is being read, learning new words, and speaking well. School leaders need to check if these skills are being taught well in their district's reading programs. The goal is to help students learn the right skills to become good readers.

Transitioning to Phonics Instruction

Switching back to teaching phonics has faced some difficulties because some school districts were using programs that did not focus on phonics. Instead, these programs had students memorizing words without learning how letters and sounds go together. However, studies have proven that directly teaching phonics is important for students to read well. The change to phonics is meant to help students who struggle with reading and make sure they have a good basis in reading and writing skills.

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Ensuring Effective Literacy Education

Even though people may have different ideas about how to teach, the Board of Regents strongly believes in using phonics to help students learn better. The board feels that requiring phonics education shows a dedication to using proven methods that help students learn how to read well. By focusing on phonics, New York State will help kids get the skills they need to become better readers and do well in school.