Centennial Citizen 112521

Page 2

2 Centennial Citizen

November 25, 2021

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A file photo of students reading.

READING FROM PAGE 1

Even so, the state’s crackdown on K-3 reading curriculum seems to be working. Melissa Colsman, associate commissioner of student learning at the Colorado Department of Education, said only 41% of Colorado’s 178 school districts last spring met rules on K-3 reading curriculum. This fall, that proportion has risen to 63%. Officials from the 90,000-student Denver district announced Nov. 11 at a public literacy event organized by Chalkbeat that they’re piloting a state-approved reading program — Core Knowledge Language Arts — in some schools this year, with plans for a wider adoption in the coming year. The curriculum is among a dozen core reading programs that the state has approved for use in kindergarten through third grade. Officials in the Jeffco, Dougco, and Cherry Creek districts are also piloting or selecting state-approved reading programs this year. Some schools in the three districts have been using a state-rejected reading program commonly called Lucy Calkins, which experts have criticized for encouraging students to guess at words instead of sounding them out. School districts often adopt new curriculum every six or seven years. Such purchases can be expensive, but the influx of federal COVID relief money means schools now have extra cash that can cover such one-time expenses. Experts say well-trained teachers are critical to teaching reading well, but that high-quality curriculum can make that job easier. Among the districts that received state letters in October warning that they used unacceptable K-3 reading curriculum were those using ReadyGEN in some grades or schools, including St. Vrain Valley, Boulder Valley, 27J, and Thompson on the Front Range and Roaring Fork and Salida in western Colorado. Soon after, the state withdrew its demands for those districts to switch. Along with several other com-

PHOTO BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT/CHALKBEAT

monly used reading programs, ReadyGEN was reviewed and rejected by state evaluators in spring 2020. Schools using programs that failed the state’s review would have to replace them, state officials said then, and several times since. But now, the message is changing. Education department officials say even though state reviewers rejected ReadyGEN, schools can keep using it because it passed the part of the state review focused on whether it was scientifically or evidence-based — the criteria specified in the 2019 law — despite having other flaws. “We did hear from districts that said, ‘Your own review process found this to be meeting scientifically or evidence-based standards,’” Colsman said. Lindsay Drakos, a co-chair of the statewide dyslexia advocacy group COKID, said by email that the state’s shifting stance on ReadyGEN dilutes the state’s reading law and could open the door for schools to use other rejected programs. “If a curriculum is reviewed and rejected, then I believe that is that — it shouldn’t be used in schools in Colorado,” she said. Colsman said the state’s reversal on ReadyGEN points to “the realities of policy implementation because as we got into actually reviewing what districts were using, you realize that not everything fits into a neat bucket.” Reviewers of ReadyGEN said the program met key standards for science-based reading instruction, but they noted it doesn’t thoroughly cover all foundational skills. They recommended teachers compensate for these shortcomings by using the company’s intervention lessons, a supplement designed for struggling readers, for all students. Education department officials said the intervention lessons must be purchased separately and that while the state can encourage schools to buy and use those lessons, they can’t require it. ReadyGEN also fell short on the state’s review in the “usability” category because reviewers said it was hard to navigate. Become a Chalkbeat sponsor In Denver, the state’s largest district, many schools use stateSEE READING, P3


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