California’s budget will include $200 million to fund a comprehensive statewide approach to early literacy, dubbed the Golden State Literacy Plan.
Key to the plan is California Assembly Bill 1454, which passed unanimously. It requires that credential program standards, professional development, and state-adopted instructional materials align with “Evidence-based means of teaching foundational reading skills, which shall
include explicit and systematic instruction in print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency to all pupils, and attending to oral language development, vocabulary and background knowledge, and comprehension, including tiered supports for pupils with reading difficulties, English Learners, and pupils with exceptional needs.”
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, one of the bill’s authors, said in a statement, “With this legislation, we take a clear and necessary step toward ensuring every child in California learns to read, and read well. This bill is supported by a broad and growing coalition all united in one belief: That we can and must do better for our students,” alluding to the compromise reached between teacher associations, English Learner advocates, and other advocacy groups.
Co-author, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, commented, “Assembly Bill 1454 is a significant measure to advance the foundational goal of teaching every child in California to read. This bill will promote evidence-based literacy instruction to teach reading skills that will lay the foundation for lifelong success. After more than two years working on this measure, I appreciate our education stakeholders coming together to strengthen professional development for early literacy instruction, update instructional materials, and provide training and support for school site administrators.”
The legislation will also provide funding to ensure all newly credentialed administrators are trained to support evidence-based instruction. California Governor Newsom said during a press conference at a high-performing elementary school in Compton, “We attached that bill to
the budget, so we mean business…We hope we’ll get it done with an additional $200 million attached to it.”