Reading First: What Has the International Reading Association Been Doing?

Ohio Reading Teacher, Fall 2003-Spring 2004 by Johns, Jerry, Roller, Cathy

During the last several years, the most important policy related to beginning reading has been Reading First. Because of the Reading First legislation (which is part of Title I of the No Child Left Behind [NCLB] Act), approximately 5 billion dollars will be devoted to improving reading instruction over the next five years. The money will be targeted at high-poverty, low-performing schools, eliminating the achievement gap in reading (e.g. differences in reading achievement between African American, Hispanic, and Native American students and their white counterparts). States submit an application that a federal panel reviews and, upon successful review, the states are awarded money based on the levels of poverty in their states. Then each state runs a competition among eligible high-poverty, low-performing schools. The district applications outline a plan for how the money will be used to improve reading instruction based on the guidelines the federal government and the state governments have set.

Perhaps the most salient feature of the NCLB and Reading First is the 111 repetitions of the phrase scientifically-based research and scientifically-based reading research. The intent of the legislation is to insist that the methods, materials, and practices paid for by the grant monies are supported by scientifically-based research. The lawwas constructed to rely prominently, although not exclusively, on the Report of the National Panel to define what methods, materials, and practices are supported by scientifically-based reading research. The definition of reading in Reading First is the same definition that was in the previous administration's Reading Excellence Act. It begins with a statement that reading is a complex process of deriving meaning from print, and it then lists six components of reading. In Reading First, the definition remains the same, but in addition there are "five essential components" of reading. The five essential components of reading are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies. These were included because the Report of the National Reading Panel included findings in each of these areas. Motivation was left out because the panel did not address the topic of motivation.

The International Reading Association's Summary of the Report of the National Reading Panel (NRP) can be found at the following URL http://www.reading.org/advocacy/ nrp/. However, if you go to the home page, www.reading.org and type in National Reading Panel, it will lead you to the summary. The IRA summary presents the major findings of the report by summarizing them and giving you exact page references in the report where you will find the discussions of the particular finding. It is an accurate summary and can give quick and efficient access to the content of the original report, which is over an inch thick.

The basic position of the Association is that excellent reading instruction can be delivered within the framework of the Reading First section of the NCLB law. We believe that it is possible under the law to deliver both very good and very bad instruction. It is our responsibility as an association to do everything we can to make sure that the law is implemented well and that many children, who otherwise would not have learned to read, do learn to read.

Because the law is based upon the NRP report, and the report is often the de facto definition of scientifically-based reading research, anyone involved in implementation must know what is in that report. For example, some implementers have been informally told that comprehensive reading programs must include decodable text. Sometimes professional developers suggest that the Report supports decodable text. This is simply not true. On page 2-137, the NRP report identifies decodable text as an area for further research saying that surprising little work has been done on decodable text and that more research is needed. Decodable text is not supported by the scientifically-based reading research of the National Reading Panel report. That comes as a surprise to many people but it should not come as a surprise to reading professionals engaged in teaching reading and in the preparation of reading teachers. We view this summary as our first important action to help ensure a successful implementation of reading first.

Because of the focus on scientifically-based reading research in the law and in the current policy environment, the Association has also developed a position statement on Evidence-Based Reading Instruction. This position paper can be downloaded from www.reading.org. Basically, the International Reading Association has always supported instruction based on evidence. Encouraging and disseminating reading research are identified as major purposes of the association in the IRA by-laws. The position statement clarifies the Association's position in relation to evidence-based instruction. While we acknowledge the importance of experimental research in establishing causal relationships, we also make it clear that evidence extends far beyond experimental studies and that methodology is determined by the nature of the research questions. We argue that no single study establishes a program or practice as effective; moreover, it is the convergence of evidence from a variety of study designs that is ultimately convincing.