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California Reading Scores Rise After Literacy Investments, but Coach Shortages Persist
Districts that hired literacy coaches saw reading gains, but 42% still reported hiring trouble as rural schools struggled to fill vacancies.
- On statewide tests, California fourth graders reading at grade level jumped from 40% in 2014 to 46% last year, marking steady progress after the state poured billions into overhauling reading instruction.
- In 2023, California launched a $500 million grant program for literacy coaches, followed by $215 million last year and $350 million in the most recent budget to support schools implementing phonics-based reading methods.
- Researcher Sarah Novicoff found that nearly 60% of school districts used grants to hire literacy coaches or arrange teacher training, with students scoring 6 points higher on state tests within two years of investments.
- Despite successes, Patricia Gunderson, superintendent of the Lassen County Office of Education, reported difficulty hiring coaches, while Allan Carver of Siskiyou County said hiring pulls teachers from classrooms, "further exacerbat the teacher shortage."
- Phonics-Based instruction becomes mandatory next year, potentially boosting gains further; while not quite the "Mississippi Miracle"—where scores jumped from 49th nationally to 9th by 2024—California's trajectory suggests targeted training is reshaping literacy outcomes.
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24 Articles
24 Articles
Associated Press News+23 Reposted by 23 other sources
California reading scores are up, thanks to literacy investments. Can the state do more?
It’s not quite the “Mississippi Miracle,” but California’s reading scores have been inching upwards since the state poured billions into changing the way students learn to read.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources24
Leaning Left6Leaning Right1Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution61% Center
Bias Distribution
- 61% of the sources are Center
61% Center
L 33%
C 61%
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