Nebraska Literacy Project aims to improve learning and test scores using the “science of reading”

At an August board meeting, the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) introduced the Nebraska Literacy Project, which includes several initiatives to improve student reading proficiency and promote evidence-based reading instruction in school districts across the state.

“We have a vision,” said Allyson DenBeste, an academic associate at NDE. “The vision is to foster a culture of proficient and lifelong readers in Nebraska and to unleash students’ potential for learning, earning and living by emphasizing evidence-based teaching.”

The project outlines three main goals, including improving proficiency on the third-grade state English exams from 62% to 75% by 2030. The NDE also aims to reduce the number of students requiring an individualized reading intervention plan and ensure that all teacher colleges in Nebraska implement evidence-based instruction grounded in reading science.

The goals are part of a growing national initiative by states to improve low reading achievement by updating practices and curricula to align with the findings of reading science, an area of ​​research that studies how people learn to read and how reading should be taught, according to the International Literacy Association.

Some school districts in Nebraska and across the U.S. continue to use outdated materials and strategies that are not only ineffective but harmful to students learning to read, experts say.

Earlier this year, the State Board of Education approved a rule change requiring teacher training schools to use the science of reading in their teacher education programs. However, the change did not specify consequences for schools that do not do so. The National Council on Teacher Quality also rated Nebraska “weak” in national assessments of how the state ensures its teaching staff can use the science of reading.

Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher stressed at the state board meeting the importance of ensuring that the science of reading is included in all reading instruction, materials and reading practice.

“I’ve been very clear with our staff that we shouldn’t be afraid of the term ‘reading science,'” Maher said. “So I’m not opposed to using evidence-based methods if they help Nebraska kids read, but I’m convinced from the research we’ve done that reading science will at least help us get started and then we may need to broaden our perspective.”

This spring, lawmakers passed a bill to improve reading instruction in Nebraska’s schools. The new requirements are also part of NDE’s new literacy plan: developing a professional learning system for teachers and providing regional literacy coaches to Nebraska’s elementary schools.

The professional learning system will help teachers receive training in evidence-based reading instruction, said Amy Rhone, an administrator in NDE’s special education office.

“It’s really about making sure that the teachers who are teaching children ages four through third grade are really grounded in evidence-based reading instruction and are effectively implementing those strategies in their high-quality instructional materials,” Rhone said.

The regional literacy coaches are trained through a partnership between the state and its education departments. They will help teachers implement what they have learned in the classroom.

“We want to make sure we provide educators with the support they need to implement this in school buildings,” Rhone said.

The NDE is launching a national early literacy survey this month to collect data on which districts are practicing reading instruction.

“We want to recognize what districts have already done as we work with them to find out what their needs are,” DenBeste said. “We will need an advisory panel of our most knowledgeable Nebraska experts in evidence-based reading instruction to advise our work going forward.”

DenBeste said the work will also include collaborating and promoting the state’s already existing family education centers. Several school districts across the state offer family education programs, workshops and trainings through a multi-year grant.

The literacy project is still under development and board members will receive further updates in the future, DenBeste said.

Elizabeth Tegtmeier, president of the Nebraska State Board of Education, expressed hope that future revisions will include greater accountability for school districts and colleges of education to follow the plan and incorporate reading science.

“We don’t have infinite resources to train teachers,” Tegtmeier said. “And I think about it from a teacher’s perspective — even if I have the training, I’m going back to a classroom where the materials aren’t evidence-based reading instruction. I have two options. I rewrite everything or I continue with the materials I have.”

Maher said work on literacy will continue in future legislative sessions through the State Board of Education. The board recently set legislative priorities for the next two years and the top priority is basic literacy.

“I think we are in the right place at the right time to really make a difference in reading scores and student literacy success in the state of Nebraska,” he said.