Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled a 'Back to Basics' plan to overhaul and improve reading proficiency in New York.
The plan, which will be part of her "State of the State" address on Tuesday, include introducing legislation to provide $10 million to train 20,000 teachers in what is called the Science of Reading standard and the expansion of micro-credentialing programs for teachers at the State University of New York and City University of New York.
“Reading is the foundation of our education system, but New York State is currently not meeting basic reading proficiency levels,” Governor Hochul said during her address on Wednesday. “We cannot continue to allow our kids to fall further behind by utilizing outdated and discredited approaches to reading comprehension. Our Back to Basics initiative will reset how schools approach reading, returning to scientifically proven techniques. Along with investments in teacher training programs, we are tackling this issue head on to make sure our teachers and kids are set up for success.”
The governor 's reading plan includes teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, vocabulary and comprehension. By September of 2025, all school districts will need to certify with the New York State Education Department that their curriculum, instructional strategies and teacher professional development align with the new reading program.
The New York State United Teachers and the United Federation Teachers have started training thousands of teachers in the Science of Reading, and this funding would support the training of 20,000 additional teachers and elementary school teaching assistants.
The ability to read by third grade is key indicator of a student’s success. Students who do not achieve proficiency by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school, with dropout rates even more pronounced for students of color and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Additionally, failure to ensure reading proficiency at an early age has a cascading effect, potentially derailing a student’s academic trajectory.
