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The science of reading is being taught in classrooms across Ohio, but the state鈥檚 education department stresses it will likely take time to track students鈥� progress.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce聽is particularly interested in tracking the progress of the current kindergarten students.

鈥淭his year鈥檚 kindergartners will be the first class that all four years going up to third grade, they鈥檙e going to get the science of reading,鈥� state education department director Stephen Dackin said to the Capital Journal. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a pretty good barometer of where we will be as a state in terms of our implementation and then increased outcomes in literacy.鈥�

Ohio鈥檚 science of reading law took effect in 2023 through the state鈥檚 two-year operating budget, which gave $86 million for educator professional development, $64 million for curriculum and instructional materials, and $18 million for literacy coaches.

Ohio school districts were required to teach the science of reading curriculum starting with the 2024-25 school year. The science of reading is based on of research that shows how the human brain learns to read and incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

鈥淲hile we are certainly making great progress, this is not easy,鈥� Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said earlier this month during his state of the state speech. 鈥淩etraining seasoned teachers, who were taught the wrong way and now have to learn new methods, is certainly an exercise in perseverance. This shift takes time.鈥�

Ohio鈥檚 literacy scores were down from last year, with 61.3% of third graders reading at or above grade level compared to 64.5% from the 2023-24 school year, according to the most recent that were released in September.

鈥淭he report card data is lagging data, so it reports on data from the previous school year, and obviously, not all districts have probably been at the point where they鈥檝e implemented the science of reading in their districts last year,鈥� Dackin said.

He said the education department is not surprised by a dip in performance.

鈥淪ometimes you鈥檙e asking teachers who鈥檝e been teaching reading for 20 years to suddenly change what they鈥檙e doing and implement something that鈥檚 new to them,鈥� Dackin said. 鈥淲e know it takes a while to do this. That doesn鈥檛 mean there鈥檚 not a sense of urgency in our state, but we also anticipate that folks are going to need some support in helping to implement.鈥�

have passed laws or implemented new policies related to evidence-based instruction since 2013, according to Education Week. the second-worst state for fourth-grade reading in 2013 to being ranked 21st in 2022 after implementing science of reading policy.

College prep programs

A unique facet of Ohio鈥檚 science of reading law is the third-party audit of teacher preparation programs.

鈥淥ur law is the toughest in the country,鈥� DeWine said during his state of the state speech.

Ohio colleges and universities teacher preparation programs were required to be fully aligned with teaching the science of reading by Jan. 1, 2025, but 10 colleges were found to be not aligned, according to an .

Bowling Green State University, Central State University, Cleveland State University, Defiance College, Ohio Christian University, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio University, Ohio State University, University of Toledo, and Wright State University were not in alignment.

Ohio State University had , the most of any university, according to the audit.

鈥淢y concern is how seriously Ohio State is taking this process,鈥� Ohio House Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Township, said during a recent Ohio House Workforce and Higher Education Committee.

鈥淏y the way I look at it, you鈥檙e not taking it very seriously at all,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hings hang in the balance here, and I鈥檓 very serious about this, and I鈥檓 not going to play games with it.鈥�

Erik Porfeli, professor and interim dean of Ohio State鈥檚 College of Education and Human Ecology, said the university is taking this seriously.

鈥淲e mobilized quickly and addressed all 17 (issues),鈥� he said.

Binaya Subedi, professor and interim chair of Ohio State鈥檚 Department of Teaching and Learning, said there has been professional development with faculty every week this semester.

鈥淲e are concerned,鈥� he said. 鈥淎fter the audit report, we have systematically reorganized our curriculum.鈥�

Any college or university that does not become fully aligned by next December will have their approval revoked by Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Mike Duffey.

鈥淲e need all universities in compliance or we risk incongruity of literacy outcomes throughout the state for our kids,鈥� Ohio House Rep. Tracy Richardson, R-Marysville, said during a recent Ohio House Workforce and Higher Education Committee.

鈥淥hio State, you cannot drag on this issue. We will be following up.鈥�

Five colleges and universities were found to be partially in alignment and 33 higher education institutions were found to be in alignment, according to the audit.

鈥淚 have confidence that every college will be in full compliance by the end of this year,鈥� DeWine said during his state of the state speech.

Having educator training programs be compliant with the science of reading means school districts won鈥檛 have to retrain teachers, Dackin said.

Parents for Reading Justice and OH-KID President Brett Tingley said holding the universities responsible is real accountability.

鈥淥ur literacy crisis does not begin in the classroom鈥攊t begins in teacher preparation programs,鈥� she said during a recent Ohio House Workforce and Higher Education meeting.

鈥淲hen a child learns to read, you change the trajectory of that child鈥檚 life, and when a state gets reading right, you change the trajectory of the state itself.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David Dewitt for questions: [email protected].

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