Guest view: AB 1454 shows how to improve child literacy, efficiently and effectively 

Every teacher in California wants their students to be able to read. But too often, we’re not given the tools to provide effective reading instruction. 

While serving as an English language arts/English language development teacher on Special Assignment for Gilroy Unified School District, our Las Animas Elementary third- and fourth-grade student reading proficiency scores improved by five and six percentage points, respectively, in just one year. 

How did we do it? By returning to basics.

During the prior school year, the students who were then in second and third grade received instruction from educators trained in universal screeners for reading difficulties and LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). LETRS is a professional development program designed to help educators understand the body of reading research regarding how the brain learns to read—often referred to as the “science of reading”—and apply this research to effective reading instruction. 

In essence, the research shows that most children must be explicitly taught basic reading skills (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension) using evidence-based practices and materials in order to develop the neural pathways necessary to learn to read. 

When we know better, we do better. The universal screeners forced leaders and educators in the district to address the fact that the current methods of teaching reading weren’t supporting children. While it was a difficult realization to process, it was exactly the motivation we needed to find a better solution. 

Fortunately, myself and other leaders were able to support Gilroy Unified with the implementation of effective, evidence-based literacy instruction, curriculum and regular data analysis with targeted instructional changes. But there are so many other well-meaning teachers and leaders in classrooms across California who recognize the problem in their classroom, but are left to either suffer through the status quo or attempt to solve the issue with limited support. 

This leads to wasted funds, energy, and time—not to mention disappointment when we don’t see progress in students’ reading abilities.

Just as we have seen in Gilroy Unified, teachers across California need access to professional development in evidence-based literacy principles to support a child’s ability to learn to read. 

Schools need funding to provide this professional development, and students need instructional materials that align with evidence-based means of teaching reading. This is why I strongly supported AB 1454 (Rivas, Muratsuchi, Rubio) when it unanimously passed the California Assembly with a remarkable 78-0 vote.

AB 1454 passed through the Assembly with strong bipartisan support—a 78-0 vote is incredibly rare—but now it’s up to the California Senate to move this bill closer to the governor’s desk. 

AB 1454 would allocate funding for paid professional development in evidence-based literacy practices for TK-5 educators across the state. Training would not only help to close the opportunity gap in a state where only 3 in 10 low-income third-grade students are reading on grade level, but also provide a common language and understanding across California teachers, schools and districts. 

This consistency is crucial because right now, students’ reading success often depends on which classroom they’re assigned to or which district they happen to live in, rather than all teachers having access to proven instructional methods regardless of their school or district. This will also support greater collaboration and learning throughout the state, as teachers share best practices based on what research shows us is effective. 

There is plenty to be optimistic about: Gov. Newsom’s May Revision proposes including $200 million in our state budget for teacher training in evidence-based literacy instruction—which would be enough to train elementary educators who have not yet received professional development in evidence-based means of teaching reading. 

This proposed funding shows the governor’s commitment to addressing California’s literacy crisis, now we just need to make sure it is included in the final budget. 

As an educator who has dedicated her career to teaching children how to read, I support AB 1454 and I call on our elected officials in the California Senate to do the same by both protecting the professional development funding in the state budget and passing the legislation. The Assembly’s 78-0 vote shows the path forward. Now the senate must act to ensure every California child learns to read.

Liz DeVargas-Almeida is an Early Literacy Coordinator in Pajaro Valley Unified School District. She holds a doctorate in education, focused specifically in training and development. Liz is a proud wife, mother of two children and a resident of Gilroy.