Examples that illustrate why we need literacy laws in New York State

Schools across New York have two main problems. First, they purchased expensive non-evidence-based and unscientific reading programs that do not teach foundational skills needed to decode and encode. They have paid for them; they continue to use them even though the results and studies prove these reading programs fail students. Second, The Fountas & Pinnell leveled literacy reading books are not evidence-based and do not track progress. But are erroneously used as a progress monitoring tool. These strategies and programs are widely used throughout New York State and across the country. Unlike our English-speaking counterparts in Australia and the United Kingdom, the USA has an average of 35% of students who speak English as a first language reading to grade level.

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