Statement on AB 2222 (Rubio), Early Literacy: Science of Reading

EdTrust-West is encouraged to see AB 2222 accelerate momentum toward evidence-based solutions and believe it could be enhanced to better address the needs of multilingual learners, stay accountable to the people, and provide more flexibility. If the education equity community works together to make several crucial improvements, AB 2222 will represent a powerful opportunity to combat the literacy crisis holding students of color and multilingual learners back. If our recommended amendments were to be accepted, EdTrust-West would support it as a much-needed solution to California’s acute literacy crisis.

It’s no secret that the status quo of reading instruction is ineffective and inequitable. Today in California, a Black or Latinx third grader who learns to read in school is the exception, not the rule; just over 1 in 4 Black students and roughly 1 in 3 Latinx students are meeting grade-level standards in English language arts, including reading, by 3rd grade. The data is also glaring for English learners: in 2022-23, fewer than half of all English Learners were supported to progress toward English proficiency, two key components of which are reading and writing in English. These scores have changed little or not at all in the past five years. Clearly, schools have been struggling with literacy instruction for a long time at the expense of students of color and multilingual learners’ futures and they need more support.

Policymakers owe it to students to follow the data; in this case, the evidence points toward strategies that fall under an inclusive “science of reading” umbrella. Yet, AB 2222 requires several amendments before it is strong enough to fulfill its promise. Multilingual learners must be centered in all components because they bring both unique linguistic gifts and particular English language development needs to school with them. California has already taken several powerful steps toward better supporting multilingual learners, including the English Learner Roadmap, state goal-aligned programs to increase multiliteracy, the English Language Arts / English Language Development Standards and Framework, and the upcoming California Literacy Roadmap, all of which should form the foundation for subsequent literacy policies. Additionally, a transformation at this scale must include oversight that ensures that all components of the bill are implemented with fidelity and accountable to students, especially the most marginalized students, and their communities. Finally, we believe that the goals of this bill can be accomplished with fewer restrictive mandates, especially those that may pose barriers to bringing new teachers into the profession.

The education equity community has a responsibility to students to figure out how to address literacy in California in a unified effort. We believe a coalition of education equity stakeholders must follow Assemblymember Rubio’s lead and work together to build on the current version with meaningful improvements. Without this inclusive process, this bill risks adding to the fractured nature of our siloed approach to instruction. With it, the bill has the potential to lay the foundation for a meaningful transformation in the state’s approach to teaching all kids to read.

This moment is long overdue. Far too many Californians have had their civil right to literacy denied. Now, we have the data, the political opportunity, and the passion needed to meet this crisis with a bold and effective solution—if we work together.