As part of her search for a director of elementary education in literacy, Crook County Schools Superintendent Melissa Skinner prefers that candidates have experience with a teaching method that is discredited in some education circles.

“Balanced literacy” is an approach to teaching young readers that does not emphasize foundational skills, according to Oregon education experts. Schools across the country have used the method for years, though recent initiatives have resulted in Oregon moving to an approach based on the science of learning to read and write. Gov. Tina Kotek championed early literacy efforts during the last Legislative session, passing the Early Literacy Success Initiative and providing $90 million in grant funding for schools. The state’s early literacy framework is specifically geared toward the science of reading, a research-based method.

In March, Crook County Schools received nearly $238,000 for the 2023-24 school year and $247,000 for the 2024-25 school year from the state’s early literacy success grant. The funding has been used to hire literacy interventionists and pay for supplemental curriculum resources and teacher training.

Skinner said the district isn’t getting rid of phonics, a method that links sounds to letters, or dismissing the research from the science of reading. She is ensuring that all components of reading are being taught, she said. The new director will provide administrative leadership for maintaining and developing elementary school programs, though especially those around literacy.

“Our approach isn’t about choosing one program or one method. Instead, it’s about creating an environment where evidence-based practices work together to meet the needs of all students,” wrote Skinner in a statement.

Improving literacy scores

Skinner is interested in improving literacy scores across the district. Crook County Schools’ third grade proficiency was 35.6% during the 2023-24 school year, while the year before proficiency among third graders was 48.2%, according to the Oregon Department of Education.

“Our goal is to create strategic, independent readers who are prepared for future success, both academically and personally,” she wrote. “While phonics is essential, reading is about much more than decoding words. We are committed to teaching all components of reading, including comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, to develop well-rounded, skilled strategic readers.”

Skinner taught reading recovery, a program which is focused on intervening for struggling readers, typically first graders. While shown to have positive results in the short term, this intervention program does not help students improve their literacy skills as they grow older, according to American Public Media’s APM Reports. It typically aligns with balanced literacy, according to the Oregon Department of Education.

The literacy director position also lists preferred experience with Leveled Literacy Intervention, another program created by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, the duo who champion reading recovery. The literacy intervention is meant to be short-term reading help for elementary school students.

Skinner said teachers are not receiving training in balanced literacy, though they are training in another new intervention program the district is implementing.

The governor and Charlene Williams, director of the Oregon Department of Education, both made it clear that the literacy scores across the state are not acceptable.

In response, Skinner wrote, “We know that our current literacy rates — at the state and district levels — aren’t where they should be. Governor Kotek’s call to action reflects our urgency to ensure all students receive a high-quality education. At CCSD, we’re doubling our commitment to close those gaps.”

The literacy director position has a listed annual salary of between $125,034 and $138,628.

The Oregon Department of Education has a list of over a dozen approved curriculums, though districts can supplement their main curriculum with another.

“We’re not relying on a single ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Instead, we’re committed to customizing our strategies based on what the data shows is most effective for our scholars,” wrote Skinner.

Science of reading approach

The state has pivoted to the science of reading over other methods in recent years because it incorporates decades of research and uses multiple disciplines, including psychology and neuroscience, to look at how the brain processes written words.

“Structured literacy is an approach to literacy instruction that incorporates the science of reading research and employs explicit, systematic, diagnostic, and responsive teaching of the language and literacy skills needed to be a successful reader,” Angelica Cruz, director of literacy at the Oregon Department of Education, wrote in a statement.

The science of reading more explicitly uses phonics and phonemics, which is the study of distinct units of sound, when teaching reading.

Balanced literacy is a combination of guided reading, shared reading and independent reading. Foundational skills are “typically not emphasized or taught systematically,” Cruz wrote.

“A balanced literacy approach is viewed as insufficiently explicit and systematic (especially in the area of phonics and decoding) to meet the needs of many students, but particularly students who are experiencing reading difficulties, dyslexia, or reading-related disabilities,” wrote Cruz.

Balanced literacy also often uses the discredited theory of cueing, which asks students to use context clues to decipher unfamiliar words, which may lead to guessing, according to a report from Education Week. Several states have banned the use of cueing in recent years.

“(The science of reading) also sheds light on why some students have difficulty, how educators can most effectively assess and teach, and how data can be used to improve student outcomes,” said Cruz in a statement.

The goal, Cruz said, is to use the science of reading “to bring clarity and common ground to move Oregon forward in supporting the literacy development of all students.”

In September, $11.5 million in federal funding was apportioned for Oregon literacy for next school year, with the possibility of up to $57 million being given to the state over the next five years to assist with the literacy initiative.

New curriculum and training boost Central Oregon school literacy programs