Lawmakers seek to strengthen student literacy through teacher training
House Bill 1368 builds on previous literacy efforts by state lawmakers in 2023. If passed, professional development for literacy instruction would be aligned with “science of reading” strategies.
A bill to strengthen proven reading strategies through teacher training passed the Illinois House and after a unanimous committee vote is now before the full Illinois Senate.
House Bill 1368 seeks to build on lawmakers’ literacy efforts from 2023, when they recognized the poor state of reading proficiency in Illinois and amended the Illinois School Code to create the state’s “Comprehensive Literacy Plan.” HB 1368 further amends the school code to require any professional development activities related to literacy instruction be aligned with the evidence-based strategies developed in the State Board of Education’s Comprehensive Literacy Plan.
The bill unanimously passed the Illinois House April 8 and passed out of the Senate Education committee unanimously on April 29. It will next be considered by the full Illinois Senate.
Just 31% of Illinois third-grade students met or exceeded reading proficiency standards on the state’s end-of-year assessment in 2024, meaning 7 in 10 third graders could not read at grade level. Illinois students’ performance on the most recent national reading assessment revealed similar struggles: just 33% of fourth graders met grade-level reading proficiency standards in 2022.
HB 1368 is a solid move by Illinois’ leaders toward literacy reform by training teachers in “science of reading” methods that emphasize traditional reading skills such as phonics, language development and vocabulary. It could help propel Illinois students toward a foundation of literacy skills, which are essential for absorbing information for all school subjects.
Illinois’ incremental literacy reforms mirror other states
Reading is critical for students, especially during the first years of a child’s education. Research shows students who fall behind in reading skills, especially in lower elementary grade levels, drop out at much higher rates than their classmates. A student’s likelihood to graduate high school can be predicted by their reading skill at the end of third grade.
Many states have enacted legislation to improve poor rates of literacy for their students and ensure their students have the skills necessary to succeed in school and beyond. States such as Colorado, Mississippi and Florida offer examples for how to improve literacy for students.
But comprehensive literacy reforms rarely come in just one bill or legislative session, as showcased by states where reform of how reading is taught came through multiple bills building on one another in multiple legislative sessions.
Colorado consistently has among the highest percentage of fourth-grade students meeting or exceeding reading proficiency standards on the National Assessment on Educational Progress. Colorado parents can thank lawmakers in part for their state’s high-ranking fourth grade reading proficiency rate after unanimously passing the Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act in 2012, which focuses on “science of reading” literacy development for the state’s elementary students, and subsequent legislation to strengthen the READ Act.
Mississippi had the lowest percentage of fourth-grade students meeting or exceeding reading proficiency standards on the NAEP among all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2013. A decade later, Mississippi students recorded the largest jump in proficiency among any state with the rate of fourth graders at or above proficiency increasing 9.4 percentage points between 2013 and 2022.
What spurred these dramatic improvements in early literacy in Mississippi? Incremental legislative efforts to implement science-based literacy policies. In 2013, Mississippi state lawmakers passed legislation establishing the Literacy-Based Promotion Act to address its worst-in-the-nation rates of early reading proficiency. This legislation laid the groundwork for more science-based literacy legislation in the years that followed.
Florida students also made large gains in reading proficiency after lawmakers began passing multiple pieces of legislation starting in 2001 to ensure schools use science-of-reading methods aimed at improving early literacy.
Comprehensive reform rarely happens overnight. Illinois made a first step in 2023 by amending the school code to emphasize literacy and create the state’s “Comprehensive Literacy Plan.” Now, lawmakers have yet another opportunity to invest in the future of Illinois students through HB 1368, which would build on the state’s literacy plan and ensure teachers are equipped to instruct students using evidence-based methods.