‘Advancing the Science of Reading Act' gains unanimous support in Senate Education Committee
Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, introduced a bill to the Senate Education Committee further promote literacy standards in New Mexico. (Photo by Eddie Moore / Albuquerque Journal)
President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) found support from the full Senate Education Committee Friday for her bill to further promote literacy standards in New Mexico.
Senate Bill 242, the Advancing the Science of Reading Act, directs colleges of education at New Mexico universities to teach structured literacy to aspiring teachers. It creates new standards for teacher preparation programs to incorporate structured literacy and requires that these programs be monitored for compliance.
Structured literacy is a method of teaching students how to read by using phonics, vocabulary and comprehension to create a foundation for children to build from. It contrasts with balanced literacy, which uses context clues and 'guesswork.'
'You've all heard about the Mississippi miracle. The Mississippi miracle on the (National Assessment of Educational Progress) scores, they always fought with us for last. Well, we are now thoroughly last and Mississippi is in the middle of the pack. And how did they do that,' Stewart asked the committee. 'In 2014 they passed a law like this in front of you today.'
The committee passed the bill unanimously; it now heads to the Senate Finance Committee.
Think New Mexico and NewMexicoKidsCAN representatives spoke in favor of the bill, as did a teacher and parents from the May Center for Learning in Santa Fe.
Caitlin Trujillo, elementary lead teacher at the May Center, shared her experience of only gaining instruction on structured literacy when she arrived at the Santa Fe school, not during her years of training at New Mexico Highlands University.
'I was fortunate that when I started working at the May Center, I received a lot of information about the science of reading, and I pretty much earned another degree while I was working there,' Trujillo said to the committee. 'Teacher preparation programs should provide this since it's the most fundamental thing that we as teachers are asked to do. If we want to improve the education in New Mexico, we have to have teacher preparation programs that provide teachers with the skills and tools that they need to teach and be successful.'
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