As a key element in the state’s package of early literacy reforms, Gov. Gavin Newsom included $200 million in last year’s state budget to pay for instructing elementary school teachers in the new reading strategies. On Wednesday, the State Board of Education approved 31 training programs that school districts can now use.

That list of providers is about twice as long as some advocates of reading reforms recommended. And it will include a few programs that have proven to be minimally effective, the advocates said.

But board members weeded out a half-dozen of the lowest-ranked programs. They directed the Department of Education to provide easily accessible and detailed information on each of the 31 programs to help districts select the ones that best meet their needs.

“I know that (districts) are overwhelmed, and as much guidance as we can provide would be helpful,” said board member Haydee Rodriguez, a high school teacher who has designed adult literacy programs in Imperial County.

A Sept. 30 deadline set by the Legislature last year for approving the list precluded the board from recommending substantial revisions that would have required an unscheduled follow-up meeting.

Longtime observers said this was the first time in memory that the State Board has recommended professional development programs. The list reflects the state’s recognition, based on Mississippi and other states’ full-scale improvements, that a weak link in teacher training could undermine early literacy reforms.

That is why the Department of Education approved a short list of vendors for the early literacy screener for reading challenges, like dyslexia, and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, at the Legislature’s direction, revised the reading standards for teaching reading that all university credentialing programs must follow.

The next stage will occur later this year, when the State Board approves a new list of reading textbooks and materials aligned with the English Language Arts and English Language Development standards for English learners. The State Board must decide whether to repeat what it did with the math textbook adoption in November 2025, approving 64 different textbooks aligned with the new math framework. The alternative is to be more selective and only highlight textbooks emphasizing phonics and essential components of the evidence-based science of reading.

Read the full article about early literacy training programs by John Fensterwald at EdSource.