Superintendent’s Sep. 20, 2023 Update

Dear APS Families,

Literacy remains a top priority for APS because reading is the foundation every child needs to learn and succeed. I frequently reference the science of reading and our shift to structured literacy to improve reading proficiency and address learning gaps we were seeing both before and after the pandemic.

Changing our approach to reading instruction has been a multi-year process, involving new curriculum, resources and teacher training, and we are seeing encouraging results. Parents play a big part in this as well, and the first step is understanding how students learn and what we are teaching at school. Here is an overview of our approach and what it means for students.

The science of reading refers to 50 years of research on how students learn to read, and methods for teaching reading based on that research. It uses reading lessons that focus on teaching children how to sound out words—phonics instruction. This is different from the previous “see and say” approach which relied mostly on visual cues and memorization.

• In the classroom, this is called structured literacy, where students receive explicit and systematic instruction in a sequence of phonics materials, including spelling, reading comprehension and writing. This may include reading aloud and discussing grade-level (or higher) texts with students to build their knowledge and vocabulary.
• We are seeing progress among all schools and student groups, especially in early grades. Last year, 91% of kindergarten students achieved reading proficiency, a 10% increase compared to the prior year. While we continue to strengthen elementary literacy, a major focus this year is ensuring every middle and high school student is reaching their goals by receiving structured literacy intervention when needed.

I encourage you to keep an open dialogue with your student’s teacher about their progress and ways you can support their reading skills. Here are strategies for supporting reading skills at home.

Thank you for your partnership in helping students gain confidence and a love of reading.

Sincerely,  Francisco Durán
Superintendent