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Show LETRS based spelling curriculum 25 LETRS training. They also changed curriculum, interventions, added coaching, etc. The literacy system had a major overhaul. Therefore, the training cannot take all the credit (Schwartz, 2022). Utah Adopts LETRS According to the Utah State Board of Education (USBE), the data for early childhood education show students’ reading scores are low. Almost half of third graders are below reading level and are not achieving the necessary reading skills for future academic success. The USBE conducted a survey for K-3rd educators and collected over 4300 responses concerning this issue. The results from the survey indicate that teachers had low confidence in teaching reading skills, 74% of teachers felt inadequate to teach phonological awareness and 54% felt insufficient to teach phonics (Dickson, 2022). From this survey, USBE concluded that supporting teachers and boosting their current knowledge about the science of reading would be prioritized in order to improve the reading skills of K-3rd grade students. The goal is to give educators every opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills to align their practice with the science of reading in order to meet the needs of all students. USBE chose the LETRS program because it is evidence-based and has the ability to empower teachers to understand the science behind why students struggle to read through learning research-based instructional practices. LETRS provides details for educators to understand the what, why, and how of scientifically based reading instruction. Starting Fall 2022, there is an initiative to begin to train thousands of Utah’s educators with the LETRS program and continue until all early childhood educators in the state of Utah take the courses (Dickson, 2022). “In 2022, Utah lawmakers set an ambitious statewide goal to have 70% of third grade students reading on grade level by July 2027. The law they passed (SB 127 Early Literacy Outcomes Improvement) included funding to train educators in the science of reading, LETRS” |
