The Literacy Crisis, part 2 of 3
What Supported Literacy Looks Like
In 2024, New Jersey passed laws moving the State’s literacy instruction from balanced literacy to an evidence-based, science-backed approach: the science of reading. Here is what that approach says students need to become skilled readers.
Skilled Reading
WORD RECOGNITION
Phonological awareness, decoding and sight recognition support automatic word recognition, allowing students to read more sophisticated texts with fluency.
8 STRANDS WORKING TOGETHER
LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION
Background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning and literacy knowledge equip students with the tools to analyze texts, engage in meaningful discussions and apply their learning across contexts.
New Jersey’s vision for English Language Arts
The State’s own standards go well beyond decoding. They describe readers who think, argue, evaluate and keep reading for life.
Foundational skills
Reading, writing, speaking and listening built as the foundation for creative and purposeful expression.
Rich, challenging texts
Reading that builds knowledge of the world, grows confidence and identity as a reader, and develops critical thinking and vocabulary.
Authentic writing
Regular, meaningful writing on valued topics, written for impact and expression and shared with others.
Evidence-based discussion
Daily writing and discussion grounded in evidence, so students read critically, build arguments and cite evidence.
Critical evaluation of media
Using complex texts and digital media to build comprehension, and judging the reliability, credibility and perspective of authors and speakers.
Communication across disciplines
Expressing ideas through many modalities and media, reading, writing and speaking purposefully in every subject.
Lifelong reading habits
Learning to persist in complex texts and reading voluntarily: for pleasure, for further education, for information on public policy and for advancement in the workplace.
The science of reading teaches students HOW to read. Reading for pleasure gives them a reason WHY.
THE HOW
Evidence-based literacy instruction
Explicit, systematic teaching of word recognition, taught alongside the vocabulary, background knowledge and reasoning that comprehension depends on.
In New Jersey that support includes statewide professional development for teachers and other educators (including School Librarians), K–3 screening, tiered intervention and high-quality literacy instructional materials.
Without evidence-based instruction, students never build the foundation that lets them comprehend and enjoy reading.
THE WHY
Motivation and purpose
Choice, interest and identity as a reader.
Reading for pleasure strengthens the very skills that make proficient readers, and turns instruction into a habit that lasts beyond the lesson. School Librarians are the educator in the building whose job description includes supporting reading for pleasure across all subjects.
NAEP weighs reading for information (non-fiction) and reading for literary experience (fiction) about 50/50 in grades 4 and 8, and 70/30 in grade 12.
The six conditions both of them depend on
Instruction and motivation only take hold when students have these. Keep them in mind: the next page shows what happened to each one.
Time and focus
A space and protected time for focused reading during school hours.
Whole books and range
Longer works in many genres, subjects, formats and levels, readily accessible.
Comprehension for developing minds is measurably better on paper, especially for informational text.
Social interaction
Read-alouds, book clubs, discussion and recommendations from adults and peers.
Truth
Current, accurate, credible information, with students doing the hard work of learning for themselves.
Guidance
Teachers trained in literacy instruction & a School Librarian. Students with a School Librarian scored higher in reading & math.
What happens when students no longer have these?
Starting around 2012, technology reshaped every one of those six conditions, while the educators who protect them were being cut.
Read about the Tech EffectEvery figure on this page is sourced at schoolsneedlibrarians.com/sources.