Special Education Teacher Preparation Policy
Scientifically Based Reading Instruction—Tests and Standards: As a condition of initial licensure, California requires all new special education teachers to pass a reading instruction test, the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA). This assessment adequately addresses the five components of scientific reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
Informational Texts: California addresses some of the instructional shifts associated with college- and career-readiness standards. According to RICA content
specifications, teachers must be able to "understand how to promote
students' comprehension of expository/informational texts and their
development of study skills and research skills." Additional in-depth
testing standards follow the competency that further addresses these
shifts.
Literacy Skills: California's educator preparation standards address the incorporation of literacy across core content areas. Both single-subject and multiple-subject credential candidates must be able to "teach students to independently read and comprehend instructional materials that include increasingly complex subject-relevant texts and graphic/media representations presented in diverse formats. Candidates also teach students to write opinion/persuasive and expository text in the content area." These requirements are repeated in all educator preparation standards related to Reading/Language Arts, Science and Social Science.
Struggling Readers: Regarding struggling readers, California's RICA testing standards require teachers to
"demonstrate knowledge and ability in assessment with respect to
comprehension of expository/informational texts and development of study skills
and research skills." This competency is followed with the example of
"demonstrating ability to use the results of assessments to plan effective
instruction and interventions with respect to comprehension of
expository/informational texts and development of study skills and research
skills, adjust instruction and interventions to meet the identified needs of
students, and ultimately determine whether relevant standards have been
met."
In addition, California's educator preparation standards in Reading, Writing and Related Language Instruction for special education credential candidates address the needs of struggling readers by requiring that teachers "must demonstrate knowledge and ability to use multiple monitoring measures within the three basic types of assessments to determine students' progress towards state adopted content standards...[and] candidates need to be able to analyze and interpret results to plan effective and differentiated instruction and interventions." Candidates must also be able to: "Demonstrate knowledge of how to organize and manage differentiated reading instruction and interventions to meet the needs of the full range of learners."
Ensure that new special education teachers are prepared to incorporate informational text of increasing complexity into classroom instruction.
Although California's reading test addresses informational texts, the state should strengthen its policy requirements to ensure that special education teachers are able to challenge students with texts of increasing complexity.
California declined to respond to NCTQ's analyses.
4B: Teaching Special Education Reading
Teaching children to read is the most important task teachers at the elementary level undertake. Over the past 60 years, scientists from many fields have worked to determine how people learn to read and why some struggle. This science of reading has led to breakthroughs that can dramatically reduce the number of children destined to become functionally illiterate or barely literate adults. By routinely applying in the classroom the lessons learned from the scientific findings, most reading failure can be avoided. Estimates indicate that the current failure rate of 20 to 30 percent could be reduced to 2 to 10 percent.[1]
Scientific research has shown that there are five essential components of effective reading instruction: explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.[2] Many states' policies still do not reflect the strong research consensus in reading instruction that has emerged over the last few decades. Many teacher preparation programs resist teaching scientifically-based reading instruction. Reports by NCTQ on teacher preparation, beginning with What Education Schools Aren't Teaching about Reading and What Elementary Teachers Aren't Learning in 2006 and continuing through the Teacher Prep Review in 2016, have consistently found the overwhelming majority of teacher preparation programs across the country do not train teachers in the science of reading.[3] Whether through standards or coursework requirements, states must direct programs to provide this critical training. But relying on programs alone is insufficient; states must only grant licenses to new special education teachers who can demonstrate they have the knowledge and skills to teach children to read.[4]
Effective early reading instruction is especially important for teachers of special education students. By far, the largest classification of students receiving special education services are those with learning disabilities. Based on data from the U.S. Department of Education, it is estimated that reading disabilities account for about 80 percent of learning disabilities.[5] While early childhood and elementary teachers must know the reading science to prevent reading difficulties, special education teachers, and especially elementary special education teachers, must know how to support students who have already fallen behind and struggle with reading and literacy skills.[6] States should require no less from special education teachers in terms of preparation to teach reading than they require from general education teachers.[7]
College- and career-readiness standards require significant shifts in literacy instruction. College- and career-readiness standards for K-12 students adopted by nearly all states require from teachers a different focus on literacy integrated into all subject areas. The standards demand that teachers are prepared to bring complex text and academic language into regular use, emphasize the use of evidence from informational and literary texts, and build knowledge and vocabulary through content-rich texts. While most states have not ignored teachers' need for training and professional development related to these instructional shifts, states also need to attend to the parallel need to align teacher competencies and requirements for teacher preparation so that new teachers will enter the classroom ready to help students meet the expectations of these standards.[8] For special education teachers, preparation and training must focus on managing these instructional shifts while also helping students who may have serious reading deficiencies.