School Board Moves to Address Persistent Literacy Gaps
FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Today, the Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously to advance a proposal seeking a work session to review reading instruction, strategies, and professional development and discuss the path forward for evidence-based, structured literacy in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). In addition to a staff presentation, the work session will feature an independent expert in the science of reading who will offer testimony and answer questions.
As reported in the FCPS Strategic Plan Goals Report this year, while some student sub-groups did see an increase in the percentage of students reading at or above grade level, the school division did not reach the goal of all students reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade. Of particular concern are the most significant reading gaps in economically disadvantaged and English language learners, students with disabilities, and Asian, Hispanic, and Black students.
“The slow progress of eliminating opportunity gaps in reading, coupled with the COVID pandemic and interruption of schooling, necessitates the reassessment of our reading instruction to ensure we utilize the most up-to-date, research-based approaches and programs,” said Stella Pekarsky, the School Board’s Sully District Representative.
“Several schools are already pursuing a data-driven approach to reading instruction that centers on phonics and phonemic awareness. Unfortunately, this patchwork approach leaves many students behind. It is critical that we work together to improve educational outcomes for all students,” said Karl Frisch, the School Board’s Providence District Representative.
Parents and other community stakeholders like Fairfax County NAACP, Fairfax County Special Education PTA (SEPTA), Decoding Dyslexia, The Arc Northern Virginia, Edu-Futuro, and many others encouraged the school division to pursue a comprehensive, structured literacy program aligned with the science of reading.
The proposal approved by the School Board today during its Forum discussion was co-sponsored by Pekarsky and Frisch. Their comments above were made in their capacity as individual School Board members.
