State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond testified today in the Senate Education Committee about the need for results-proven training for all teachers of reading and math.

Thurmond’s testimony was in support of Senate Bill 1115, which proposes to fund evidence-backed educator training in order to address the urgent need for improved student outcomes across the state. The committee passed the bill after Thurmond’s testimony, and the bill now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 6.

Current efforts to fund educator training in literacy and math are only sufficient to train one-third of California’s educator workforce. SB 1115 would fund the remaining two-thirds.

“This is an issue of moral clarity,” said Thurmond. “In the fifth-largest economy in the world, and in an age when we have access to substantial brain science about how students learn, it should be unacceptable to train only some educators in the best strategies to teach essential skills.”

The idea of “brain science” behind literacy instruction has been at the center of fierce debate in recent years, and the phrase “science of reading” has become both a polarizing term and galvanizing cry. SB 1115 includes support for multiple methods backed by research, including phonics, as well as language development strategies aligned to the California ELA/ELD Framework proven to support and encourage biliteracy and multilingualism.

“Every child should feel supported as they learn to read and every teacher should feel confident in their ability to support students’ foundational literacy,” said Thurmond. “SB 1115 is about ensuring that all children have the opportunity to read by third grade, and that all children have a shot at the life-changing outcomes that come from early literacy.”

According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 70 percent of incarcerated adults are estimated to be struggling readers or illiterate.

Anyone wishing to learn more about Thurmond’s literacy efforts in California and his goal to ensure that students learn to read by third grade may email statewideliteracycampaign@cde.ca.gov.