Ohio Approves the Being a Reader Program for High-Quality Core Curriculum and Instructional Materials (K-3)

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce has added Collaborative Classroom's Being a Reader™ to its list of high-quality core curriculum and instructional materials for English language arts for grades K–3.

Under ORC 3313.6028(B), the department is responsible for establishing a list of English language arts core curriculum and instructional materials aligned with the science of reading and effective literacy instruction strategies.

As used in Title XXXIII of the Revised Code, "science of reading" means an interdisciplinary body of scientific evidence that:

(a) Informs how students learn to read and write proficiently;

(b) Explains why some students have difficulty with reading and writing;

(c) Indicates that all students benefit from explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing to become effective readers;

(d) Does not rely on any model of teaching students to read based on meaning, structure and syntax, and visual cues, including a three-cueing approach.

"We're thrilled that Ohio has recognized Being a Reader as a high-quality curriculum for comprehensive reading instruction," said Collaborative Classroom President and CEO Kelly Stuart. "Schools across the Midwest and nationwide are already using the evidence-based instruction in Being a Reader to help their students develop as fluent and confident readers, and we are here to support Ohio literacy educators in this vital work."

Ohio Managers of Educational Partnerships Nancy Osko and Nicole Campbell are excited about this news. "As Managers of Educational Partnerships for Collaborative Classroom, we are elated that the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce has included Being a Reader on its list of high-quality core curriculum and instructional resources. From foundational literacy skills to navigating complex texts, Being a Reader empowers students at every stage of their literacy journey. As an educative curriculum, Being a Reader supports teachers with comprehensive training and support. Being a Reader explicitly teaches social skills that foster students' growth as responsible, caring, and collaborative students, which is a core value of Collaborative Classroom's programs. School districts who choose this curriculum for their K–3 students will develop independent, confident readers well prepared for their upper elementary years."

Learn more here.

About Being a Reader

A comprehensive K–5 reading program, Being a Reader is the first of its kind to integrate foundational skills instruction, practice in reading comprehension strategies, and rich literacy experiences with explicit social skills instruction and activities that foster students' growth as responsible, caring, and collaborative people.

Being a Reader follows a continuum of reading development to meet each student at their instructional point of need and take them to their next level of literacy. Grounded in scientific reading research, the program is informed by our many years of experience working alongside classroom teachers.

Through whole-class, small-group, and individualized approaches to teaching both foundational skills and reading comprehension, students develop as proficient, competent readers who love to read, learn from, and talk about books.

About Collaborative Classroom

Collaborative Classroom is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another.

Collaborative Classroom's evidence-based programs help children develop as proficient readers and writers, appreciate the ideas and opinions of others, learn to agree and disagree respectfully, think critically about big ideas, and become responsible citizens of the world.

Our commitment to continuous, embedded professional learning empowers educators to grow their teaching practices, build school community, and create the conditions for authentic, student-centered learning.

Since the organization's founding in 1980, our work has reached more than 8 million students and 328,000 teachers in classrooms across the country, developing fluent readers and skilled writers, supporting instructional equity, transforming discipline practices, and bolstering student and teacher engagement. Learn more at https://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/.

SOURCE Collaborative Classroom