Drawing on the spring 2023 American Instructional Resources Survey, the authors examine teachers’ use of foundational reading activities in their instruction. These activities correspond to the four foundational reading skill domains for kindergarten-through-grade-5 students that are set forth in the Common Score of State Standards: print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency.

Exploring Foundational Reading Skill Instruction in K–12 Schools

Findings from the 2023 American Instructional Resources Survey

Anna Shapiro, Sabrina Lee, Ashley Woo

ResearchPublished Apr 30, 2024

Drawing on the spring 2023 American Instructional Resources Survey, the authors examine teachers' use of foundational reading activities in their instruction. These activities correspond to the four foundational reading skill domains for kindergarten-through-grade-5 students that are set forth in the Common Score of State Standards: print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency.

The authors compare teacher responses by grades taught, characteristics of their schools and classrooms (e.g., students' race or ethnicity, English language proficiency, disability status), and state policy context.

Key Findings

  • At least two-thirds of kindergarten through grade 5 teachers and one-third of middle and high school teachers who teach English language arts (ELA) reported frequently engaging their students in foundational reading activities.
  • Secondary ELA teachers who served schools with a majority students of color and who taught classes that consist of more than 10 percent English learners (ELs) were more likely to report that their students frequently engaged in foundational reading activities.
  • Elementary ELA teachers in classrooms in which 10 percent to 49 percent of students have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) were less likely to frequently engage their students in foundational reading activities.
  • Elementary teachers in states with and without legislation relating to reading instruction were equally likely to report frequently engaging their students in foundational reading activities.
  • Secondary ELA teachers in states with reading legislation were significantly more likely to report frequently engaging their students in these activities than secondary ELA teachers in states without such legislation, even though only one-quarter of states with these laws include requirements around secondary ELA instruction.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Shapiro, Anna, Sabrina Lee, and Ashley Woo, Exploring Foundational Reading Skill Instruction in K–12 Schools: Findings from the 2023 American Instructional Resources Survey, RAND Corporation, RR-A134-23, 2024. As of September 18, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA134-23.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Shapiro, Anna, Sabrina Lee, and Ashley Woo, Exploring Foundational Reading Skill Instruction in K–12 Schools: Findings from the 2023 American Instructional Resources Survey. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA134-23.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

This study was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation and conducted by RAND Education and Labor.

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. All users of the publication are permitted to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and transform and build upon the material, including for any purpose (including commercial) without further permission or fees being required.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.