What to know from Philadelphia’s review of its English language arts curriculum

Philadelphia school district officials are hoping this year will see an improvement in students' reading proficiency with their new English language arts curriculum. However, a new district research report reveals that educators have serious concerns about the rollout of the K-8 curriculum. The report, based on focus groups with over 100 teachers, principals, and administrators, found that many educators reported issues with the phonics instruction, lack of time and resources for students to read full books, and insufficient support for struggling students.

While some principals believe the new curriculum is a step in the right direction, genuine teacher buy-in remains a challenge due to insufficient training, mixed messages, and little time to address foundational learning. The district has made adjustments since the first year of implementation, including reorganizing materials and adding support for K-2 teachers.

However, state test scores from the first year show a decline in reading proficiency, with only around one-third of students reading proficiently. This is far from the district's goal of having more than half of students proficient by 2030.

Experts warn that the curriculum's phonics instruction may not be effective enough for young learners. Many teachers reported that the phonics lessons were not direct or explicit enough, leaving them concerned about the curriculum's ability to teach struggling readers how to sound out words. Some teachers even opted to revert to previous phonics materials they believed were more effective.

Additionally, teachers reported that the curriculum does not allow enough time for reading for pleasure or to foster a joy of reading. Many students also expressed a desire to read full chapter books, but did not receive that opportunity due to the curriculum's focus on excerpts.

Lastly, students who are behind grade level have few supports in the curriculum. Teachers reported little time to teach these students and expressed concern about sacrificing other parts of the curriculum to address foundational skills. The superintendent has previously stated that he wants teachers to spend more time on grade-level work, but the curriculum's fast pace may hinder students' ability to catch up.