PA Structured Literacy

Explains Pennsylvania's new structured literacy guidelines, focusing on policy, pedagogy, and educator competencies for PK-8.

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Key Takeaways

Structured literacy instruction is mandated statewide with a firm deadline for educator preparation alignment.
Explicit and systematic teaching of language structure is essential for literacy success.
Five core reading components form the foundation of the PDE’s literacy framework.
Act 55 mandates differentiated instruction and comprehensive teacher support.
The policy is grounded in research demonstrating improved student outcomes.

What the video covers

Unpacks Pennsylvania Department of Education's structured literacy guidelines and Chapter 49 amendments.
Explains the mandate requiring all educator preparation programs to integrate structured literacy standards by August 1, 2024.
Defines structured literacy as explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction covering phonology, orthography, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
Highlights the five essential components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
Details how Act 55 provides six directives for teacher support emphasizing both what and how to teach literacy skills.
Describes PK-4 competencies focusing on foundational literacy skills and developmental phases of writing.
Explains the shift in grades 4-8 towards more complex reading comprehension and written expression using multi-sensory and multimodal methods.
Connects the policy to research evidence from Pennsylvania’s dyslexia pilot and expansion project.
Emphasizes differentiated instruction to meet diverse learner needs including students with dyslexia and advanced skills.
Encourages educators to translate policy mandates into practical classroom strategies for effective literacy instruction.

Chapters

What is the deadline for integrating structured literacy standards in educator preparation programs in Pennsylvania?

By August 1, 2024, all educator preparation programs in Pennsylvania must fully integrate the structured literacy standards to ensure new educators are aligned with the framework.

What are the five essential components of reading emphasized in Pennsylvania's structured literacy guidelines?

The five essential components are phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension, which form the foundation of effective literacy instruction.

How does Act 55 influence teacher support in implementing structured literacy?

Act 55 outlines six directives focusing not only on what to teach but also how to teach, emphasizing differentiated instruction and comprehensive support for educators.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

Welcome to this explainer, where we're going to unpack the Pennsylvania Department of Education's dense but absolutely crucial new structured literacy guidelines. If you're an educator, an administrator, or honestly just someone passionate about how we teach the next generation to read, you

Speaker A

already know that policy documents can sometimes feel like a total maze. Well, today we're going to transform those official mandates into an engaging, clear road map for your classroom. So, let's dive right in. The changes we're discussing today stem directly from the

Speaker A

already know that policy documents can sometimes feel like a total maze. Well, today we're going to transform those official mandates into an engaging, clear road map for your classroom. So, let's dive right in. The changes we're discussing today stem directly from the

Speaker A

whole goal right now is to translate these official policy mandates into practical everyday practice. Because structured literacy is all about explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction, we're going to follow that exact philosophy today. Here is our step-by-step agenda. First, we'll look

Speaker A

PDE's Chapter 49 amendments. And you know, whenever the state code gets an update, it means real tangible shifts for educators on the ground. This specific document outlines the exact competencies and standards for educator training in structured literacy. Our

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Fourth, we'll explore the PK4 competencies. And finally, we'll look at how this scales up for grades 4 through 8. Section one, the structured literacy mandate, tracing the policy. The rapid pacing of this roll out is really something. It kicked off on April 23rd,

Speaker A

whole goal right now is to translate these official policy mandates into practical everyday practice. Because structured literacy is all about explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction, we're going to follow that exact philosophy today. Here is our step-by-step agenda. First, we'll look

Speaker A

By August 1, 2024, all educator preparation programs must fully integrate these structured literacy standards. It's a hard deadline ensuring every new professional holding certificates in early childhood, special ed, ESL, and reading specialties is completely aligned with this framework.

Speaker A

at the mandate itself. Second, we'll define structured literacy. Third, we'll connect the core elements to Act 55.

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proved that using structured literacy has a massive impact on both student outcomes and entire school systems. It simply proved that this method works better. Section two, defining structured literacy, the pedagogical philosophy.

Speaker A

Fourth, we'll explore the PK4 competencies. And finally, we'll look at how this scales up for grades 4 through 8. Section one, the structured literacy mandate, tracing the policy. The rapid pacing of this rollout is really something. It kicked off on April 23rd,

Speaker A

Educators must explicitly teach the structure of language across the board. We're talking about everything from the speech sound system, which is phenology, to the writing system, orthography, all the way up to syntax, morphology, and semantics, which is how words relate to

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2022, when the Chapter 49 amendments officially became effective. By the 2022-2023 school year, the PDE was already establishing professional development programs. But the absolute most crucial point is that final date.

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These are phmic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Now, these aren't just buzzwords, right?

Speaker A

By August 1, 2024, all educator preparation programs must fully integrate these structured literacy standards. It's a hard deadline ensuring every new professional holding certificates in early childhood, special ed, ESL, and reading specialties is completely aligned with this framework.

Speaker A

is how Act 55 lays out six very distinct directives for teacher support. It's not just about what you teach, but how you teach it. You absolutely must teach those core literacy skills. Yes, but you also have to differentiate instruction

Speaker A

But you might be wondering why this sudden shift. Why this specific mandate right now? Well, it wasn't a random decision at all. This mandate is deeply grounded in data. Specifically, the results of Pennsylvania's dyslexia pilot and expansion project. This research

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materials and developmentally appropriate supports so every single student can effectively access reading instruction. Section four, building blocks PK4 competencies. For our early educators teaching preK through fourth grade, the framework is divided into six specific competency blocks. And remember

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proved that using structured literacy has a massive impact on both student outcomes and entire school systems. It simply proved that this method works better. Section two, defining structured literacy, the pedagogical philosophy.

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ensures students build a robust, totally unshakable literacy foundation. Now, this is a crucial distinction that educators really have to master.

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Instead of relying on guesswork or passive exposure, the PDE defines structured literacy as systematic and explicit instruction. And this brilliantly illustrates the core shift.

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applies them to the actual structure of English orthography. This is the visual element. It's the written spelling patterns and the rules for regular and multi-selabic words. Understanding the line between the auditory focus of competency 1 and the orthographic focus

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Educators must explicitly teach the structure of language across the board. We're talking about everything from the speech sound system, which is phonology, to the writing system, orthography, all the way up to syntax, morphology, and semantics, which is how words relate to

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direct explicit morphology instruction and comprehension. It isn't just about reading big paragraphs. It requires an explicit focus on sentence comprehension. Finally, for written expression, teachers have to understand and explicitly teach the developmental phases of writing from brainstorming and

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each other. It's a comprehensive, active dismantling and rebuilding of the English language for our students. To build that rock-solid foundation, the state mandates that core instruction has to be supplemented with a laser focus on five essential components of reading.

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While early grades build the basic phonetic and syllable foundation, educators in grades four through 8 have to shift their focus to way more complex concepts. Under decoding, the four to eight competencies emphasize identifying a general scope and sequence for

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These are phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Now, these aren't just buzzwords, right?

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The instruction shifts from foundational phonics to a much broader application of multiensory and multimodal teaching, helping students tackle increasingly difficult reading comprehension and written expression tasks. And that brings us to a detail straight from the four to eight competency guidelines that

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They are the architectural pillars of the PDE's entire framework. Every standard and competency we're about to look at is designed to reinforce these exact five areas. Section three, core elements, and Act 55, policy to practice. What's really fascinating here

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Even in middle school, using timeline dots can effectively anchor highly complex comprehension skills. It proves for sure that structured multiensory learning isn't just for kindergarteners.

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is how Act 55 lays out six very distinct directives for teacher support. It's not just about what you teach, but how you teach it. You absolutely must teach those core literacy skills. Yes, but you also have to differentiate instruction

Speaker A

classrooms? Because this isn't just a policy update. It's a fundamental shift toward brain-based evidence-backed instruction designed to leave absolutely no reader behind. I hope this explainer has helped demystify the core of Pennsylvania's structured literacy guidelines for you. Thank you so much

Speaker A

for students with advanced skills as well as those with dyslexia. Notice the heavy emphasis on identifying issues early through universal reading screeners. Plus, the act pushes hard for appropriate scientific research and brain-based multi-sensory intervention methods. It's all about high-quality

Topics:structured literacyPennsylvania Department of EducationChapter 49 amendmentsAct 55literacy instructioneducator competenciesphonemic awarenessphonicsreading comprehensiondyslexia

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