Federal Science of Reading Bill?

Oh, that crazy House of Representatives.

Check out HR 7890, brought to us by Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana, along with Rep. John Manion of New York and Rep. Kevin Kiley of California. The bill-- The Science of Reading Act-- wants to federally mandate Science of Reading stuff. It has the effect of creating a federal definition of SoR that captures the general vagueness of the term:

The term ‘science of reading’ means an interdisciplinary body of evidence-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing that—

(A) identifies instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing as essential components to skilled reading;

(B) demonstrates the importance of background knowledge, oral language, the connection between reading and writing, and strong writing instruction;

(C) explains why some students have difficulty with reading and writing; and

(D) does not use a three-cueing model.

Hope that clears it right up for you. If you're fuzzy on three-cueing, we get a federal definition for that, too. It has to do with A) using context, pictures, or syntax as primary basis for teaching word recognition and B) "teaches visual memory as the primary basis for word recognition." So, sight words? Sight words are bad now? 

Anyway, under the bill, only programs that are aligned with SoR get grant money under the grants to "entities in support of kindergarten through grade 12 literacy," The bill would add to the directions that states are given for distributing the grants. Which makes me wonder if these GOP Representatives missed the meeting where the regime explained that these kinds of grants were going to be toast anyway.

That's pretty much the whole bill, other than it's not allowed to limit any of the protections of students under IDEA or the ADA. The best part is at the very bottom of the page where the bill explicitly says that the bill absolutely does not

authorize any officer or employee of the Federal Government to mandate, direct, or control a State, local educational agency, or school’s specific instructional content, academic standards and assessments, curricula, or program of instruction.

Somebody was wrapping up the bill and remembered that the feds are not allowed to dictate curriculum or instructional programs. Conservatives remembered that really well back when President Obama and Arne Duncan were extorting state compliance with promoting Common Core, but seem to have kind of forgotten now.

So that's the bill. It directs states to push a particular ill-defined un-supported possibly-nonexistent instructional methodology, and then promises that this bill does not authorize the feds to push a particular instructional methodology. It went to the House Committee on Education and Workforce, where the committee voted 33-0 to report the bill. Should this bill escape its well-deserved death, I expect its major effect will be to influence education grant paperwork, but let's hope it just sits on the steps up on Capitol Hill and quietly fades away.