SACRAMENTO
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and Gov. Gavin Newsom announce new resources to strengthen literacy-biliteracy instruction statewide
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the release of the California Literacy-Biliteracy Professional Learning Pack, a comprehensive suite of resources designed to enhance literacy instruction and support educators across the state in improving student outcomes, especially for young readers.
“Literacy is foundational to lifelong learning and academic success,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “With this release, California takes a significant step forward in providing educators with the tools they need to foster strong literacy and biliteracy development from the earliest years of learning as we move the needle on student achievement, particularly for our youngest readers.”
“In California, we know that learning to read is the start of the pathway to success. The Literacy Roadmap highlights our multifaceted approach to improving literacy for California’s students, including current and proposed initiatives,” Governor Newsom said. “When added to our other investments in literacy coaches and reading specialists at high-needs schools and professional development for teachers, we are doubling down on our commitment to ensure no student falls behind in their reading.”
The new Professional Learning Pack includes two crucial literacy guidance documents. The first is the California Literacy Roadmap’s Literacy Content Blocks for English-Medium Classrooms (Transitional Kindergarten through Grade Five). The Literacy Roadmap Content Blocks provide instructional recommendations that educators can use to support students as they develop across all areas of literacy and biliteracy. The blocks reflect an intentional approach to literacy that promotes carefully sequenced initial instruction, appropriate practice and reinforcement, intervention as necessary, and meaningful application in English language arts and other content areas.
The second document is the Preschool Through Third Grade (P–3) Learning Progressions for Language and Literacy Development. The P–3 Learning Progressions outline key developmental milestones and offer examples of play-based, inquiry-based instruction to support early literacy in both English and students’ home languages.
“In California, we’re focused on an approach to literacy that supports evidence-based instruction and high-quality professional learning,” said State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond. “The Literacy Roadmap and the Literacy Learning Progressions provide teachers with key resources and tools they can use to support every child in learning to read with comprehension, write with expression, and explore the world of books with excitement.”
These professional learning tools have been endorsed by a broad coalition of experts in literacy and biliteracy instruction, including The Reading League, the California Association for Bilingual Education, and Californians Together.
Educators are encouraged to incorporate the materials into their summer and school-year professional development plans. The full Professional Learning Pack is available now on the CDE California Literacy web page.
—Submitted
SACRAMENTO
‘Doubling down on stupid’: Newsom slams Senate waiver vote, Trump
California officials moved quickly to start another legal battle against President Donald Trump’s administration after the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to revoke federal waivers that allowed the state to phase-out gas powered cars and combat air pollution.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta said they plan to file a lawsuit on the grounds that Congress’ use of the Congressional Review Act to rescind the waivers is illegal. The law allows Congress to overturn actions of federal agencies, under specific circumstances, without a supermajority vote. California secured the waivers last year from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden.
“California has received approximately 100 waivers since waivers have been given and the CRA has never been applied to any of those waivers before. … This is a workaround for Trump to punish California for defying his efforts to bring us backward.” noted Bonta.
While Bonta emphasized that Trump’s actions aimed to obstruct California’s authority to enforce its own state laws, Newsom focused on how revoking the waivers threatened California’s public health and the country’s electric vehicle industry. Saying that the administration was “doubling down on stupid,” the governor argued that this would further enable China’s dominance over the electric vehicle market.
“Big day for Big Oil. … Big day for China. Terrible day for your kids,” added Newsom. “terrible day for air quality, terrible day for innovation and entrepreneurship.”
As the state readies itself for its 23rd lawsuit against Trump since his second term, more California laws may be under threat from the administration and GOP members in Congress, including dozens of existing and proposed laws regulating artificial intelligence and laws that benefit immigrants lacking permanent legal status.
—Lynn La, CALmatters
