The term “science of reading” refers to the research that reading experts, especially cognitive scientists, have conducted on how we learn to read. This body of knowledge, over twenty years in the making, has helped debunk older methods of reading instruction that were based on tradition and observation, not evidence.
The definition of the Science of Reading used in Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement and systematically used to guide the development of updated core reading classes’ syllabi at universities in Ohio includes:
- How Students Learn to Read: research from cognitive science on how children learn.
- Essential Elements of Reading: the skills that support literacy and how student needs change across development.
- Essential Elements of Effective Instruction: instructional approaches that are based in research and best practice.
- Multi-Tiered Systems of Support: the application of data-based decision making to the creation of systems of support for all students.