The Rhode Island Right to Read Act
The Rhode Island Right to Read Act was passed in July of 2019. The law requires educators to exhibit either proficiency in or awareness of the knowledge and practices of the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy. In addition, Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) must provide professional learning for educators to support these requirements, and Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) must address these requirements within their programs of study.
The Science of Reading, or scientific reading instruction, is defined as empirically-based instruction that is grounded in the study of the relationship between cognitive science and educational outcomes.
Structured Literacy is defined as an approach to teaching that integrates speaking, listening, reading, and writing by providing explicit, systematic, diagnostic-prescriptive instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness, sound-symbol correspondence (phonics), syllables, morphology, semantics, and syntax. For more information, visit RIDE’s Structured Literacy page.
Whether a teacher must meet proficiency or awareness requirements is determined by the educator's current work assignment. The information below provides an overview of awareness and proficiency requirements; however, all educators should review the RIDE’s LEA Guidance Document to ensure requirements are met.