Support for phonics

It's not flashy the way they did it in California or Texas. But Indiana has taken a monumental step by declaring that phonics instruction is needed in the early grades.

It was a one-two punch that began Wednesday when State School Superintendent Suellen Reed announced a soon-to-be released "phonics toolkit" for teachers. A two-page document describing the initiative declared, "Systematic phonics instruction is a powerful way to help children figure out unknown words."

Then on Thursday, the Indiana General Assembly sent a bill to the governor that will require new elementary teachers be trained in phonetic skills. The Senate had passed the bill 48-2, the House 99-0. Give two Indianapolis lawmakers, Republican Sen. Murray Clark and Democratic Rep. Gregory Porter, credit for that one.

These may not sound like radical education reforms, but their symbolic significance is huge.

Until now, Indiana's academic standards for reading have heavily favored the whole language approach, which encourages children to memorize whole words and use context as they learn to read. It's a bias shared at Indiana University's School of Education, the largest provider of teachers for Indiana schools.

In contrast, intensive or systematic phonics requires they learn the relationship of sounds to symbols, how to blend sounds together and to recognize short and long vowels before plunging into books. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development says this is the most effective method of instruction for the largest percentage of children.

That's why California dumped its whole language mandate and ordered phonics in 1995. Texas soon followed with a statewide reading initiative.

The first draft of the phonics toolkit will be available for public viewing on March 8 at the Web site: www.doe.state.in.us. Expert and public comment will be incorporated into the document before a final version is sent to teachers. Training workshops are scheduled for the summer.

Senate Bill 352 is meant for future teachers, who don't hear much about phonics now in the schools of education.

Together, these steps send a strong message that phonics instruction is the preferred method in primary grades. And that's good news for the third of Hoosier children who can't pass ISTEP.

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