It has recently come to our attention that the Mountain Lakes Board of Education has proposed the adoption of an early literacy program at Wildwood Elementary School called “Fountas & Pinnell Classroom.” The Fountas & Pinnell program has been proven to be ineffective at teaching children to read and in fact often causes students future reading difficulties. The program, which relies heavily on the use of “leveled readers,” has faced heavy criticism from educators and researchers that its instructional methods do not align with, or in some cases contradict, the research on how to develop strong readers (the body of research, amassed over decades, known as the “science of reading”). The F&P program does not focus on phonics nearly enough to be aligned with the science of reading, which calls for systematic and explicit instruction in phonics. It encourages children to guess the words on the page using the pictures, rather than decode them using phonics skills.

The F&P program encourages students to use the pictures in any given book to guess the words on the page, rather than sounding out, or “decoding,” the words. The problem with this approach is that students look like they can read when they in fact are guessing at the word by using the pictures. As students progress to reading more difficult texts and they cannot use the pictures to help them guess the words, they are forced to use what little phonics skills they have gleaned from the F&P program.

States across the country are moving toward early literacy programs aligned with a body of research known as the science of reading. The science of reading focuses on systematic and explicit phonics instruction. We contend that the Mountain Lakes Board of Education should adopt such a program for our school district.

We, the undersigned parents and concerned community members, respectfully submit this petition urging the Mountain Lakes Board of Education to adopt an early literacy program aligned with the science of reading. Studies have shown that systematic and explicit phonics instruction is essential for fostering strong foundational reading skills in all children.

The early literacy program the Board adopts should include:

• Systematic and explicit phonics instruction
• A detailed scope and sequence of phonics patterns to be taught in  kindergarten through second grade
• Instruction in phonemic awareness
• Use of decodable texts based on specific phonics patterns
• Use of methods designed to help students orthographically map high frequency and irregular words, such as the “heart word” method 
• Implementation of strategies such as Elkonin boxes to encourage orthographic mapping of words
• Integration of sound walls

The evidence shows that these features are critical for promoting literacy skills and ensuring that our children become proficient readers. A program aligned with the science of reading will provide students with the necessary tools for success.

We appreciate the Board’s attention to this matter and kindly request that you consider our petition as a reflection of the concerns shared by parents, caregivers, and family members of young children in our community. We look forward to the opportunity for open dialogue and collaboration to enhance the literacy education provided by the Mountain Lakes school district.