#29: Signs Your Reading Curriculum Is Not Science of Reading Aligned
Have you ever wondered whether your reading curriculum truly aligns with the Science of Reading? You’re not alone. Many teachers reach out with concerns about their school’s literacy program—unsure if it’s equipping students with the skills they need to become strong readers. Shockingly, research shows that five of the most commonly used reading curriculums in 2024 are not backed by reading science. That’s why it’s crucial to recognize the red flags that indicate a curriculum is not evidence-based.
In this episode, we’ll walk through 27 warning signs that your reading program may not be aligned with the Science of Reading—and what you can do about it.
Key Warning Signs of an Ineffective Reading Curriculum
1. Encourages Students to Guess Words Instead of Sounding Them Out
If your curriculum suggests using pictures, context clues, or the first letter of a word to guess what it might be, that’s a major red flag. Guessing is not a reading strategy—it’s a game. Effective reading instruction teaches students to decode words by blending sounds together.
2. Uses Predictable, Leveled Texts Instead of Decodable Books
Many curriculums rely on books that repeat sentence structures (e.g., I see a blue cat. I see a red dog.). While these books might seem easy for beginners, they don’t teach true reading skills—they just encourage memorization and picture reliance. Instead, students need decodable texts that reinforce phonics skills.
3. Fails to Teach Blending Sounds to Form Words
If your curriculum doesn’t explicitly teach students how to blend letter sounds (e.g., /c/ /a/ /t/ → cat), it’s not aligned with the Science of Reading. Blending is a foundational skill for decoding.
4. Promotes Sight Word Memorization Without Phonics Connections
Memorizing high-frequency words like the or and without breaking them down into phonemes leads to weak reading skills. Instead, students should learn these words through sound-spelling connections.
5. Prioritizes Silent, Independent Reading Over Explicit Phonics Instruction
While independent reading is valuable, it cannot replace direct phonics instruction—especially for struggling readers. If students are spending most of their literacy block reading on their own without teacher-led phonics lessons, they’re missing essential instruction.
6. Lacks a Systematic, Structured Phonics Scope and Sequence
Effective phonics instruction follows a clear, logical progression (e.g., single consonants → CVC words → digraphs → blends). If your curriculum lacks this structure or jumps around randomly, it may not be evidence-based.
7. Ignores Phonemic Awareness Development
Strong reading instruction includes daily phonemic awareness practice—helping students break words into sounds, blend them together, and manipulate phonemes. If your program doesn’t include this, it’s missing a key component of reading success.
8. Does Not Teach the Articulation of Sounds
Science-backed curriculums teach students how sounds are physically produced (tongue placement, airflow, vocal cord usage). Understanding these concepts helps children connect speech to print more effectively.
9. Lacks a Strong Comprehension Component
Reading is not just about decoding—it’s also about understanding. Effective curriculums teach explicit comprehension strategies (like visualization, summarization, and making inferences) to help students make sense of what they read.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
- The biggest mistakes common literacy curriculums make.
- Why guessing words is NOT a reading strategy.
- How to tell if your program lacks a structured phonics sequence.
- The role of phonemic awareness and why it matters.
- What to do if your curriculum isn’t aligned with the Science of Reading.
Bringing It All Together
If your reading curriculum checks multiple red flags from this list, it may be time to rethink your approach. The good news? There are research-backed, Science of Reading-aligned resources available that can help fill in the gaps.
Instead of relying on outdated methods, we can shift toward explicit, systematic phonics instruction, decodable texts, and strong comprehension strategies—helping every student become a confident, capable reader.
Want More Support? Join The Science of Reading Formula
If you’re ready to ditch ineffective reading strategies and implement a Science of Reading-aligned approach, join The Science of Reading Formula! Our membership provides step-by-step phonics lessons, decodable passages, and research-backed literacy instruction—so you can teach with confidence.
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