ASHLAND – Ashland University’s Dwight Schar College of Education is fully in alignment with state standards for Science of Reading curriculum, according to an Ohio Department of Higher Education audit.
In the report released on Tuesday, Ashland was one of 14 schools (out of 49) to receive a perfect 100% on the 73 audit metrics.
“I am so proud of our College of Education dean, leadership team and faculty members who have successfully developed and implemented the Science of Reading curriculum.
To be one of just 14 schools that are 100% compliant with the standards is impressive, but candidly, it is expected for a school of excellence,” said Dr. Jon Parrish Peede, president of AU.
“When Ashland teacher candidates are educating young readers, parents and principals know the children are learning the right way at the right time from great educators trained with the right pedagogy.”
The State of Ohio has undertaken a major effort to improve children’s reading outcomes since 2021 and required educators to instruct using best practices aligned with the Science of Reading via House Bill 33 in 2023.
Based on decades of literacy research, the Science of Reading integrates findings from cognitive psychology, linguistics, neuroscience and education to identify instructional strategies most effective in supporting proficient reading.
Examples include a greater emphasis on phonics, sounding words out, reading for comprehension and understanding what words mean.
The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, a research center that develops and provides evidence-based tools and knowledge to educators, parents and policymakers to improve academic, behavioral and social outcomes for all students, performed the audit.
Representatives from the center made a site visit to AU, collecting data, interviewing and observing faculty, reviewing course materials and surveying students.
The results were clear: AU scored perfectly across the full set of Reading Core courses, and all literacy-related courses complied with relevant provisions of the Ohio Revised Code.
“This milestone represents a significant achievement for our College,” said Lisa Vernon Dotson, Ph.D., dean of the Dwight Schar College of Education. “The progress we have made in just a few short years is remarkable.
“We undertook a comprehensive redesign of our curriculum — a substantial endeavor — but one that was unquestionably worthwhile. This transformation required extensive faculty professional development, strategic hiring of new colleagues and the integration of external perspectives.
“We sought practitioner feedback and conducted an external review with nationally recognized experts in the Science of Reading to ensure that every step of the process reflected evidence-based best practice.
“As a result, I am confident that the model we have created is sustainable, that it reflects the highest standards of our field and that our teacher candidates will be exceptionally well prepared for the profession.”
The state audit demonstrates that AU’s teacher candidates are prepared to implement this research-based structured literacy curriculum.
“Our teacher candidates will be thoroughly prepared to teach reading to all learners. Structured literacy is fundamentally designed to address the diverse needs of students across P-12 settings, and our graduates will enter the profession equipped to implement the evidence-based instructional approaches now required in the state of Ohio,” said Vernon-Dotson.