Stockton Unified reports jump in early reading scores after new literacy program

After previous years of low literacy rates, California's San Joaquin County is actively making changes to improve student reading scores.

At Taylor Leadership Academy in south Stockton, every vowel and consonant is helping students become stronger readers.

"This last year, we made a 19% increase for our K2 students. That equates to about 2,000 more students that went into first, second and third grade reading at grade level this past year," said Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, superintendent of the Stockton Unified School District.

Stockton Unified credits a new program called Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words, or SIPPS, for improving reading scores.

The program is designed to help readers build fluency and comprehension skills.

"We don't just move on," Rodriguez said. "We actually make sure that we reteach it."

As of 2023, two-thirds of district students in third grade required additional support to achieve literacy milestones. Now, SIPPS is supporting young readers in more ways than one.

The program has brought new light into Stockton Unified, and it's now become much bigger than just improving literacy. It's also brought students connection and confidence.

"It's definitely transformed our campus," said Rebecca Abellana-Delvo, assistant principal of Taylor Leadership Academy.

Abellana-Delvo has worked at the school for 20 years. She's seen firsthand how building better readers is boosting their confidence.

"Before that, it was like a learned helplessness. Kids were like, 'I can't do this,' " she said. "Because of the size of reading and teaching kids the explicit ways of how to read and the phonics instruction, we have seen their confidence grow so much from reading CVC words to full-on sentences."

The success in the classroom often comes from dedicated teachers like Kayla Borges-Vaz.

"I see that our teachers feel more confident in teaching reading, and because of that, our kids are more confident learning how to read, and you can see their confidence when they're practicing before," said Borges-Vaz, who teaches second grade.

Borges-Vaz said the key to the program is to help young students discover the joy of reading.

"I used to have first graders not even try to read directions or anything like that," she said. "Now these kids are reading to me, and they like it."

Stockton Unified now hopes to be an example for other school districts and continue to foster a love for reading.