[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 214 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 214

    Expressing the sense of Congress that direct systematic phonics 
               instruction should be used in all schools.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 28, 1999

 Mr. McIntosh submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of Congress that direct systematic phonics 
               instruction should be used in all schools.

Whereas the ability to read the English language with fluency and comprehension 
        is essential if individuals are to reach their full potential;
Whereas it is a foundational and indisputable fact that written English is based 
        on the alphabetic principle, and is, in fact, a phonetic language;
Whereas more than 50 years of cognitive science, neuroscience, and applied 
        linguistics have confirmed that learning to read is a skill that must be 
        taught in a direct, systematic way;
Whereas phonics instruction is the teaching of a body of knowledge consisting of 
        26 letters of the alphabet, the 44 English speech sounds they represent, 
        and the 70 most common spellings for those speech sounds;
Whereas most public schools, teachers colleges, and universities do not provide 
        direct, systematic phonics instruction;
Whereas the 1998 National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) has found 
        that 69 percent of 4th grade students are reading below the proficient 
        level;
Whereas more than half of the students being placed in special education 
        programs have not been taught to read;
Whereas the cost of special education, at the Federal, State, and local levels 
        exceeds $60,000,000,000 each year;
Whereas the 1998 NAEP also found that 85 percent of minority 4th grade students, 
        most of whom are in title I programs (of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.)), are reading below the 
        proficient level;
Whereas Congress has spent more than $120,000,000,000 over the past 30 years for 
        title I programs (of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
        (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.)) alone with the primary purpose of improving 
        reading skills;
Whereas the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has 
        conducted more than 35 years of extensive scientific research in reading 
        at a cost of more than $200,000,000;
Whereas the NICHD findings on reading instruction conclude that phonemic 
        awareness, direct, systematic instruction in sound-spelling 
        correspondences, blending of sound spellings into words, and 
        comprehension are essential components of any reading program based on 
        scientific research; and
Whereas reading instruction in most schools is still based on the whole language 
        philosophy, often to the detriment of the students: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) phonemic awareness followed by direct systematic 
        phonics instruction should be used in all schools as a first, 
        and essential step in teaching a student to read; and
            (2) phonics instruction should be an integral part of pre-
        service teaching requirements so that teachers will have the 
        skills to effectively teach reading.
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