The following assumptions guide the delivery of balanced reading instruction. Instruction includes information on how to use the structure of language and how to construct meaning from various texts. Students read, write, and are read to on a daily basis. Beginning readers practice fluency in predictable texts and decodable texts with phonetically regular patterns. A broad range of assessment informs teachers' instructional decisions.
Instruction is based on knowledge of literacy acquisition.
Teachers intervene early and quickly with appropriate instructional strategies when students do not progress. Effective reading instruction focuses on teaching each student rather than teaching a reading program. Students read for a variety of purposes. Appropriate and adequate resources, including technology, should be readily available for instruction to students, teachers, and parents. Students should have open access to libraries and opportunities to learn in them.