A new California law is pushing for phonics-based reading instruction in elementary and middle school classrooms. The law provides training for school principals and reading specialists in the "science of reading," a method focused on vocabulary, comprehension and sounding out words rather than learning words by sight. The approach has led to improved reading scores in Mississippi, Louisiana and districts like Los Angeles Unified, which adopted it several years ago. The law also updates the state's list of textbooks, flash cards and other classroom reading materials to align with a phonics-based approach. The legislature passed the bill unanimously after it was made optional for schools to adopt phonics as a learning method.

Schools are still required under federal and state law to help students who don’t speak English to both learn the language and understand the …