Literacy

Our Commitment to Literacy

At San Juan Unified, we are committed to helping every student become a confident, capable reader, writer and communicator. Our literacy instruction is grounded in research-based practices aligned with California standards and the Science of Reading. We partner closely with families to support strong literacy development from early childhood through graduation.

Literacy is foundational to success in every subject area and helps students build critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills needed for college, career and life.

ELA/ELD Standards and Framework

In literacy instruction, we use multiple guiding documents to drive classroom experiences for our students: relevant state standards and the California framework. You can link to the documents below:

San Juan Unified’s Literacy Resolution

On Sept. 24, 2025, San Juan Unified’s Board of Education passed a resolution supporting evidence-based literacy practices aligned to the Science of Reading. View the full resolution.

What is the Science of Reading?

The “Science of Reading” is the science behind how the brain learns to read. It is based on decades of research about the brain and reading. This research and its conclusions is a collaboration of many different disciplines, including neuroscience, cognitive psychology and linguistics. The Science of Reading encourages a structured literacy approach that uses explicit, systematic instruction to teach the five key pillars of literacy: phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency.

Key components often include:

Phonemic awareness — understanding and working with sounds in spoken words
Phonics — connecting letters to sounds to read and spell words
Fluency — reading accurately and smoothly
Vocabulary — understanding word meanings
Comprehension — making meaning from text

Watch this video to learn more.

Instructional Materials

The San Juan Unified’s Board of Education adopts high-quality English Language Arts (ELA) and English Language Development (ELD) materials to support student learning across all grade levels.

TK-5
6-8
9-12
ERWC
English 3 Ethnic Studies

Visit our curriculum webpage to learn more.

Upcoming Materials Adoption

A team of San Juan Unified teachers, principals, and other staff will begin the process of reviewing ELA/ELD instructional materials from the CDE’s 2026 ELA/ELD Follow-Up Adoption list in the Fall of 2026. Select teachers will pilot potential curriculum in the Fall of 2027, and final selection and board action is expected in April 2028. Pending board approval, the materials will be implemented in the Fall of 2028. You can see a list of materials pending CDE approval here.