Saxon Phonics -- a Fulfillment

Saxon Phonics -- a fulfillment of a political agenda or a learning method?

Fads in learning theories come and go, and currently phonics, in lieu of the 'whole method' language of learning has come into vogue, particularly with the newly declared standard of 'No Child Left Behind' taken to mean that no child ought to be 'socially promoted' rather than no child's individual reading and scholastic needs ought to be ignored. One of the most currently popular purveyors of the phonics method via a commercial learning method is that of the Saxon Publishing Company, known as Saxon Phonics. Along the lines of the Princeton Review for SAT preparation, Saxon Phonics promotes learning methods through the use of phonetics in learning, rather than individual sustained silent reading exercises. Or, as Saxon Publishing asserts on its website, "phonics is a method of teaching beginners how to read and spell by teaching them the sounds each letter or letter cluster makes and the rules governing the use of those sounds. Only after this understanding of the sound/letter relationship is achieved can successful, independent reading occur." (Official Website, 2004)

This assertion itself is questionable, as children without knowledge of phonics acquire reading quite frequently before entering kindergarten. However, the Saxon website also cautions that "please note that this phonics series is supplemental and may be used with any basal reading program. The objective is to provide children with the skills they need to be able to read and spell independently whenever they are developmentally ready." (Official Website, 2004)

In other words, although phonics instruction is advocated as a 'crawl before you walk' strategy for teaching reading, it obviously is no substitute for the actual process of reading it is designed to teach. (Official Website, 2004) The website also asserts that the "results" prove that schools using phonics programs from Saxon in combination with quality literature continue to realize classroom success year after year. But it offers no quantitative data to support either the method or its assertions. "The systematic phonics instruction not only helps children develop the skills necessary to meet or exceed reading expectations, it also provides the tools they need to achieve a lifetime of reading success. The comprehensive, research-based Saxon Phonics and Spelling K-3 includes explicit instruction in the important foundational skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, fluency and handwriting." (Official Website, 2004) Also, what was the nature of this research, its scope and follow-up, and how is this curriculum different from other methods of phonics instruction?

The Saxon website also stresses the value of phonics in a heterogeneous learning environment as a source of connection, and provides photographs of multicultural settings without justifying why this is so beneficial. Instead of offering data, Saxon Publishing implicitly connects itself and its learning methods to the recent initiative advanced by President Bush. "In January 2002 President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act -- the most sweeping education reform bill in more than 35 years. The Act outlines expectations for Pre-K-12 learning programs that will drive education reform for years to come. It also includes the President's four basic education reform principles: stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on proven teaching methods." (Official Website, 2004)

But although this act specifies quantifiable results, and phonics may be more easily tested in quantifiable methods, there is no proof as to the superiority of this method. "Saxon Publishers salutes our federal government in its belief that every child can learn." (Official Website, 2004)

It states that Saxon Publishers salutes our federal government in its belief that every child can learn, an assertion repeated upon the act's website. (NCLB, 2002) The publishing company additionally advertises its correlation with the strategies advocated by NCLB, but does not specify if the act itself is good, only that NCLB has passed as policy. It does not state that the fact the pedagogical methodology of the Saxon organization is similar to NCLB and, more fundamentally from an educator's point-of-view, if the NCLB act's stress upon standardized tests really promote learning at all, and the stress of the act upon standardized, rather than individuated testing, might be in error as a national policy.

The stress of Saxon learning upon home schooling upon its website further raises red ideological flags as to its agenda, as this method of instruction is quite popular amongst some of the Christian organizations that the current administration has endorsed for reasons other than promoting pure learning. Christianbook.com strongly endorses Saxon methods, but not because of any quantifiable data that supports the program's proven success in learning. Rather, it merely stresses that the Saxon phonics method has the advantage of providing a kind of standardization of learning for inexperienced home schooling parents. "As the parent teaching at home, you have so much to organize, order, assimilate and finally, teach." (Christianbook.com, 2004) Saxon, "even includes a lesson dialogue with possible student responses, so you are ready for everything," and need do minimal lesson planning, if you simply follow the guide.