Some teachers and advocates objected to a plan to require phonics instruction in K-12 schools. The latest deal makes it optional.

Several states have embraced an approach that leans heavily on phonics — relying on letter and rhyming sounds to read words.

The original proposal would have mandated phonics instruction in K-12 classrooms. The latest version makes that optional.

A California bill proposing mandatory phonics-based reading instruction has advanced but without requiring schools to adopt ...

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas called for an agreement on how to train teachers in reading instruction; when he didn’t get it, ...