Gov. Kathy Hochul came to the Albany School of Humanities on Friday to tout her new Back to Basics legislation education that was included in the budget.

Hochul visited a first-grade class to talk about the plan, which requires that every school use evidence-based reading instruction to improve proficiency rates.

The State Education Department will provide instructional best practices to students.

“We’re going to make sure that these students have what they need here. Phonics should not be a mystery. It’s decoding, it’s vocabulary,” said Hochul. “Again, I want to thank all the teachers here for what you do. It’s really paid off,” she said.

The school is one of 65 schools in the country and two in New York to be recognized for exceptional student achievement, according to the governor’s Office.