Changing the Trajectory: Secondary Literacy as a Lifeline

 Equipping teachers, rethinking instruction, and proving kids don’t age out of reading.

Doc Holbrook with her middle and high schoolers—proof that kids don’t age out of learning, and neither do we

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, reading proficiency by third grade is one of the most important predictors of whether a student will graduate high school and succeed in a career. Yet, despite decades of reform, a study by the U.S. Department of Education still reports that 32 million adults in the U.S. cannot read proficiently.

The NAEP scores remind us of the paradox. Elementary scores are finally showing signs of growth, but secondary scores are sliding in the opposite direction. On the surface, it looks like good news followed by bad news—but really, it’s a reflection of a deeper systemic challenge.

Why the Divide?

Last week, I wrote about the fallout from balanced literacy—a philosophy that left too many students without the foundational skills they needed. While the science of reading movement has led to stronger instruction at the elementary level, the reality is that middle and high school teachers are still left with students who never got those foundations.

And here’s the truth:

• Secondary teachers were never trained as reading teachers.

• Instructional materials at the secondary level are not designed to explicitly teach reading.

• Assessments rarely pinpoint the specific areas of deficit for older struggling readers.

That leaves teachers asking the question I hear most often:

“What do I do with a sixth grader reading at a third-grade level who’s expected to access sixth-grade text?” 

The common answer is: “Scaffold.”

But what does scaffolding actually look like?

Breaking Down the Problem

When you zoom in, most struggling readers fall into three categories:

1. Decoding difficulties – they can’t yet read all the words on the page.

2. Fluency difficulties – they can read all the words, but they are not automatic in their word recognition

3. Language comprehension gaps – they lack the vocabulary or background knowledge to make sense of the text.

4. Students who struggle with both word reading and language comprehension gaps.

When you categorize reading difficulties into these three categories it makes it easier to scaffold. Figure out where the child is struggling, and that’s where instruction has to begin.

Tackling Decoding

This is usually the most obvious of difficulties. By simply listening to a student read aloud, a teacher will be able to tell if a student has word reading difficulties. If students can’t decode the words, comprehension is impossible. The biggest culprit for many secondary students are multisyllabic words. Many of these students were never taught to decode one syllable words. So the task of decoding multisyllabic words is almost impossible. Teachers need practical routines to make this work doable in middle and high school classrooms:

• Pre-teach challenging words from the text—focus on those essential to meaning.

• Teach syllable division patterns explicitly (closed nap/kin, open ro/bot, vowel-consonant-e reptile, r-controlled car/ton, vowel teams main/tain , consonant-le han/dle).

• Incorporate morphology instruction—prefixes, suffixes, and roots—so students can unlock multisyllabic words.

Supporting Fluency

Other students can decode but struggle with fluency—the ability to read words smoothly and automatically. A lack of fluency drastically reduces comprehension because cognitive energy is spent on word recognition instead of meaning-making. In order to determine if a student has automaticity difficulties, teachers should administer an oral reading fluency assessment. Both DIBELS and easyCBM have free ones available on their websites.

Some scaffolds teachers can embed:

• Echo reading – teacher models, student repeats.

• Repeated reading – practice the same passage multiple times to build automaticity.

• Fluency Fridays – dedicate time each week for structured fluency practice, making it a regular part of instruction.

These aren’t “elementary” activities—they’re brain-based practices that build efficiency for older readers, too.

Building Background Knowledge

I’m a huge proponent of curricular programs—and I’ll say it unapologetically. For too long, programs have been dismissed as something only “bad teachers” need. In reality, a strong curriculum doesn’t take away teacher creativity—it frees it. With a solid program, teachers spend less time wondering “What am I teaching tomorrow?” and more time thinking “How can I make sure my students truly access this content?”

As Natalie Wexler argues in The Knowledge Gap, coherent curricula are essential for building the background knowledge that supports comprehension. They ensure vertical and horizontal alignment across grades and subjects, which is critical in large districts where students move schools frequently.

That said, no program is perfect. They are designed for “all students,” not the specific students sitting in your classroom. That’s where teacher knowledge and autonomy come in.

Comprehension is about more than decoding—it’s also about the knowledge students bring to the text. Luis Moll’s work on funds of knowledge reinforces that every student enters the classroom with valuable experiences and cultural understandings. The key question for teachers becomes: What does this text assume my students already know—and how can I build that knowledge if it’s missing?

Practical strategies include:

• Short videos to introduce concepts.

• Virtual field trips to give students context.

• Photographs or primary source visuals that ground abstract ideas.

  
  

Making it Work in the Classroom

So, what does this actually look like in action. My sixth graders read Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe García McCall. I am going to use this novel as an example of how to scaffold instruction for struggling readers. The goal is to help students meaningfully access the text—not by simply reading it aloud to them, but by deliberately planning supports that build decoding skills, fluency, vocabulary, and background knowledge so they can engage with the story independently.

Scaffolding Summer of the Mariposas: An Instructional Sketch

Build Background Knowledge

Before students dive into Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe García McCall, set the stage so they are ready to engage with the novel’s setting, themes, and cultural roots.

• Introduce Mexican folklore and mythology

  Use short videos, images, or read-alouds of traditional legends. This prepares students for the magical realism elements they’ll encounter in the text.

• Geography connection

  Map the sisters’ journey from Texas into Mexico. Discuss border crossings, rivers, and deserts, and connect to students’ knowledge of migration stories.

• Funds of Knowledge

  Invite students to share family traditions, stories, or cultural practices that might relate to themes of family, migration, or resilience.

• Bridge to Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)

  Remind students that last year, in 5th grade, they read Esperanza Rising. Point out the shared themes:

  • Family loyalty and responsibility

  • Migration across the U.S.–Mexico border

  • Resilience in the face of hardship

  • Cultural identity and traditions

    Create a Venn diagram comparing the two novels, asking:

  • How are Esperanza’s and Odilia’s journeys similar?

  • How are they different?

This connection activates prior knowledge, showing students they already have tools to understand Summer of the Mariposas.

2. Word Reading: Multisyllabic Word Decoding

Teach students to break down complex words using syllable division and morphology.

Examples from the novel:

• transformation → trans | for | ma | tion

• invisible → in | vis | i | ble

Activity:

• Practice decoding by chunking and marking syllables.

• Model with think-alouds: “This part is open, this part is r-controlled, so the word says…”

  
  

3. Vocabulary Development

Morphology (Word Matrix)

• Root: form

  • Words: transformation, reformation, informed, forming, transformed

Semantic Gradient: Journey

(short trip → adventure → expedition → journey → odyssey)

• Students place words along a line, discussing intensity, scale, and meaning.

• Connect back to the sisters’ journey in the novel and how it’s more than just travel.

Frayer Model: Journey

• Definition: A long trip or voyage, often involving challenges or growth.

• Characteristics: travel, distance, transformation, purpose.

• Examples: Odilia and her sisters’ trip.

• Non-Examples: staying home, being still

Semantic Gradient: Transformation

(change → shift → alter → transform → metamorphosis)

• Students explore how “transformation” means more than just a small change.

• Use with character development across the novel.

Frayer Model: Transformation

• Definition: A thorough or dramatic change in form, appearance, or character.

• Characteristics: significant, lasting, meaningful.

• Examples: the sisters’ growth; a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

• Non-Examples: minor adjustment, temporary fix, staying the same.

4. Fluency Development

Strategies

• Echo Reading: Teacher models, students repeat with expression.

• Repeated Reading: Students reread a passage multiple times, tracking accuracy and speed.

• Partner Reading: Alternating sentences or paragraphs, with peer feedback on pacing and tone.

Fluency Friday

A weekly routine dedicated to fluency practice.

• Timed Repeated Readings: Students chart their WCPM (Words Correct Per Minute) growth.

• Phrase Scoops: Chunk text into meaningful phrases and practice expressive reading.

Purpose: Normalize fluency practice at the secondary level and make progress visible and motivating.

When teachers intentionally layer background knowledge, multisyllabic word decoding, vocabulary work, and fluency practice, they create the scaffolds students need to access Summer of the Mariposas on their own. This approach not only opens the novel to struggling readers but also strengthens the literacy skills they’ll carry into every future complex text.

The Path Forward

The challenge we face is not simply about phonics or fluency or scaffolding—it’s about equipping teachers with the knowledge and tools to make instructional decisions for students who are years behind but still deserve access to grade-level learning.

Secondary teachers were not trained to do this. That’s a systemic failure, not an individual one. But it’s also a call to action. We must prepare teachers to:

• Diagnose reading challenges with precision.

• Scaffold access to complex texts in actionable, replicable ways.

• Use curriculum as a backbone, not a script, while tapping into student knowledge and lived experiences.

The stakes are high. But the hope is real—because it is possible to do this work. Schools must get creative, tap into the resources they already have, and lean on the lessons learned from others who are doing it successfully. In my district, we’re working side by side with secondary school teachers to take this on. It’s hard and it’s messy at times, but it’s absolutely doable—and the alternative, allowing students to leave school without the ability to read, is unacceptable.

No one in education wants that outcome. The time to act is now.

In next week’s blog, I’ll share exactly how we set this up—and how other schools can take our model, adapt it, and make it their own. Together, we can prove that kids don’t age out of learning to read, and we can give every student the chance to succeed.

Because when we teach older students to read, we don’t just change scores—we change futures.

When we know better. We teach better.

See you next Sunday!

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2014). Literacy promotion: An essential component of primary care pediatric practice. Pediatrics, 134(2), 404–409. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1384

Catts, H. W. (2021). Rethinking how to support reading comprehension. Perspectives on Language and Literacy, 47(1), 9–15.

García McCall, G. (2012). Summer of the mariposas. Tu Books.

Moll, L. C., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & González, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31(2), 132–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849209543534

National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): 2022 reading assessment. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

Ryan, P. M. (2000). Esperanza rising. Scholastic.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2003). Adult literacy in America: A first look at the results of the National Adult Literacy Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Wexler, N. (2019). The knowledge gap: The hidden cause of America’s broken education system—and how to fix it. Avery.