From Left Behind to Catching Up: Reclaiming Readers Through Science Based Teaching

Rising 9 Literacy Academy: Midpoint Update & Progress Monitoring Insights

We are halfway through our Rising 9 Literacy Academy, and with that milestone came our first round of progress monitoring data. But before we dive into the results, let’s revisit how the instruction was structured and the assessments used to identify student needs.

Qualifying for the Program

One of the most important aspects of data-based decision-making is using multiple data sources to inform instruction. For this program, we relied on three key assessments:

• i-Ready Diagnostic

• easyCBM Oral Reading Fluency

• Words Their Way Spelling Inventory

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To qualify for the academy, students had to score at least three grade levels below on the i-Ready diagnostic. Their placement was then cross-referenced with oral reading fluency results and the Words Their Way inventory to ensure a comprehensive understanding of their needs.

What the Data Told Us

The combined data made one thing clear: our students are still struggling to read the written word fluently. While their levels of proficiency varied, all students scored below grade-level expectations in decoding and fluency.

Many students demonstrated accuracy, but not automaticity. In reading, both are critical. According to the Simple View of Reading, in order to free up cognitive space for comprehension, students must be able to read words accurately and automatically. Most students placed between Kindergarten and Grade 2 levels on i-Ready, confirming the need for foundational skills instruction.

Instructional Design: What We’re Doing

Instruction was broken into two main components:

1. Word Reading Instruction

2. Comprehension and Writing Instruction

Word Reading with Phonics for Reading

Based on assessment results, we recognized the need for explicit and systematic phonics instruction. To meet this need, we implemented Phonics for Reading, a research-based program designed for older students who require foundational word reading skills. Phonics for Reading is a research-based series that provides explicit instruction in phonics. The program focuses on the acquisition of phonics skills, decoding strategies, and application to connected text (Curriculum Associates, n.d.). My favorite part of the program is that it gets the kids into multisyllabic words right away. It is critical for older students to learn decoding strategies, but ot also practice those skills when reaidng multisyllabic words.

Comprehension and Writing Instruction

For comprehension, we chose to use grade-level texts with scaffolding rather than simplify the reading. The first text was "Dear Daughter" by Sandra Cisneros, an excerpted letter that explores themes of identity, strength, and family. The second was "Dear Basketball" by Kobe Bryant, a heartfelt poem expressing perseverance, love for the game, and personal growth.

Both texts center on the theme of perseverance, giving students a meaningful anchor for reading and discussion. The connection between them allowed students to compare perspectives, tone, and experiences while deepening comprehension.

CLOSE Reading & Sentence-Level Instruction

Teachers followed a CLOSE reading routine, rereading for different purposes, analyzing vocabulary, and discussing author's craft. Sentence-level work followed The Writing Revolution methods. Students practiced:

• Writing simple sentences

• Using conjunctions to combine ideas

• Expanding sentence complexity

The ultimate writing task? A paragraph on perseverance that demonstrates improved sentence structure and understanding of the theme.

How Do We Know If It's Working?

All assessments will be readministered at the end of the academy, and students will rewrite their perseverance paragraph. But we’re not waiting until then to assess progress.

We're using Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) to track growth. CBMs are brief, standardized assessments used to monitor students' progress and the effectiveness of instruction over time (IRIS Center, n.d.) Unlike summative or diagnostic assessments, CBMs are frequent, sensitive to small gains, and directly linked to instruction. CBMs provide an efficient way to assess students’ academic performance and determine whether they are benefiting from the instruction (National Center on Intensive Intervention, n.d.). Each week, students are administered the easyCBM 8th Grade Oral Reading Fluency passage. Teachers and teacher candidates graph student progress and measure growth.

Using SMART Goals

Each student has a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), based on their starting point, the instructional level, and the program's duration.

Questions for Teachers to Ask When Reviewing Progress Monitoring Data

1. Is the student making adequate weekly growth?

2. Are we seeing both accuracy and automaticity?

3. Is the student's goal ambitious but realistic?

4. Is instruction matched to the student's skill level?

5. What instructional adjustments are needed if progress stalls?

6. Is the student showing improvement across multiple assessments (CBM, spelling, comprehension)?

7. Is the student beginning to transfer skills to writing?

How’s It Going?

We’re halfway through—and the results are extremely promising.

All students improved in oral reading fluency, with some gaining as much as 30 WCPM in just two weeks. According to Hosp and Hosp (2003), when reading 6th grade and above texts, students typically grow only 1–2 WCPM per week. These results far exceed that.

Most importantly, students are proud of themselves. They are seeing their own growth, and their confidence is building each day.

Below is an example of one student’s first week of growth. The student began the academy reading 96 WCPM, by the end of the second week they were reading 108 WCPM.

Next, we asked: If this student continues at this pace, how long will it take to reach grade level?

If the student continues to grow at this rate, they should reach grade level in about three months. The next question I posed to the teachers was: Is this a child with a learning disability, or is this a child who is what I call an instructional casualty? Sadly, this story is not unique to this student. Many of our students have never been explicitly taught how to read using evidence-based strategies grounded in the science of reading. They have gone year after year without systematic instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Instead, they were often expected to “pick it up” through exposure to texts or by relying on cues rather than decoding. The result? A large number of students who are not learning-disabled—but who have been failed by inconsistent or ineffective instruction. Their struggles are not rooted in cognitive limitations, but in a lack of access to the kind of teaching that actually works. These students are capable, and with the right support, they can catch up. This realization is both heartbreaking and hopeful—because it means we can intervene, and we can change the outcome.

Because of these promising gains, our school district has decided to offer reading classes at the high school next year, ensuring continued support and acceleration for students like this one.

Conclusion

We launched this academy to meet a need: too many students entering high school unable to read proficiently. We met them with evidence-based instruction, high expectations, and daily support. The early data shows it’s working.

But more than the numbers, we see the impact in students’ voices, their participation, and their belief that they can read—and read well.

With continued support, aligned instruction, and a commitment to monitoring progress, we can change the trajectory for these students.

And we will.

See you next Sunday!

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References

• Curriculum Associates. (n.d.). Phonics for Reading. https://www.curriculumassociates.com/products/phonics-for-reading

• IRIS Center. (n.d.). What is progress monitoring? https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

• National Center on Intensive Intervention. (n.d.). Using CBM to Monitor Progress. https://intensiveintervention.org

• Hosp, M. K., & Hosp, J. L. (2003). Curriculum-based measurement for reading. The Reading Teacher, 56(6), 586–594.