Building the Foundation: Oregon’s Early Literacy Success Initiative and Implementing Reading Science

For more than a decade, student reading scores in Oregon have demonstrated significant gaps in skill levels. While state scores mostly mirrored nationwide performance, Oregon dipped below national averages in 2022. Officials declared student performance “unacceptable,” launching Oregon’s Early Literacy Success Initiative in 2023 to reverse the state’s literacy crisis.  

The Early Literacy Success Initiative provided more than $100 million in grant funding for community, school, and tribal literacy and implemented a Birth Through Five Literacy Plan. However, for administrators, marching orders remain a bit murky as guidelines are finalized and some funding still needs to be released. Despite the ambiguity, Oregon district and school leaders need to understand how to best help educators embrace the science of reading. Starting this year, district leaders must report progress.

Whether funding was used for more teacher positions or new programs, leaders must demonstrate they’ve aligned to evidence-based literacy practices. Let’s examine the success seen at some schools and what steps can be taken now to report success this year. 

How Oregon Students Doubled Performance

During the 2023-2024 school year, approximately 267 school leaders augmented teacher instruction with Lexia® Core5® Reading, a research-based literacy support curriculum that helps fill gaps in instruction and address student foundational literacy skills through personalized learning. Using the Adaptive Blended Learning program, teachers helped 38,300 pre-K–5 students address literacy building blocks like phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension. The strategy proved to accelerate the development of literacy skills for students of all abilities. 

The percentage of students working on material in or above grade level nearly doubled across the 2023-2024 school year, increasing from 44% to 88%. Incredibly, the percentage of students performing below grade level dropped to only 17%—down from 56%.

The blended approach kept teachers at the center of instruction and provided an evidenced-based program where students could practice independently while teachers monitored progress in real time. At La Pine Elementary School, teachers first taught lessons to the entire class and then set weekly Lexia® unit goals for individual students using Core5. “I like that I can see what they are working on and offer them support when needed. The resources are amazing,” said Shodie Akin, a teacher at La Pine Elementary School. 

In Oregon City, Ronee Treadwell, a teacher at Carus Elementary School, uses the program to develop students' understanding of word structure, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. “The kids are 100% engaged when working,” she said.

The patented Assessment Without Testing® (AWT) feature helps educators automatically assess student performance without interrupting class for testing, saving them more than a month’s instructional time. It “helps me see what skills my students need to work on, and it gives them practice that meets them where they are at,” said Amy McCarthy, a teacher at Salish Ponds Elementary School in Fairview, Oregon. Educators can run customized and standard reports at student, class, school, or district levels to show exactly what students have accomplished—an essential feature for leaders reporting progress for the Early Literacy Success Initiative. 

Putting The Science To Work: 3 Essential Steps To Align With Oregon Early Literacy Framework

Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, a chief sponsor of House Bill 3121,  said the initiative is the beginning of a long-term commitment to the science of reading, and it is not going away. As demonstrated by the success of Oregon educators using Lexia, experts have found when “young children develop strong language skills early on, they are better equipped to engage in learning and succeed academically.” 

Leaders can use this step-by-step guide for integrating the science of reading, starting with these three important steps:

1. Train Educators. The National Council on Teacher Quality issued recommendations for Oregon—giving it an “unacceptable” rating for available training on the science of reading. Simply being aware of the science of reading and a Structured Literacy approach is not enough—educators need a strong foundation of knowledge to teach reading properly. The science of reading-based professional learning proved to be the missing link in Mississippi’s historic pivot and recent dramatic results on literacy rates in schools nationwide, including Central Elementary School in Alabama. For sustainable change, Oregon leaders can implement more comprehensive professional learning, addressing the fundamentals of reading and writing instruction—phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written language. For example, the Lexia® LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) Suite is comprehensive professional learning designed to provide early childhood and elementary educators and administrators with deep knowledge to be literacy and language experts in the science of reading. 

2. Use Approved Strategies: The Early Literacy Success Initiative takes a holistic approach to literacy, starting with young children at home with their parents and caregivers, moving through primary grades, and including touchpoints outside of school. While guidelines are being refined, Angelica Cruz, director of Literacy at the Oregon Department of Education, simplified the direction as ensuring learning support is evidence-based, culturally responsive, and student—and family-centered.

Leaders can demonstrate efforts through these approved strategies: 

• 1:1 or small-group tutoring

• Summer learning opportunities

• Coaching to keep educators up-to-date on the latest research-proven teaching methods

• Adoption of curriculum and materials aligned with the science of reading

• Professional learning to ensure students are taught in a culturally responsive way

• Culturally relevant instruction materials

Even with limited teacher availability, leaders can expedite efforts using Lexia’s comprehensive literacy solutions for any of the approved strategies. Here are the areas where Lexia meets the state’s new framework.

   

Oregon Early Literacy Framework	Lexia LETRS	Lexia Core5 Reading	Lexia English Language Development™
Student belonging: Culturally responsive practices
Family & community partnerships: Literacy learning before kindergarten
Oral language as the root of early literacy development
Reading models based in research: Five models of reading and the essential components of literacy
Foundational skills
Writing, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and background knowledge
Core instruction and assessment
Reaching all learners

3. Make Reporting Efficient. Director Cruz emphasized, “The statute is written with some strong accountability measures in mind.” Forward-thinking leaders should consider how they can quickly report progress and keep tabs on student performance for easier Early Literacy Success Initiative reporting. With Lexia’s real-time reporting platform, leaders can see a complete picture of academic progress at any given moment across an entire district, school, or individual student’s performance. “With the knowledge and skills and the tools to really be able to support our students—and, as leaders, to support our teachers. It’s changing lives,” said Kristen Anderson, a director of literacy and intervention.

What’s Next?

More funds will be distributed, and administrators can expect mandates for the science of reading to continue in Oregon. Rep. Kropf said he plans to champion the issue repeatedly “as long as he remains in office.” 

Stay on top of Oregon’s literacy movement. Learn more about improving literacy outcomes and get more details about how Lexia helps Oregon educators align with the Early Literacy Success Initiative.

Oregon’s Literacy Journey Timeline