5/8/2024

The Surprising State of Middle School Literacy—And What School Leaders Can Do About It

Sixty-nine percent of eighth grade students are “non-proficient” readers. Uncover the causes behind this adolescent literacy crisis. Discover practical strategies to improve middle school reading through evidence-based instruction and teacher training and determine how to fund it.

The Shocking Statistics on Adolescent Literacy

Data from the most recent 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a widely respected and comprehensive assessment of student performance in the United States, revealed 69% of eighth grade students are “non-proficient” readers. This leaves a meager 31% of eighth grade students at or above the NAEP proficient achievement level.

For school and district leaders, these numbers are cause for concern. Reading proficiency is the bedrock for all academic learning. Students who cannot read well will inevitably struggle across all core subject areas:

• Science (comprehending texts and lab instructions)
• Math (analyzing word problems)
• Social Studies (understanding context from primary source documents)

And the shortfalls extend beyond academics. Adolescents with poor literacy skills face staggering statistics:

• 85% of youth involved in the juvenile court system are classified as having reading skills below the level required to function in our society.
• Limited literacy can decrease one's ability to access health services, understand and complete necessary forms, and comprehend vital written communications.
• Low literacy levels directly correlate with unemployment. One in five adults struggles to complete basic job applications. Reading basic sentences and filling out necessary forms for employment are barriers to their success.

It's a pressing issue that demands immediate attention. The reading outcomes for adolescent learners in our nation's middle and high schools need to improve urgently.

The Root Causes Behind the Literacy Gap

It's tempting to view this literacy crisis as solely an artifact of the COVID-19 pandemic's disruptions to classroom learning. While the pandemic was undoubtedly a significant factor, the reading challenges have been building for decades. Several systemic issues created this perfect storm:

Ineffective Elementary Reading Instructional Approaches

For years, the instructional philosophy of "Balanced Literacy" dominated many elementary schools. This well-intentioned approach emphasized exposing young students to high-quality children's literature.

However, Balanced Literacy de-emphasized the explicit, systematic teaching of phonics, phonemic awareness, and other foundational decoding skills. As a result, too many students reach adolescence without fully mastering these crucial reading abilities.

The science of reading, the gold-standard body of decades of reading research, has since revealed how critical it is for instructors to use Structured Literacy, an instructional approach based on the science of reading practices. These evidence-based methods explicitly teach students strategies for:

• Mapping sounds to letters (phonics and phonemic awareness)
• Reading accurately and fluently
• Comprehending texts
• Building vocabulary through word study

Changing deeply entrenched reading instructional methods requires an investment in properly training teachers in these practices.

Limited Focus on Literacy by Content-Area Teachers

While it's commonly assumed that only English/Language Arts (ELA) teachers should concentrate on students' literacy development, that's a myth. Reading proficiency underpins learning across all subjects.

From analyzing primary source texts in social studies to comprehending word problems in math, adolescent learners depend on solid literacy skills in every class. Science students need to understand the technical vocabulary in texts and lab instructions. In fact, 85% of public school curriculum is delivered through written text.

Yet one of the systemic shortfalls is that non-ELA teachers need more training in incorporating reading skill development into their classrooms. Thus, with no fault of their own, an entire field of educators is ill-equipped to intervene when students demonstrate reading struggles.

Why don't content-area teachers get this vital literacy training? Much of it stems from the outdated assumptions that:

• Literacy instruction is solely an ELA responsibility
• By middle and high school, students have already mastered reading
• There is little room in subject-specific courses for reading remediation

The result is a lack of emphasis on adolescent reading abilities—to the detriment of students across all subjects.

The Compounding Problems of the COVID-19 Pandemic

While the literacy crisis was steadily brewing, the COVID-19 pandemic threw gasoline on the fire. Disruptions to classroom learning caused by remote instruction, quarantines, and other factors created widespread “learning loss,” a term used to describe the significant regression in academic skills and knowledge students experienced during the pandemic.

Learners who already needed to improve their reading skills fell even further behind. Adolescents on the verge of reading proficiency lost crucial development time.

Noted in a North West Evaluation Associates study, the effects have been staggering:

• The pandemic hit younger students harder, especially those in elementary grades. These students, who are now in middle school, experienced significant reading achievement declines compared to their older peers.
• In high-poverty elementary schools, the reading test score decline was 2.5 times larger than in low-poverty elementary schools.
• The shift to remote learning during the pandemic had a detrimental effect on reading outcomes, with students experiencing worse results than in-person learning.
• High-poverty schools were more likely to remain remote for longer, potentially exacerbating the learning loss.
• Younger students struggled more with remote learning, experiencing greater difficulty navigating online classes and remaining focused. These students are now in middle school.

What Schools Can Do to Improve Adolescent Literacy

While the data paints a grim picture of the literacy crisis in America's middle schools, it's important to remember this problem has solutions. Practical strategies are available to steer adolescent reading development back on track.

You have a crucial role to play in addressing the reading crisis. Your proactive steps and support for building-level administrators and teachers being asked to fill these critical gaps can make a significant difference.

Let's explore some key actions you can take:

1. Help ELA Teachers Restructure Reading Instruction

Understanding and implementing science of reading-based Structured Literacy practices requires additional professional learning for many ELA teachers. While literacy experts, these teachers are often more well-versed in literature analysis rather than systematic phonics and decoding instruction.

Districts need to provide high-quality literacy training for ELA teachers that covers methods like:

• Implementing explicit, multisensory literacy lessons
• Incorporating fluency practice into instruction
• Layering comprehension strategies over decoding skills
• Embedding literacy skill instruction across the curriculum

With more profound knowledge grounded in the science of reading, ELA teachers can restructure their practices and ensure adolescent students receive appropriate intensive reading instruction.

2. Develop Content-Area Teachers' Literacy Instruction

Literacy skill development can no longer be siloed within the ELA sphere. Schools must empower all teachers as literacy instructors to give adolescent learners every opportunity to improve their reading proficiency.

Robust professional learning grounded in the science of reading should provide instructors across subjects like math, social studies, science, and others with practical strategies to seamlessly embed adolescent literacy skill development into their content-area instruction. This approach would enable teachers to boost literacy without sacrificing valuable instructional time dedicated to their specific subjects.

This training should cover key competencies like:

• Analyzing texts in the content area for challenges like complex syntax
• Explicitly teaching technical vocabulary and word roots
• Modeling comprehension strategies for informational texts
• Using literacy best practices like repeated readings and annotating texts

Practical training starts by helping content-area teachers understand how vital literacy skills are for their students' success. Then, it provides proven methods for integrating literacy skill development into their daily lessons.

3. Invest in High-Quality, Evidence-Based Literacy Professional Development

Having recognized the gaps in professional learning opportunities for literacy instruction—across ELA and other subjects—district leaders must prioritize selecting high-quality professional development resources.

Look for literacy training solutions that:

• Are developed using evidence-based practices from the science of reading
• Provide explicit models for Structured Literacy methods
• Include adolescent-appropriate, content-area-specific examples
• Offer flexible learning modules that fit teachers' busy schedules
• Come with implementation resources like lesson plan templates to save teachers time
• Acknowledge an educator's efforts by rewarding them CEUs and college credits

One solution explicitly designed to improve literacy instruction for grades 4–8 students is Lexia Aspire® Professional Learning. This online professional development resource provides robust, evidence-aligned literacy training for teachers to address adolescent reading gaps.

4. Leverage Available Funding Sources for Literacy Professional Development

Of course, providing high-quality professional learning requires an investment—something that concerns many schools and districts facing persistent budget pressures. The good news is there are federal, state, and private funding avenues districts may be able to tap into:

Federal Funding Sources

Several major federal funding streams can directly support literacy professional development:

1. Title I: Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title I funds are specifically earmarked for supporting disadvantaged students. This can include high-quality professional development that benefits Title I student populations.
2. Title II: Another ESEA funding bucket (Title II-A) focuses on preparing, training, and recruiting high-quality teachers and principals. Developing teachers' literacy instructional prowess aligns with this funding resource.
3. IDEA: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides grant funding for students receiving special education services. This funding can support professional development to better serve children with special needs, including reading disabilities and dyslexia.
4. SEED: The federal Supportive, Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program aims to increase teachers' abilities to meet student academic achievement requirements.

State Funding Opportunities

Many states offer grant programs and other funding opportunities for high-quality professional learning initiatives.

For example:

• California's Educator Effectiveness Block Grant provides funds for professional learning addressing state priorities, including literacy.
• The Colorado Early Literacy Grant Annual Professional Development Program supports professional development focused on evidence-based instruction and addressing learning gaps.
• Illinois permits the use of state Professional Development funds for training that is aligned with its K–12 Literacy Framework.
• The Texas COVID Learning Acceleration Support Program funds professional development to help accelerate student learning.

District leaders should check what professional development grant programs or funds exist in their state and locality. Initiatives focused on improving adolescent literacy instruction may qualify.

Alternative Funding Sources

Beyond government channels, grant opportunities from nonprofits, corporations, and private foundations can also support literacy professional development:

• The National Education Association (NEA) Foundation offers grants for professional development projects related to literacy and reading.
• The Annenberg Foundation provides grants for teacher training and professional development programs. 
• The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is specifically committed to supporting education and ensuring all children have the opportunity to thrive.
• Local corporations, community foundations, and charitable organizations often seek impactful educational investments to support.

Crowdfunding through online platforms like DonorsChoose can also help teachers access professional development, books, and classroom instructional materials.

The pursuit of literacy grant funding requires dedicated time and planning. However, these opportunities enable budget-limited schools to invest meaningfully in evidence-based training that can improve adolescents' reading achievement.

A Wise Investment for the Future

Improving adolescent literacy rates is one of a school leader’s most important investments. The longstanding challenges have been starkly revealed, and the needs are precise.

By prioritizing evidence-based literacy professional development for teachers across all subjects and grades, school leaders can:

• Help struggling adolescent readers get back on track
• Ensure content-area literacy learning is accessible
• Increase engagement and reduce behavioral issues
• Empower students for future success

With thoughtful planning, commitment to applying the science of reading, and leveraging of available funding sources, this essential professional development can become a reality for middle schools across the country.

The path will require continued dedication from teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, families, and communities. Transforming adolescent lives through achieving literacy is achievable. Every student deserves a fair chance to become a skilled, confident reader—it's up to school leaders to equip teachers with the training to make it happen.

Interested in learning more about Aspire?

Katie Leonard, acting assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Hartford Public Schools, had this to say about the program:

“I love that Lexia Aspire is based on the science of reading and is specifically designed for educators working with adolescent students. The training has helped my educators weave in literacy skills in their classrooms and equipped them with the right skills to fill in the learning gaps that students had.”