Structured literacy is a research-based approach to reading instruction that’s rooted in the science of reading. It emphasizes direct, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—essential components for reading success.
Research supports the effectiveness of structured literacy, particularly for students with dyslexia, who make up as much as 20% of the student population.1 This approach not only benefits students with learning differences, but it also supports students at every level in developing strong reading skills. Studies show that 95% of students can learn to read when taught this way.2
In short, structured literacy solves key challenges educators face, ensures that students read at grade level, and provides a systematic, cumulative approach to reading instruction. By implementing a curriculum with the components of structured literacy, educators can help students overcome reading challenges and achieve academic success.
Training teachers in the Orton-Gillingham (OG) method is critical to solving the literacy crisis. Orton-Gillingham is one of the most well-known and widely used methods in structured literacy. Developed in the 1930s by Dr. Samuel Orton and educator Anna Gillingham, this approach is specifically designed to help students with dyslexia learn to read.
Children with dyslexia benefit from a structured, multimodal approach to phonics, which addresses the challenges these students often face when decoding sounds and letters. By providing explicit and sequential instruction, this method builds a strong foundation for reading and spelling skills. Early identification of students with dyslexia or other learning challenges ensures they receive tailored instruction in fundamental literacy concepts, helping them to stay on track and preventing them from falling further behind in their reading journey. And these methods aren’t just essential for students with learning challenges—they are helpful for every student in the classroom.
The OG approach is multimodal, meaning it engages multiple learning pathways—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic—during instruction. This multimodal feature helps reinforce learning and allows students to take in information via multiple learning pathways, helping them establish connections between letters, sounds, and the way letters are written. The OG method also emphasizes explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction, which aligns with the principles of structured literacy.
For any structured literacy curriculum, incorporating Orton-Gillingham techniques is a powerful way to support all learners, especially those who struggle with traditional reading instruction.
Educators who use the Orton-Gillingham approach report significant improvements in their students’ reading abilities, particularly for students with dyslexia.
School Districts Making Strides with Structured Literacy
In response to declining reading scores, many states and school districts have begun implementing strategies based on the science of reading. Take Hancock County Schools (HCS) in Hawesville, Kentucky. In 2021, with over half of its students unable to read at grade level and stagnating scores, HCS began implementing the structured literacy approach and Orton-Gillingham to better support students. From 2021 to 2024, HCS students made huge strides in their literacy journey.
According to the 2024 NAEP Report Card, the district has made improvements above 20% in multiple metrics compared to an average 2% annual increase in reading proficiency for US students.3 HCS also reached a 28% reduction among its struggling readers and a 23% increase in proficient readers.
In Grand Rapids, Minnesota, District 318 saw a decline in reading proficiency among K–5 students in 2017, with 50–60% of the district’s students needing reading support. This was when it became clear to faculty and district leaders that it was time to implement new and improved literacy instruction. As of today, all K–2 teachers in District 318 have been trained in the Orton-Gillingham method. This training has contributed to a rise in literacy proficiency at Cohasset Elementary, where first-grade proficiency increased by 47% and kindergarten proficiency reached 35% from winter 2020 to winter 2022. Additionally, at every grade level, the number of students at high risk in literacy proficiency has been reduced throughout the district.
The Wyandotte, Michigan, school district is another example of the effectiveness of evidence-based reading approaches. In the fall of 2022, Jefferson Elementary’s students were 56% proficient in reading as measured by the NWEA. By the end of the 2022–23 school year, 72% of students were proficient in reading on the same assessment. The school also experienced a dramatic reduction in the number of students who needed intervention for phonics and phonemic awareness in grades 3–5 once the teachers were trained in Orton-Gillingham.
Primary Components of an Orton-Gillingham and Structured Literacy Curriculum
What the school districts above have in common is a commitment to preparing their teachers with structured literacy training and curriculum that ensures the five crucial components of reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—are taught systematically and explicitly. Educators must understand these components and their importance in the process of learning to read.
Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. It’s a critical skill for developing reading proficiency because it forms the foundation for understanding the alphabetic principle, the concept that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language. Phonemic awareness activities are essential for reading and spelling.
Phonics instruction is the teaching of the relationship between letters and sounds, common patterns in words, and techniques that students can use to decode words they may not immediately know. Through the use of phonetic principles and decoding skills, readers are provided with tools to help them recognize words they’ve learned and decode words they haven’t encountered before.
Fluency plays an essential role in students’ early literacy development, bridging foundational decoding skills and the ability to derive deeper meaning from what they read. It empowers young readers to access and comprehend the meaning of a text more effectively, enhances vocabulary acquisition, and encourages students to love reading.
A strong vocabulary is a significant part of the foundation of reading comprehension, written expression, and overall communication effectiveness. Reading comprehension is directly affected by word knowledge, which is why explicit vocabulary instruction is critical for students at all levels to build a deep understanding of words and their meanings across different contexts. Vocabulary instruction paired with decoding strategies gives students the ability to understand more complex texts.
Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading because it is the key to extracting meaning from written text and student academic success. When students can truly access and analyze information effectively across all subjects, they develop strong comprehensive skills that allow them to become independent learners who can critically engage with what they read.
Comprehensive Structured Literacy Training
Professional training is critical for educators to effectively teach structured literacy. With numerous literacy programs available, districts must select one that fully equips their educators with the skills and knowledge to support every student.
Structured literacy training programs must provide educators with strategies that leverage the same program across all instructional tiers and reading levels. This ensures that students are taught with consistency in the core instructional elements across all levels, allowing for smoother transitions between grades and minimizing confusion for students as they continue to progress.
It’s also important that districts select an accredited training program to ensure it meets the highest quality standards for curriculum and instruction.
Beyond structured literacy training, teachers need ongoing support from specialists and coaches who can help them with lesson planning, differentiating instruction, data collection, and challenges that arise. I’ve witnessed how valuable this support is when working with students with learning differences, who may require more intensive instruction and frequent assessment to monitor their progress.
We can overcome the challenge of the literacy crisis if we implement learning approaches that are proven to be effective. It’s time to make the changes that will empower teachers to drive better literacy results and set students up for long-term success.
Links
www.pedagogynongrata.com/the-95-rule
www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/reading/2024/g4_8/national-trends/?grade=4
Jeanne Jeup is co-founder and CEO of the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE, https://imse.com), which uses structured literacy and the Orton-Gillingham approach to help educators master the science of teaching children how to read.