Struggling Readers in Ohio: What Can Be Done To Overcome the Reading Gap?

Educators across grade bands are committed to building students’ content knowledge in preparation for higher education, training, and successful post-secondary outcomes. However, there is a significant obstacle preventing students from learning and acquiring content-area knowledge: Reading proficiency. 

Quick snapshot of the challenge:

According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, the state faces significant literacy challenges:

• In 2023, only 60 percent of Ohio’s third grade students were proficient readers
• Among marginalized subgroups:
  • Only 21.9 percent of students with disabilities were proficient
  • Only 36.4 percent of Black students were proficient
• Reading gaps persist:
  • 49.4 percent of eighth grade students scored proficient on ELA assessments
  • 61.4 percent of high school students scored proficient on English end-of-course exams

What does this mean for teachers?  

In Ohio, a root cause analysis found that reading problems start early and are persistent. 

• In 2021, only 46.3 percent of kindergarten students were on track for reading, based on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
• The reading difficulty continues through the years, especially for students with disabilities, Black students, and students from poverty. Those who started behind, stayed behind.

“Imagine being in the Stone Age and you ain’t got no stone. Imagine being in the Bronze Age and you ain’t got no bronze. We’re in the Information Age right now—and you can’t read the information.” – Kareem Weaver

What can be done to overcome the reading gap in classrooms?

The answer is in implementing Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Implementing this framework can ensure buildingwide systems are in place for core literacy instruction across disciplines, administration of necessary literacy assessments, data-based decision-making to inform instruction, and providing targeted and intensive interventions to teach struggling students how to read.  

What is MTSS?  

MTSS is a framework for collaborative problem-solving and prevention of academic and behavioral difficulties (McIntosh & Goodman, 2016). District leaders need to have systems to provide quality core instruction and prevent students from experiencing academic and behavioral challenges (McIntosh & Goodman). The MTSS framework utilizes data to provide targeted instruction and interventions (Burns et al., 2016).

Data-based instruction in MTSS accomplishes two instructional goals:

• Quality core instruction can prevent reading difficulties
• Targeted and intensive interventions can close the reading proficiency gap by focusing on specific literacy skills 

To accomplish the instructional goals of MTSS, educators need: 

• Professional learning to deepen pedagogical skills and understanding of reading development
• High-quality instructional materials (HQIM) that align with students’ needs
• Valid, reliable, and efficient assessments to guide instruction and monitor progress
  
  

Why word recognition still matters—especially for older readers

Many struggling readers, including struggling older readers, demonstrate weaknesses in word recognition skills (Brasseur-Hock et al., 2011; Clemens et al., 2017). Beyond third grade, word recognition skills in interventions are rarely addressed, often due to a lack of awareness of reading development. 

Multicomponent programs, such as REWARDS® and LANGUAGE! Live®, include both word recognition and comprehension, and can benefit many struggling adolescent readers. A multicomponent intervention may be necessary for younger readers, but not always. Flexible intervention programs such as Voyager Passport® are adaptable to align with student skill deficits. To determine if these, or any programs, are appropriate, diagnostic assessments is critical for planning an intervention platform. 

Building stronger readers through Tier 1 instruction

Educators also need to recognize that reading difficulty can be prevented with solid core instruction in literacy at the elementary level and literacy across content areas in middle and high school. Through explicit and systematic instruction, grounded in the science of reading and the science of teaching, the literacy skills of all learners, including struggling readers, can be built while teaching the content that is critical for strong background knowledge. For successful MTSS implementation, school leaders must bolster core instruction while providing necessary interventions. 

After all, you can’t intervene your way out of a Tier 1 problem, at any grade level!

The role of assessment

An efficient, valid, and reliable universal screening assessment, such as Acadience®, that includes curriculum-based measures (CBMs) for screening and progress monitoring is critical for the data-based decision-making process in MTSS. For core instruction, Acadience can help teacher-based teams, building leadership teams, and district leadership teams in Ohio measure the effectiveness of core instruction in preventing reading difficulties. When composite scores show less than 80 percent of students are proficient, educators can recognize where changes in core instruction may be necessary.  

In addition, the progress monitoring CBMs can be leveraged to:

• Set individual student goals
• Monitor progress toward those goals
• Determine the effectiveness of interventions
• Guide timely adjustments to intervention intensity
  

CBMs offer an efficient and valid means of charting progress toward goals and measuring the impact of interventions. When the data does not show a trend that accelerates growth, educators know to adjust the intensity of the intervention. One assessment system measures all tiers of instruction in MTSS without a significant time investment. 

Looking ahead: Expert insights into Ohio’s literacy landscape

To provide a deeper look into Ohio’s current literacy landscape—and to reflect on where we’re headed—I had the opportunity to share my thoughts during a recent podcast conversation with Voyager Sopris Learning®. Here are a few of the questions I was asked, along with my reflections about the pressing needs, common challenges, and the path forward for educators in Ohio.

For a deeper discussion, you can listen to the full podcast episode here.

Q: What makes literacy such a pressing issue in Ohio right now, and how do those needs compare to what we’re seeing nationally?

With strong plans in place (Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement and Ohio’s Dyslexia Guidebook) supported by state funding, literacy laws, and a strong system of support for districts, Ohio is poised to be a leader in national reading achievement. The governor is incredibly supportive of the literacy work, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce has a strong team of literacy leaders, and the state has mandated that all universities ensure their preservice preparation is aligned with the science of reading. Ohio has well-developed, evidence-aligned standards for teacher preparation in reading so that all teachers will learn evidence-based language and literacy practices in undergraduate and graduate learning experiences. Ohio also has multiple incentive grants to support schools from grades preK to 12 as they transition to reading science. Needless to say, the transformation is happening in Ohio

For a long time, balanced literacy practices were commonplace in our state. Programs that included three-cueing were in most schools statewide. So now that these changes are happening, the need for interventions for struggling older readers is especially large. We have many instructional casualties in fifth grade and up who need help to learn how to read.  

Q: Do you think literacy is often overlooked in the broader conversation about reading intervention, and how do we change that?

I think adolescent literacy has been slow to progress. Schools tend to start with elementary changes, which is understandable. Prevention is key. But now that Ohio schools have been engaging in systemic shifts K–5, it’s time to ensure middle and high schools are changing core instruction and interventions as well. Interventions such as REWARDS and LANGUAGE! Live offer multicomponent Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention platforms with accompanying professional learning. This is so critical! Ohio educators want to do what is right, but they need HQIM and PL to do it.

Q: What are some common missteps schools make when trying to implement literacy interventions, and how can they avoid them? 

One of the biggest missteps is to purchase HQIM or assessments and not provide sufficient professional learning in how to use them. Professional learning is key for building knowledge of skill development but also to ensure appropriate use of instructional material and assessments.

Second, too many schools are captivated by computer-adapted tests and the promised ease of use. An ORF assessment is ONE MINUTE! Computer adaptive tests are time-consuming, not useful for instructional planning (so you still need to do diagnostic testing), don’t always have efficient weekly progress monitoring, are not criterion-referenced, and are not teacher-administered (Stollar, 2023).

Acadience offers efficient, valid, and reliable screening, is ideal for the data-based decision-making process, and includes multiple additional forms for progress monitoring. For districts implementing MTSS, this is critical for data-driven conversations and instructional planning. 

Connect with an expert at Voyager Sopris Learning to bring effective interventions and support to your classrooms.

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References:

Brasseur-Hock, I. F., Hock, M. F., Kieffer, M. J., Biancarosa, G., & Deshler, D. D. (2011). Adolescent struggling readers in urban schools: Results of a latent class analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 21, 438-452.

Burns, M., Jimerson, S., VanDerHeyden, A., Deno, S. (2016). Toward a Unified Response-to-Intervention Model: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. In: Jimerson, S., Burns, M., VanDerHeyden, A. (eds) Handbook of Response to Intervention. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi-org.msj.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7568-3_41

Clemens, N. H., Simmons, D., Simmons, L. E., Wang, H., & Kwok, O. (2017). The prevalence of reading fluency and vocabulary difficulties among adolescents struggling with reading comprehension. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 35(8), 785–798. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282916662120

Fuchs, L., & Fuchs, D. (2007).  The role of assessment in the three-tier approach to reading instruction. In D. Haager, J. K. Klingner, & S. Vaughn (Eds.), Evidence-based reading practices for response to intervention. (pp. 29-42). Brookes Publishing Company.

Mackenzie, J. (Director) (2023). The right to read [Film]. Artemis Rising; LeVar Burton Entertainment. 

McIntosh, K., & Goodman, S. (2016). Integrated multi-tiered systems of support: Blending RTI and PBIS. The Guilford Press.

Ohio Department of Education and Workforce [ODEW].(2025). Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement. https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Literacy/Ohios-Plan-to-Raise-Literacy-Achievement.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US