Grade 5 Literacy Transformation: How One District Closed the Gap

After 34 years in education, first as a high school math teacher, then as principal for a decade, and now as elementary director of curriculum at Wall Township in New Jersey, I thought I had seen it all. But nothing prepared me for the Grade 5 literacy challenges we faced in our district. 

A troubling trend had emerged in our classrooms. Despite our widely used reading assessment at that time showing steady growth in our young readers, our students’ standardized test scores were mediocre and declining year after year. Even worse, as students progressed through the grades, fewer were performing at grade level. Parents were worried, and so were teachers—and administrators. We needed to take a hard look at how to bridge the gap between our intentions and our outcomes. 

Our Grade 5 Literacy Data Revealed a Crisis


When Wall Township began universal screening in our district in 2022, the Grade 5 literacy results were staggering. So many of our Grade 5 students required intensive intervention. They couldn’t read independently, yet our teachers believed they could, based on the formative assessment data. Our students couldn’t get the words off the page because they were using all their brain power to try to understand the words instead of making meaning from them.

A Personal Wake-Up Call

When my superintendent gave me a whitepaper on the Science of Reading, it was a wake-up call. It not only captured what I was seeing in classrooms, but it also described my son to a T when he had been a rising fourth grader at Wall. He was bright, mathematically gifted, but unable to decode words. Despite impressive math scores, his fluency suffered. He was memorizing texts, not reading them. I thought he was fine. But as the books got longer, he stopped reading aloud to me. His teachers assured me he was a reader, but the truth was, he had never learned to decode. As an educated mother, I had missed the signs. This realization was both humbling and motivating. I knew there had to be a better way for my son—and for all our students at Wall Township.

Transforming Our Approach to Grade 5 Literacy Instruction

To address our Grade 5 literacy challenges, two years ago, our district brought in experts like Devin Kearns and partnered with The Reading League. Thirty teachers volunteered for a two-year program to learn structured literacy, a research-based approach to reading instruction that is explicit, systematic, and cumulative, designed to help all students develop strong foundational literacy skills. Structured literacy doesn’t just focus on phonics and phonemic awareness; it addresses vocabulary, sentence structure, and background knowledge. 

We formed a Literacy Committee to guide our efforts. Together, we researched, reviewed, and rated various resources. Ultimately, we chose Curriculum Associates’ Magnetic Foundations for Grades K–2 and Magnetic Comprehension for Grades 3–5, teacher-friendly and engaging programs closely aligned with the Science of Reading. We also redesigned our MTSS program, added universal screeners, and invested in professional learning for every Grades PK–5 teacher.

Overcoming Resistance

Change wasn’t easy. Some teachers were skeptical. But once the data spoke, minds opened. One of our reading specialists even cried during training because she realized there was a better way to teach reading. We flagged poor handwriting as a potential red flag for dyslexia. Structured literacy became our mission—not just for early grades but across the board.

Even with the advantages of a well-educated home, exposure to rich vocabulary, and plenty of books, my son still needed support with reading. For those students who don’t have these supports, the situation is even more dire. Without early intervention, they might be wrongly classified as learning disabled. We must do better.

Tools That Transformed Our Grade 5 Literacy Outcomes

In addition to Magnetic from Curriculum Associates, we also chose i-Ready Personalized Instruction and i-Ready Literacy Tasks to get an accurate picture of fluency. The more data we have, the better we can support our students. In just two years, the transformation in our district was profound. Our Grade 5 scores increased from 48% of students reading on or above grade level to 71% (from the beginning of school year 2023–2024 to the end of school year 2024–2025). It was a significant jump, considering Grade 5 is typically our most challenging grade to close gaps in.

Moving Forward with Purpose

Teaching teachers to teach reading is my life’s work now. We’re closing the gap between what teachers know and what research shows. With a commitment to structured literacy, we’re making real progress. 

My advice to teachers is to be patient. Be brave. Stand up for what you know is right. Make the hard decisions. Our Grade 5 literacy journey in Wall Township is proof that with the right tools and mindset, we can turn gaps into gains.

Want to hear more from Erin? Tune into her episode of the Extraordinary Educators™ Podcast. 

Looking for a comprehensive structured literacy program? Magnetic Literacy integrates all literacy skills and knowledge for Grades K–6.

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Recommended literacy blogs for you: 
Where Do We Go from Here? Unpacking the NAEP Reading Scores
The Science of Reading in Focus
The Importance of Foundational Literacy