R.E.A.C.H.™ Curriculum for Secondary Students

Literacy Doesn't End in Elementary School — Neither Should Instruction

The Science of Reading has transformed literacy instruction across elementary classrooms. But every day, secondary students are expected to read complex texts, learn challenging vocabulary, analyze information, write using evidence, and communicate their thinking across every subject — science, history, math, and beyond.

Too often, we assume literacy instruction ends after fifth grade. It doesn't. Secondary students need continued, intentional literacy instruction — not remediation, but a bridge back to grade-level success.

That's why the National Literacy Institute created the NLI R.E.A.C.H.™ Framework: a practical, research-informed approach that helps secondary educators — in every content area, not just ELA — build the literacy skills students need to thrive.

Who It's For

Grades 6–12 students who are below grade level in reading, including those with dyslexia or other reading difficulties — students who need more than remediation. They need a bridge back to grade-level content, and a framework every teacher can use, regardless of subject.

The Framework

R — Recognize Student Needs

Start with assessment data. Group students based on their actual instructional needs, not assumptions.

E — Engage Academic Language

Build Tier 2 (cross-curricular) and Tier 3 (content-specific) academic vocabulary — the words students need to access complex texts in every subject, not just English class.

A — Apply Comprehension Strategies

Teach students to analyze complex, discipline-specific texts — in science, history, math, and technical subjects alike.

C — Coach Through Small Groups

Deliver targeted, small-group instruction based on need, so every student gets support at their level.

H — Highlight Growth

Track and celebrate progress, building student ownership, confidence, and momentum.

Why It Works

Secondary literacy isn't just about learning to read anymore — it's about reading to learn, reading to think, reading to analyze, and reading to communicate. That means literacy becomes the responsibility of every teacher, not just the English department.

Science teachers learn to teach students how to read scientific texts.
History teachers learn how historians analyze evidence.
CTE teachers learn to help students understand technical language.

Every classroom becomes a literacy classroom.

How It Works

1. Start with Assessment (Recognize) Schools begin with existing reading data — screeners, diagnostics — to group students by actual need, not grade level alone.

2. Daily Vocabulary Instruction (Engage) A 15-minutes-a-day routine any content-area teacher can run — not just ELA. Built on morphology (Greek/Latin roots), Tier 2/3 word instruction, and repeated exposure cycles so vocabulary truly transfers across subjects.

3. Content-Area Comprehension Strategies (Apply) Teachers across every subject — science, history, math, CTE — learn to teach students how to break down complex text in their own discipline. Reading like a scientist. Reading like a historian.

4. Small-Group Coaching (Coach) Ongoing, job-embedded coaching — not a one-time workshop — so teachers get real support implementing with real students, in real classrooms.

5. Progress Monitoring (Highlight) Regular check-ins on student growth, used both to adjust instruction and to build student ownership and confidence.

Flexible Implementation R.E.A.C.H.™ can be brought to your school or district as:

A full multi-year framework — workshops, coaching, and implementation support across all five components
A standalone vocabulary program — just the "Engage" component — ideal for schools that already have a decoding/fluency solution in place but need dedicated academic vocabulary instruction

Ready to Bring R.E.A.C.H.™ to Your School or District?

Contact us to learn how the R.E.A.C.H.™ Framework can be customized for your grade bands, content areas, and instructional goals.