Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Literacy: A Multi-Pronged Approach

Educators share a powerful, motivating mission: to ensure that every student becomes a confident, capable reader and learner. Yet across the country, this mission is often challenged by the complex realities of today’s classrooms and by the fact that standard curricula—designed for the “average” student—often fall short in meeting the full range of learners’ needs. While the vision behind Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and Response to Intervention (RTI) frameworks is to support all students, the tools to fulfill that vision are often lacking or incomplete. This is where district and building leaders have a compelling opportunity to bring that vision to life, for the benefit of both educators and students. 

The Reality of Today’s Classrooms 

In today’s classrooms, both elementary and secondary educators are confronted with the daunting challenge of wide-ranging reading abilities. Some students read fluently and demonstrate proficiency, while others are still working to master basic decoding skills. As educators know, reading skill gaps do not self-correct over time. Rather, they persist, making it increasingly difficult for students to meet grade-level expectations and remain fully engaged in both the curriculum and school itself.  

Despite their best efforts, teachers often find themselves without the resources they need to support the diverse needs of striving readers. Standard instructional materials are often not built to effectively serve multilingual learners or students requiring Tier 3 or special education support, including those with dyslexia. Even flexing core curricula to address Tier 2 needs can be unrealistic, placing a heavy burden on educators to differentiate without the right tools. 

The Value of a Multi-Pronged Literacy Solution 

Because one-size-fits-all curriculum is never enough, districts need an approach that makes it possible for educators to support every learner, across Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and special education. A student-centered, multi-pronged literacy solution helps fulfill the promise of MTSS/RTI by giving educators access to a flexible toolkit of supports that supplement, rather than replace, core instruction. 

A well-designed multi-pronged solution should include: 

• Tier 1 instruction, grounded in the science of reading, that includes: 
• Explicit, systematic Structured Literacy instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency to help students build a strong reading foundation. 
• Oral language activities so students strengthen language comprehension and vocabulary while learning to decode.  
• Dedicated focus on developing advanced literacy skills once students have mastered foundational skills. 
• Scaffolds to support students as they progress at different rates. 
• Tier 2 supplemental tools to build decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, based on students’ needs. Tools designed to strengthen decoding should follow the Structured Literacy approach and incorporate Orton-Gillingham strategies for students with learning challenges. 
• Intensive intervention programs for Tier 3 and special education, ensuring adequate time, strategies, and flexibility to remediate skills and accelerate progress in areas of need. 

Tier 1 grade-level instruction—with embedded scaffolds for striving readers—remains central to ensuring all students become proficient readers. By including it in a multi-pronged approach that includes strategic supplementation, educators can think broadly and holistically about meeting the full range of student needs through a carefully designed, complete system of instruction and supports.