Insights

Earlier this year, we released our 2023 Impact Report, highlighting Cambium Learning Group’s collective work to drive improved outcomes for the people, communities, and groups we serve. The report details the current state of Cambium’s reach and our momentum over the last year, including real-world case studies from the Cambium brands. In this blog series, we will take a deeper dive into those featured case studies and the transformative impact of the Cambium family. Read on to learn more about how Lexia and Learning A-Z are working to close the literacy gap.

September is National Literacy Month! It’s a great time to start that new book you haven’t had a chance to read yet. (If you’re looking for book recommendations, our CIO Dr. Diana Cano recently shared her top reads in CIO.com.) National Literacy Month also serves as an important reminder that literacy should be a fundamental human right, yet it is not. For some, reading and writing are such a natural part of our day-to-day lives that we forget literacy can be considered a luxury. At Cambium, we are working to ensure that this isn't the case. 

In 2024, 21% of adults in the U.S. are illiterate. Let that sink in.

It is critical that we instill foundational literacy skills in students at a young age. Cambium brands Lexia and Learning A-Z are working to help close the literacy gap and ensure all students have equal access to educational opportunities. While it can be difficult to capture the true impact of their work, this year's Impact Report offers insight into their ongoing efforts to provide students and teachers with the best possible solutions to help them along in their literacy journeys.  

Empowering Students through the Science of Reading

At the start of the 2023-2024 school year, Kalyn SanJacinto, principal at Carroll Peak Elementary School, part of Fort Worth Independent School District (ISD), reported that 66% of students read below grade level, 27% read at grade level, and only 7% read above grade level. 

To better support students' literacy journeys, the district’s new chief academic officer established a comprehensive framework with the Science of Reading at its core, but educators needed an intervention program to help students close skill gaps in literacy. To complement the shift to evidence-based literacy instruction, the chief academic officer introduced the Lexia^® Core5^® Reading curriculum for PreK-5 students to help them accelerate growth and achieve grade-level proficiency. 

Core5 delivers explicit, systematic, and personalized reading instruction using an adaptive blended learning model. With meaningful student performance data to identify students needing additional support and varied materials to strengthen differentiated literacy instruction, Core5 empowered Fort Worth ISD teachers to accelerate gains in their classrooms. With Core5, the school succeeded in reducing the number of elementary students reading below grade level by more than half. The district also implemented Lexia^® PowerUp Literacy^® for its 6-12 grade students.

”We’re now down to 31% below grade level,” SanJacinto said. “And we’re up to 46% students on grade level, versus 27% at the beginning of the year.”

This is just one example of Lexia's continued commitment to providing educators with the tools they need to deliver the best possible education to students in a way that works for them. 

Helping Teachers Help Students

Cambium brands undergo rigorous third-party testing and research to ensure we're providing districts with the innovative solutions they need to meet today's classroom challenges. 

After careful review against a standardized rubric for high-quality instructional materials, Foundations A-Z^® from Learning A-Z received an industry-acknowledged ‘all green’ rating from EdReports. This independent, educator-focused organization thoroughly reviews and rates K-12 curriculums on multiple factors including:

• Alignment to standards and research-based practices
• Synthetic approach and systematic instruction
• Well-defined scope and sequence
• Explicit instructional routines
• Teacher resources to support effective delivery of instruction
• Consistent instructional sequences with clear objectives
• Multiple assessment opportunities to demonstrate progress

With an ‘all green’ rating from the rigorous EdReports evaluation, Foundations A-Z gives teachers the confidence they need to streamline foundational reading skills instruction. This solution, built from the ground up to align with Science of Reading standards, stands out with its multimodal approach to instruction. The program systematically guides foundational skills development through explicit teacher modeling and daily practice opportunities for students, including videos, games, interactive applications, and digital decodable reading.

Aaron Ingold, president of Learning A-Z, offered insight into the importance of this rating: “Receiving all green from EdReports showcases our unwavering dedication to delivering meticulously designed and research-based instruction.”

This kind of recognition gives the teachers and districts leveraging Foundations A-Z an added layer of assurance so that they know they are providing students with the instruction they need to help build their skills and close literacy gaps. 

Ensuring Literacy is a Priority All Year Round

While National Literacy Month serves as a great reminder of the importance of literacy, this topic should be top of mind all year round. By ensuring teachers, students, and school districts have access to the solutions they need to improve students' skills, we can address some of the foundational issues impacting literacy rates.  

To learn more about these case studies and other #CambiumImpact stories, read our 2023 Impact Report.