What Is the Science of Reading? How It Applies to Your Educational Program

The science of reading has arguably driven the most significant reboot of literacy curricula this decade. Today, nearly all 50 states require instruction rooted in reading science, creating a fundamental shift in how literacy is taught.

Educators and leaders need to understand what the science of reading means and how to implement instructional best practices. 

This article provides a comprehensive explanation of the science of reading, including its definition, key components, and research foundations.

The Science of Reading Definition

The science of reading is a body of research spanning five decades that explains how the brain learns to read and how reading should be taught. This research draws from multiple disciplines—including cognitive psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and education—and is based on thousands of peer-reviewed studies conducted across the world in multiple languages.

Literacy expert Louisa Moats, Ed.D., explained it is a “consensus from many related disciplines, based on literally thousands of studies, supported by hundreds of millions of research dollars, conducted across the world in many languages.”

What the Science of Reading Is Not

The science of reading is not a single ideology, methodology, program, or one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, it is the accumulated empirical evidence about how reading works—providing a foundation for evidence-based instructional practices.

The Science of Reading Approach

The science of reading counters the dominant beliefs and teaching methods of the past that lack the weight in evidence and have shown to leave skill gaps, including balanced literacy, phonics-only approaches, and three cueing. 

In the past, nearly two-thirds of U.S. educators leaned on models like balanced literacy for curricula. Most district leaders did not offer training in the science of reading; in fact, only 51% of teaching programs prepare educators in the science of reading. Now, more than two-thirds of educators say students who didn’t properly learn to decode words in K–2 struggle with reading comprehension in later grades. This recognition has driven a nationwide shift toward science of reading-based instruction, with legislation in nearly all 50 states now requiring evidence-based literacy practices in schools.

What Are the 5 Components of the Science of Reading?

The science of reading identifies five essential components that must be taught for students to become proficient readers:

• Phonemic Awareness—The ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words

• Phonics—Understanding the relationship between letters and sounds

• Fluency—Reading accurately, at an appropriate pace, and with expression

• Vocabulary—Knowledge of word meanings and how to use them

• Comprehension—The ability to understand and derive meaning from text

These five components work together—research shows that reading comprehension requires both strong word recognition skills (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency) and language comprehension skills (vocabulary, background knowledge).

Key Frameworks in the Science of Reading

The science of reading is supported by several research-based frameworks. Read A Full Breakdown of the Science of Reading for details about instructional differences and four critical and interconnected models leaders should know, including: 

1. The Simple View of Reading—A model showing that reading comprehension results from decoding skills and language comprehension

2. Scarborough’s Reading Rope—A visual model illustrating how reading skills interweave

3. Structured Literacy—The instructional approach that applies these research findings in the classroom

Why Is the Science of Reading Important?

The science of reading creates a huge opportunity to transform literacy outcomes.

What’s known about effective literacy instruction is stronger and more united than it has ever been. And it shows 95% of students of all abilities and backgrounds can learn to read when taught with science of reading-based teaching methods—including Emergent Bilingual students and learners with dyslexia and other neurodiversities. 

Many district leaders have seen this play out in schools nationwide. 

• In North Carolina, Craven County School District educators saw 92% of students meeting usage goals with an evidence-based literacy program reach at-grade or above reading levels. 

• In Ohio, Niles Middle School educators used a science of reading-based program designed for grades 6–12 to pinpoint skill gaps and accelerate learning. Of the students using the program: 

• 84% ended the year in intermediate or advanced zones for comprehension

• 69% reached the intermediate or advanced skills in grammar

• 74% reached intermediate or advanced skills in word study

Decades of research consistently demonstrate when students receive systematic, explicit instruction in foundational reading skills, literacy outcomes improve dramatically across diverse populations—including English Learners, students with learning differences, and students from varying socioeconomic backgrounds.

Benefits of Science of Reading-Based Programs

The widespread adoption of science of reading-based instruction has shown measurable impacts on literacy outcomes:

• Research Evidence: Studies consistently demonstrate that the vast majority of students—including those with dyslexia, English Learners, and students from all backgrounds—can learn to read proficiently when taught using evidence-based methods rooted in the science of reading.

• Teacher Preparedness: As more educators receive training in the science of reading, they report increased confidence in their ability to identify reading difficulties early and provide targeted support before gaps widen.

• Equity in Education: Structured, explicit instruction reduces the achievement gap by ensuring all students—regardless of background—receive systematic teaching of foundational reading skills, rather than relying on implicit learning that benefits only some learners.

How Lexia Improves Literacy With the Science of Reading

Many programs claim to align with the science of reading and Structured Literacy but do not sufficiently teach students to decode, relying on outdated strategies like cueing or using context clues for guessing a word’s meaning. Lexia® supports Structured Literacy and provides a breadth and depth of science of reading-based instruction and knowledge to support every student and educator.

Empowering Educators

Lexia® LETRS® prepares pre-K–5 educators and administrators as literacy and language experts in the science of reading. Educators learn concrete skills that translate into practical, daily classroom change. LETRS was pivotal in moving the needle in Mississippi and Louisiana. Students in Mississippi jumped from last place to 16th in NAEP scores.  

Lexia Aspire® Professional Learning provides a flexible, self-paced, digital solution aligned with the science of reading for upper-elementary and high school educators. More than 250 districts adopted Aspire within just one year of its launch. 

Boosting Student Ability

Best practices for Structured Literacy include explicit, systematic, cumulative, diagnostic, and responsive instruction. Lexia® Core5® Reading and Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® use Lexia’s Adaptive Blended Learning model to adjust instruction dynamically so teachers can pinpoint individual skills more quickly. The programs build in sequence and help students master foundational skills and fully comprehend all text types. Core5 is more than two times more effective than other elementary reading programs. PowerUp is five times more effective than other middle school programs, and students using it show a 35% improvement in reading skills within just one year.

Informing Decision-Making

The real-time student performance data in Lexia’s patented Assessment Without Testing® (AWT) automatically evaluates students in the moment so teachers can provide precise instruction when students need it most.

Transforming Literacy

When Lexia professional learning and literacy solutions are combined, district leaders see transformative change. In 2022, leaders in a large suburban district in Washington provided training in the science of reading with LETRS. Following the momentum and early results of LETRS training, they adopted Core5 for K–5 student use and PowerUp for secondary student use. In just two years: 

• 92% of students using Core5 advanced at least one grade level

• 74% of PowerUp students ended the year with improved skills

Now that a broader group of educators—including coaches, literacy development teachers, and interventionists—are being trained in LETRS, they can deliver high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction systematically across grades.

Take the First Step. Contact Lexia.

If you want to accelerate literacy in your district, learn how to select a literacy program aligned with the science of reading or contact Lexia to discuss customized solutions for your educators and students.