‘What About Us?’ Empowering Upper Elementary and Middle School Educators With Aspire

‘What About Us?’ Empowering Upper Elementary and Middle School Educators With Aspire

In Lafayette Parish Schools, a large, southern Louisiana school district serving 30,000 students across 44 sites, elementary teachers were seeing literacy growth. 

Foundational reading instruction had taken a significant leap forward thanks to Lexia® LETRS® Professional Learning for K–3 educators, partnered with a science of reading-aligned curriculum in the early grades. 

But a clear need remained: “Reading challenges don’t suddenly disappear in fourth grade,” Catherine Guillory, the district’s Elementary ELA and Library Science Specialist, grades K–5, said. Teachers in grades 4 and up—who hadn’t traditionally received training in how students learn to read—began asking for their own support.

“Middle school teachers were saying, ‘We have kids in the classroom who can’t read, and they’re in seventh grade. What are we supposed to do?’” Guillory said. “Fourth and fifth grade teachers saw the LETRS training happening and said, ‘Well, what about us?’”

Guillory found the perfect solution in Lexia Aspire® Professional Learning. This science of reading-based program offers the instructional knowledge teachers need to support upper elementary and middle school students, in every classroom.

For Lafayette Parish, Aspire checks all the boxes:

• Expands teacher capacity

• Offers actionable strategies and guidance

• Gives educators a solid foundation on which to build

• Aligns with the language and knowledge base of LETRS

Read more about how educators in Lafayette Parish are creating stronger readers at every grade level—and creating an enduring culture of literacy.