Redefining Access: Supporting Equity-Focused Rigor

Equity is not about lowering standards. It is about providing every student with the opportunity and support to meet high expectations. But the real work of equity is not subtraction. It’s design. It's about building a culture where every student is challenged, supported, and seen.

At the heart of that culture is rigor—not as a reward for a few, but as a right for all.

Academic tracking and systemic bias have long denied historically marginalized students access to challenging coursework. This isn’t a question of capability but a question of access. Lexia’s literacy solutions, Lexia® Core5® Reading and Lexia® PowerUp Literacy®, are built to answer that question with a resounding yes. Yes, your students can succeed. Yes, your teachers can deliver rigor. And yes, you can lead a school where equity lives in daily practice.

Grounded in the science of reading and designed for Tier 1 instruction, Core5 and PowerUp meet students where they are and guide them forward with adaptive, data-driven instruction. They replace guesswork with insight and bias with evidence. To truly achieve equity through rigor, educators need:

• Research-aligned instruction that never compromises on expectations

• Real-time student data to target support and maximize growth

• Tools to ensure placement is driven by performance—not perception

As an educational leader, your commitment to both equity and rigor sets the tone for your school’s culture. By investing in the right resources and professional development, you can ensure detracking efforts translate into meaningful opportunities for all students.