A Michigan District’s Data-Driven Literacy Success Story

Waterford School District educators struggled to improve core literacy with balanced literacy instruction alone. Student data showed interventions weren't accelerating foundational reading skills fast enough—only 37% of students were at or above norms in 2019–2020.

The Michigan district leaders found the solution in Lexia® Core5® Reading, a data-driven Structured Literacy program. After piloting Core5 in 2018–2019, Waterford educators fully implemented it districtwide in 2020 and added it to summer school in 2021.

The results were transformative: By 2022–2023, 93% of Waterford's K–5 students were at or above reading norms on NWEA assessments. A 2022 RAND study validated Core5's effectiveness, finding students who used it with fidelity outperformed peers by more than half a standard deviation.

"I never dreamed there would be acceleration support for kids like with Lexia Core5," said Christine Cyporyn, the district’s Title I coordinator. "Lexia really was our gateway into the science of reading."

Struggling district leaders: Follow Waterford's lead and see how evidence-based, data-driven Core5 can transform core literacy instruction and foundational reading outcomes in elementary schools.