By Shantell Berrett Blake, Vice President of Education and Outreach
In education, terms meant to bring clarity often multiply—and many are shortened into acronyms that blur their meaning, making it understandable if educators feel weary of literacy buzzwords. But Structured Literacy is not a passing trend. It is a research-based approach to reading educators need to understand—and, more importantly, put into practice.
The term Structured Literacy was first coined by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) in 2014 to describe “instruction based on accumulated and substantial research” (Wilson, 2024). Structured Literacy is not a program. It is an umbrella term for evidence-based reading instruction approaches that consistently improve literacy outcomes for all students.
Why Structured Literacy Is Essential for Reading Proficiency
Decades of research clearly outline what and how we should teach to ensure students learn to read. Researchers estimate that 95 percent of children can be taught to read by the end of first grade (Moats, 2020). Yet the 2024 NAEP results show that nearly 70 percent of fourth- and eighth-grade students read below proficiency.
This gap raises an urgent question: If the research is clear, why are so many students still struggling?
One major challenge is the persistent research-to-practice gap. Evidence-based literacy instruction does not consistently reach teachers through preservice preparation or professional learning. In fact, as few as 25 percent of teacher preparation programs adequately address all components of the science of reading (Ellis et al., 2023).
When educators are left to translate complex research on their own—often without sufficient training, resources, or systemic support—the burden is significant. Programs cannot replace teacher knowledge. However, research-based literacy curricula grounded in Structured Literacy can reduce instructional guesswork and provide clear, usable structures for effective teaching.
What Structured Literacy Teaches: The Content of Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction
To support a shared understanding of evidence-based literacy instruction, the International Dyslexia Association developed the Structured Literacy InfoMap (Wilson & Hamman, 2024), which emphasizes both what we teach and how we teach it.
Structured Literacy addresses all domains of language across two primary areas:
- Word recognition, handwriting, and spelling
- Comprehension and composition
Instruction for word recognition begins with explicit teaching of phonemes and graphemes, including:
- Phoneme awareness (blending and segmenting)
- Explicit phonics instruction
- Syllable patterns, stress, and morphology
- Orthographic conventions, including irregular spellings
This instruction strengthens both reading and spelling by helping students understand how written language works(Ehri, 2024).
Structured Literacy also provides explicit instruction in:
- Vocabulary and background knowledge
- Sentence structure and grammar
- Text structure
- Critical thinking
Through direct instruction and exposure to varied texts, students build deeper understanding and develop the ability to make inferences and integrate ideas across texts (Cain, 2024).
How Structured Literacy Is Taught: Principles of Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction
Research consistently shows that explicit, systematic instruction is more effective than less structured approaches (Watkins, 1997). Structured Literacy instruction is:
- Explicit
- Systematic
- Cumulative
- Multimodal
- Mastery-oriented
Instruction is interactive and scaffolded through the gradual release of responsibility, described as the I do, we do, you do model with frequent feedback that supports student growth and independence (Archer & Hughes, 2011; Hattie & Timperley, 2007). For more information about teaching Structured Literacy, listen to the Literacy Talks podcast “How to Teach Structured Literacy Effectively“.
Who Benefits From Structured Literacy Instruction—and Why It Matters
Structured Literacy benefits all students and is especially critical for students with dyslexia or those requiring additional support (Wilson, 2024). For this reason, it should be implemented within a schoolwide MTSS framework, with aligned instruction across:
- General education teachers
- Reading specialists and interventionists
- Special education and dyslexia specialists
When schools align instruction across tiers, students receive consistent practice and support—maximizing opportunities for reading success.
Structured Literacy offers educators clear, evidence-based guidance for improving reading proficiency. When paired with strong instructional knowledge and supportive systems, it creates a path toward literacy success for every learner.
I’d like to suggest you read the “Why Ascend, Why Now” blog, authored by our CEO Tyson Smith. Tyson highlights the needs we’re hearing from educators and districts, and why we’re building Ascend to support consistent, research-based literacy growth across tiers and grades.
