Early literacy is the cornerstone of academic success. Researchers at the University of Chicago and other institutions highlight a crucial shift: Up to the end of third grade, most students are \u201clearning to read\u201d while from fourth grade on, they\u2019re \u201creading to learn.\u201d With this in mind, the drive to improve literacy has prompted districts to begin academic interventions with students when they are younger, identifying and addressing literacy gaps earlier to help students succeed. By focusing on early literacy, districts can set the foundation for long-term success and close achievement gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fresno Unified School District (FUSD)<\/a> is the third largest school district in the state of California, US, serving approximately 71,000 students. In August 2023, FUSD launched a literary initiative<\/a> to help get students reading on grade level by the end of first grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To support this initiative, FUSD adopted innovative literacy tools like Reading Progress, a Learning Accelerator from Microsoft. Reading Progress is a powerful reading fluency tool that tracks a student\u2019s reading skills, helping them to focus on specific areas of improvement, while quickly providing actionable insights for educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n