Here are the top 10 reasons your district should bring Science of Reading instruction into summer school—and how Really Great Reading’s FREE Summer School Program can help!

1. Combat the Reading Crisis & Reverse Learning Loss

The 2024 NAEP Report Card revealed some of the lowest reading scores in decades:

• Only 31% of fourth-graders are proficient in reading, down from 35% in 2019.
• Just 30% of eighth-graders are proficient, with record numbers scoring below basic levels.

Without immediate intervention, struggling readers will continue to fall behind, making it harder to succeed in all subjects.

How Summer Helps: 
Summer school offers structured, research-based instruction that helps students develop essential reading skills before the new school year begins.

Really Great Reading also offers Science of Reading-aligned intervention solutions. Learn more (take to intervention page) 

2. Summer is the Best Time to Implement the Science of Reading

The Science of Reading is more than a trend—it’s an evidence-based approach that focuses on the cognitive processes involved in reading.

Many teachers have been frustrated by literacy programs that don’t deliver real results. Summer school is the perfect time to try something that actually works in a small, focused setting.

How RGR’s Summer School Program Helps:

• Teachers can test-drive structured literacy strategies in a low-stakes environment.
• Students gain essential skills they’ll build on throughout the school year.
• Schools can align instruction with state-mandated Science of Reading curriculum goals. 

What is the Science of Reading?

3. Reduce Special Education Referrals

Many students don’t need special education—they just haven’t received effective reading instruction.

How RGR’s Summer School Program Helps:

• Teachers can identify reading gaps early before they become bigger challenges.
• Structured literacy instruction prevents unnecessary referrals to special education.
• Students get the explicit, systematic instruction they need to succeed.

With Really Great Reading’s complimentary summer school program, teachers receive diagnostic assessments that help pinpoint student needs—ensuring the right support for every learner.

4. Offer Individualized & Differentiated Instruction

One of the biggest advantages of summer school is smaller class sizes, allowing for more one-on-one support.

How RGR’s Summer School Program Helps:

• Teachers can tailor instruction to meet individual student needs.
• Struggling readers receive targeted, Science of Reading-aligned lessons that reinforce essential skills.

Our program includes three levels of instruction—Emerging, Developing, and Advancing—to match each student’s specific learning needs. 

5. Strengthen Vocabulary & Reading Comprehension

A strong vocabulary is critical for reading success. Without it, students struggle to understand what they read—even if they can decode words.

How RGR’s Summer School Program Helps: 

• Science of Reading-aligned lessons integrate vocabulary instruction alongside decoding.
• Research shows that strong vocabulary skills improve academic performance and college readiness.

Our summer school program provides structured vocabulary-building activities that help students read more fluently and with better comprehension. 

6. Help Teachers Build Knowledge & Align with State Curriculum Goals

More and more states are requiring Science of Reading-aligned instruction, but many teachers have yet to fully implement it.

How RGR’s Summer School Program Helps: 

• Teachers gain hands-on experience with structured literacy instruction.
• Schools can ensure alignment with state-mandated Science of Reading curriculum goals.
• Teachers learn new strategies they can carry into the regular school year.

Our FREE summer school program provides: 

• Scripted digital lesson plans aligned with the Science of Reading.
• Professional development to help teachers refine their instruction. 

7. Prevent the "Summer Slide"

Summer learning loss is real, and it’s worsened by pandemic-related disruptions. Without structured instruction, students lose progress, making it even harder to catch up.

How RGR’s Summer School Program Helps:

• Prevents summer learning loss by keeping students engaged in structured reading activities.
• Ensures students return to school ready to learn, rather than starting the year behind. 

8. Build Student Confidence

Reading struggles can erode a student’s confidence, making them feel less capable in school. Many struggling readers haven’t been taught how to decode effectively, leading them to:

• Guess words instead of reading them
• Skip words to get through a sentence
• Struggle with fluency and comprehension

Our FREE summer school program provides: 

• Builds confidence by helping students experience success with reading—many for the first time
• Teaches self-advocacy skills, so students learn how to ask for help and take charge of their literacy journey

By using Science of Reading-aligned instruction in summer school, students develop essential reading skills, gain confidence, and start the new school year with a strong foundation for success. 

9. Provide a Safe & Structured Learning Environment

For some students, school is the only safe and consistent place in their lives. Summer school can be a supportive environment where they receive:

• Encouragement and structured learning
• Positive teacher-student relationships that build trust
• A sense of routine and security

Really Great Reading’s program makes reading engaging and accessible, helping students develop a love for learning. 

10. Strengthen Family Engagement & Lifelong Learning

A student’s reading success is strongly linked to family support. Summer school can help:

• Strengthen the home-school connection, giving families tools to support literacy at home.
• Provide structured literacy lessons that families can continue reinforcing throughout the year.
• Promote a lifelong love of reading, ensuring students have the skills they need for future success.

By using Science of Reading-aligned instruction in summer school, you’re equipping students with essential skills that will benefit them throughout their academic career and beyond. 

We Don’t Just Say We’re Science of Reading-Aligned—We Actually Are. 
Many literacy programs claim to be backed by reading science, but their instruction still relies on ineffective balanced literacy strategies.

Really Great Reading is different because: 

• We follow structured, explicit, and systematic phonics instruction.
• We focus on phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension—key pillars of the Science of Reading.
• Our programs build automaticity and orthographic mapping—helping students store words permanently.
• We provide diagnostic assessments so teachers can pinpoint student needs and provide targeted intervention.

With Really Great Reading’s FREE Summer School Program, teachers and students alike will experience firsthand what truly research-based instruction looks like—and see the difference it makes.

Don’t just go through the motions this summer—make a real impact. Give your students (and yourself) the chance to learn something new and implement strategies that actually work.

Join us this summer and bring the Science of Reading to life in your classroom!