Case Study: Fulton County Schools Transforms Reading Achievement in Turnaround Schools

Summary

During the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, Fulton County Schools transitioned to aligning their literacy instruction with the Science of Reading research.

To better support its 11 elementary turnaround schools, the district purchased Just Right Reader’s Science of Reading Classroom Libraries and Take-Everywhere Decodable Packs for every PreK to 5th Grade student, providing a set of 10 decodable books personalized to each student’s phonics needs every two to three weeks throughout the school year.

Implementation

Beginning in February 2022, Fulton County Schools partnered with Just Right Reader in an effort to close the literacy gap in their 11 turnaround, or lowest performing, schools and propel students towards reading proficiency. Using iReady data, Just Right Reader Take-Everywhere Decodable Packs were purchased and differentiated for every student. Students received a new Take-Home Pack every two to three weeks with a total of 11 packs for every student. The decodable books, as well as easily accessible video phonics lessons, allowed phonics practice to extend from school into homes and strengthened partnerships with families.

In August 2022, Just Right Reader Classroom Libraries were purchased for the 11 turnaround schools. Educators supplemented their phonics instruction with engaging and relatable decodable books. The decodable books gave students an authentic reading experience as they practiced new phonics skill sets.

Key Findings

Fulton County Schools

Reduced the number of turnaround schools from 11 to 4 with 49.2% of students in these schools reading at or above grade level.
Increased the percentage of grade 3-5 students in turnaround schools reading at or above grade level by 2.3%

The following graph depicts the Georgia Milestone Assessment System (GMAS) scores for the 11 turnaround schools using Just Right Reader Science of Reading Decodables.