Spotlight Washington: Closing gaps with structured literacy

District snapshot

• Located in East Seattle on Lake Washington
• 4,057 students across 6 schools (4 elementary schools)
• 43% minority enrollment
• 3% eligible for free or reduced lunch

Educators at Mercer Island School District, in East Seattle, faced a persistent challenge: despite using existing curriculum resources, they were seeing significant gaps in student literacy skills, particularly among struggling readers.

“We’ve been aware of the Dyslexia legislation and involved in the community for at least the last 10-12 years, looking at what additional supports we can provide to meet student needs—especially for struggling students,” explains Amy Wick, learning support/special services teacher at Northwood Elementary. “But there were still unmet needs. We knew we needed something else, additional tools and education.”

Access the full story now: What you’ll learn

• How structured phonics instruction transformed “timid readers” into confident and self-proclaimed, “Grammar and Phonics Committee” experts
• Why combining science of reading training with hands-on resources led to unprecedented student progress—requiring IEP amendments
• How flexible implementation across schools closed reading gaps while benefiting learners at all levels