What program supports are available for ELL students and struggling readers?

For younger students Students propel the storyline in Boost Reading forward as they take on quests in Bookerton. This narrative is available in both English and Spanish. Students can toggle between the two languages through their settings menu. In-Game Supports In addition to the overall narrative, many of the games have features that support ELL students and struggling readers: Many of the games have read-aloud text or are picture-based so that students can work independently, whatever their level of language proficiency. Supports such as cognates are provided for vocabulary words in Boost Reading interactive Reader. Boost Reading has games that cover phonics and phonological awareness, including at the syllable level, to support pre-readers who need robust instruction in these areas. Boost Reading has games that provide explicit language instruction, for example connectives and anaphora, as well as strategy instruction in comprehension monitoring and morphology. Boost Reading’s instructional methods (e.g., providing clear models, multiple opportunities to practice skills, feedback, cumulative review) and the skills and strategies taught in phonics, morphology, and language leverage techniques proven to help ELs learn how to read in English. Coupled with progressing Spanish-language support, Boost Reading ensures that all students can succeed, no matter what their first language is. Read more here.

Unlock possibility with the Science of Writing

Q: What is the underlying philosophy of Boost Reading?

Engagement is in the DNA: Every lesson and activity engages students through compelling storytelling and powerful narrative. Students persist longer and learn more deeply than when they are working on repetitive worksheet-like programs. Instruction and practice: Boost Reading gives students practice as well as instruction in the key concepts they need to master. Our reading instruction and curriculum is interactive, not passive. Emphasizes deep conceptual understanding: Backed by the latest research and designed with experts, Boost Reading focuses on ensuring that students have a deep understanding of the concepts. And those skills transfer from the program to the real world.

Q: How often should my students use Boost Reading?

For younger students Boost Reading is a supplemental reading curriculum designed to support a student’s development in key early literacy skills through play. The games in Boost Reading are meant to engage students individually on their own unique path. As a result, there are numerous ways you can use Boost Reading with your students. We recommend you allow students to play for 10–15 minutes per session, 2–3 times a week in some of the following ways: As part of a work station or literacy center During reading blocks or choice time With students not in intervention groups during intervention time During transitions between periods (or at the start or end of school) In a computer lab In after-school programs At home (students may use logins to practice on Boost Reading at home)

The reality is…writing is hard. It’s hard to learn, it’s hard to teach, it’s hard to do.

Natalie Wexler, author of The Knowledge Gap and The Writing Revolution, says, “Writing is the hardest thing we ask students to do.” Fortunately, we have decades of research that shows us how best to teach and learn how to write, known as the Science of Writing. As an educator your job is to make this hard task easier and more fulfilling for students. And our job is to help you.

Why writing matters: Connection, expression, and better reading comprehension

Without writing, there would be no need for reading, and of course, writing is a part of literacy.

Through writing, students can express their ideas, connect with others, and deepen and communicate their understanding of what they are reading and thinking.

Having strong writing skills ensures students can engage fully in all settings, share their opinions and information, tell stories, and have a voice.

What is the Science of Writing?

Learning to write (and read) isn’t natural but it can be taught—and research shows us how. Like the Science of Reading, the Science of Writing is the collection of research and evidence-based practices that explains how writing develops along with the teaching strategies that help students develop into skilled writers.

Writing proficiency involves mastering the use of a complex set of skills that must be taught explicitly, again just like reading proficiency. The Simple View of Writing breaks down these processes into transcription and composition, and provides us with a framework for guiding instruction.

Download Science of Writing: A Primer

The relationship between reading and writing

Reading and writing reinforce and support each other. When reading, students are exposed to vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. And when writing, students can get more practice to improve the fluency and efficiency of their handwriting, and apply their knowledge of spelling and their understanding of vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.

Readers use comprehension skills such as summarizing, predicting, and making inferences to help them create meaning as they read. Writers use those same skills to develop a piece of writing that is clear and concise for the reader.

The benefits of applying reading skills and strategies when writing

If you teach students decoding skills, then they become better spellers.
If students learn strategies for planning, drafting, and revising during composition, then their reading comprehension improves.
If students have word and vocabulary knowledge, then they’re better at expressing their ideas in writing.

“Steve Graham and Michael Hebert (2010) carried out a meta-analysis of more than 100 studies in which students wrote about text. They found that writing in various ways about what one had read improved comprehension and learning, and it did so better than reading alone, reading and rereading, or reading and discussing.”

—Tim Shanahan, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC); Literacy researcher and writer

Oral language and writing

Oral language is the foundation for literacy, and its development begins in infancy. As their oral language develops, children learn how to string words into phrases and sentences, which progresses into telling stories and answering questions in detail. And as they listen to stories, children develop vocabulary and understanding of syntax and grammar. All of these build a foundation for writing.

Learn more about oral language and literacy

Discovering the Science of Writing

Explore helpful resources to learn more about the Science of Writing, and the importance of implementing evidence-based instructional practices into your classroom, school, and district.

Books:

Articles:

Webinars:

Podcast episodes:

Writing your way to better reading with Steve Graham, Science of Reading: The Podcast

Knowledge, reading, and writing ebook

Read our ebook to explore the links between knowledge, reading, and writing.

K–5 writing instruction brochure

Explore how to integrate writing and reading instruction for your K–5 students.

Multilingual learners writing ebook

Offer your multilingual learners writing instruction tailored to their needs.

Are you ready to transform your district with the Science of Reading and Writing?

We’re ready to help. Speak with a product expert to learn more.

The curriculum effect

Research shows that students learn primarily through their interactions with teachers and content. Materials influence students directly, and they influence the way teachers teach. They are an essential part of the equation, with a proven and direct impact on outcomes. According to the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy report Hiding in Plain Sight, “Research suggests that, in the aggregate and for specific instructional programs, changing from ‘business-as-usual’ to a high-quality curriculum, or from a low-quality to a high-quality curriculum, can boost student achievement.” The report calls this overall impact “the curriculum effect.”

Individual studies cited in Hiding in Plain Sight also show that:

High-quality curricula increased student achievement in reading, math, and science from the 50th to the 60th percentile and higher: “a potentially transformative impact if aggregated across an entire class, grade, or school.” (Data from David M. Steiner et al., “StandardsWork: A Narrative Research Review,” Center for Research and Reform in Education; Institute for Education Policy, Johns Hopkins University, January 2017.)
Access to rigorous materials increased achievement for Black and Latino students (Card & Giuliano, 2016).
English Language Learners acquire knowledge and vocabulary faster when using grade-level content (with supports) (Zwiers, 2008; Walqui & Heritage, 2012).
Math textbook choice has a significant effect on test scores (Bhatt & Koedel, 2012 & 2013; Agodini et al, 2010).

A cost-effective approach

And high-quality materials don’t have to come with sticker shock. Early evidence suggests that switching to a high-quality curriculum is not only more effective, but also more cost-effective, than other familiar school-led approaches to boosting student success.

For example, a 2015 study from the Center for American Progress found that the average cost-effectiveness ratio of switching curriculum “was almost 40 times that of class-size reduction in a well-known randomized experiment” (Boser, Chingos, and Straus, 2015).

High quality is not defined in a vacuum—it’s all about curriculum that supports teachers in the classroom. When teachers have high-quality instructional materials, they don’t have to spend their valuable time searching for resources and creating their own materials. They know they are using materials that have been developed and reviewed by researchers, academic experts, and teachers like them. They have curriculum that works harder so they can do what they do best: teach.

The Science of Reading and middle school

The power of the Science of Reading doesn’t end in elementary school. Evidence-based reading instruction is equally critical for developing strong, proficient readers in middle school and beyond.

What is the Science of Reading?

The Science of Reading is the robust body of research that:

Illuminates how the brain processes reading, providing insights into both decoding and language comprehension.
Breaks down the distinct components of literacy development and shows how to address those components explicitly and systematically.
Offers educators actionable strategies and an evidence-based road map to fluent reading.

By understanding the neurological pathways involved in—and built by—reading, educators can tailor their instruction to better meet the diverse needs of all their students.

Learn more

How does the Science of Reading apply to middle school?

The Simple View of Reading and the Reading Rope are core models that illustrate the essential—and interconnected—components of successful reading and how students move through them as they build literacy. Together, the two provide a detailed map for strengthening the interdependent skills of decoding and comprehension.

Middle school students are drawing on all components of the Reading Rope as they encounter increasingly sophisticated text. They require instructional techniques that nurture advanced language comprehension skills and continue to support key fluency skills. This involves continuing to build background knowledge, deliberately targeting key areas of language comprehension that arise in the text, and reinforcing foundational skills, all in order to address the increasing language demands of their educational journey.

Download our ebook

Science of Reading and middle school: A critical moment

The middle school years are a pivotal and transformative period in reading development—just when students are also experiencing significant cognitive, emotional, and social growth. Integrating the Science of Reading into your curriculum can help students bridge any gaps, empowering them to move from basic reading skills to complex, critical reading skills at a time when strong reading comprehension becomes essential.

Learn more

The importance of challenging, grade-level texts

Middle school students are on their way to becoming skilled readers, and need a unique balance of structured and independent opportunities to explore a range of texts, gathering information as they read. Key to the Science of Reading, exposure to varied texts helps middle schoolers continue building their vocabulary and background knowledge.

Providing all students access to diverse, grade-level texts challenges them, both as readers and critical thinkers, while treating them with dignity and respect as learners.

Middle schoolers are driven by social connection. They typically thrive in learning environments that incorporate collaborative activities and peer interaction. This synergy not only supports learning, but also enhances engagement and motivation—forming a powerful cycle.

Cognitively, adolescent students are increasingly able to handle abstract concepts, prefer active learning experiences, and are energized by authentic instruction and cognitively challenging work that is connected to the world beyond the classroom.¹

¹Marks, H. M. (2000). Student engagement in instructional activity: Patterns in the elementary, middle, and high school years. American Educational Research Journal, 37(1), 153–184; and NMSA (2010). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00028312037001153

Science of Reading-driven instruction for middle schoolers

Aligning literacy practices to the Science of Reading provides the best systematic, explicit, and engaging instruction for middle schoolers, empowering teachers to target the areas where students need the most support.

A lively middle school classroom buzzes with students eagerly raising their hands, engaged in the comprehensive language arts curriculum. Educational posters line the walls, enhancing the learning atmosphere as they face their teacher at the front.

Effective literacy strategies

To develop essential literacy and critical thinking abilities, students should concentrate on key skills through meaningful engagement with core content. The most effective method goes beyond isolated “skill-building” exercises; instead, it embraces an integrated approach that involves:

Building background knowledge.
Encouraging engagement with sequenced, grade-level materials.
Spending dedicated time on vocabulary and word study.
Interactive exercises, such as read-alouds and collaborative discussions.

Writing and reading build on each other. Through the Science of Reading, integrating evidence-based writing instruction with reading instruction offers students a holistic approach to literacy that reinforces understanding and promotes seamless expression of ideas.

Guided support and interventions

As Tim Shanahan, Ph.D., literacy expert and author, writes, “Be on the lookout for kids who are not able to decode proficiently. It doesn’t matter the source of those problems…they need to be identified.”

Through evidence-based literacy instruction and explicit, differentiated support for students who need it, educators can adapt their teaching to meet their middle school students where they are academically, socially, and developmentally—ensuring they continue to advance toward being capable, inspired, and lifelong readers and writers.

Science of Reading ebook

Learn how to offer the strongest literacy instruction to your middle schoolers.

Middle school webinar

Explore strategies to help middle schoolers at the far end of the Reading Rope.

Science of Reading: The Podcast

Listen and subscribe to hear the latest insights from literacy experts.

Want to change your middle schoolers’ lives with the Science of Reading?

We’re here to help! Speak with a representative to get started.

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Last Modified: February 2, 2026

Overview

With the Science of Reading at its core, Boost Reading blends compelling storytelling with research-based instructional practices to offer:

Personalized instruction across 13 different critical skill areas that adapts to each student’s needs while building on their strengths. Explicit practice in comprehension processes, phonics, and vocabulary. Extra support and scaffolds for struggling readers and English learners with demonstrated impact. An immersive game-play design that motivates students to discover that learning to read is fun.

Engagement is in the DNA: Every lesson and activity engages students through compelling storytelling and powerful narrative. Students persist longer and learn more deeply than when they are working on repetitive worksheet-like programs.

Instruction and practice: Boost Reading gives students practice as well as instruction in the key concepts they need to master. Our reading instruction and curriculum is interactive, not passive.

Emphasizes deep conceptual understanding: Backed by the latest research and designed with experts, Boost Reading focuses on ensuring that students have a deep understanding of the concepts. And those skills transfer from the program to the real world.

Boost Reading is a supplemental digital literacy instruction program that provides students with practice and explicit instruction in the underlying phonics, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension skills that are essential for fluent reading with good comprehension (e.g., Cartwright, 2010; NICHD, 2000; Oakhill, Cain, & Elbro, 2015).

The overarching goal of the program is to provide engaging individualized instruction and practice in the skills and strategies that have the most impact on literacy, while making it explicit to students that the skills they are practicing are things that good readers do while they are reading. As repetition with variety is an essential part of effective literacy instruction (e.g., Schuele & Boudreau, 2008), after a brief introduction to each activity, students are given repeated opportunities to practice these skills with varied stimuli. They receive immediate feedback for their responses and are given more explicit instruction in areas that are challenging. The instruction provided incorporates documented principles of effective instructional delivery; the activities engage students in multiple opportunities to practice critical skills at an appropriate pace with consistent feedback and prioritize student engagement and motivation, helping students to see their own growth toward reading goals (Carnine, Silbert, Kame’enui, & Tarver, 2016; Gersten, et. al., 2009; Deci, & Ryan, 2012.).

Activities build on an existing computer-based intervention that has been documented to improve the decoding skills of students in multiple experimental studies (Richardson & Lyytinen, 2014). Since learning is promoted when students use their knowledge across tasks (e.g., Merrill, 2002), generalization is encouraged through ebooks with embedded activities that reinforce skills recently practiced in related games.

Instruction is closely aligned with the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (CSSS) for literary and informational texts and the North Carolina English Language Arts standards. The program was designed to include content that is most effective at building the word reading and comprehension skills of elementary students (e.g., NICHD, 2000; NIFL, 2008), including at-risk and struggling readers (e.g., NICHD, 2000) and English language learners (e.g., August & Shanahan, 2006). The content focuses on foundational reading skills (i.e., phonological awareness and phonics) as well as vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Research also shows that by providing students with contextualized learning experiences and rich engaging stories, narrative-centered interactive learning environments increase student interest, self-efficacy, and feelings of involvement and control in their learning (McQuiggan, Rowe, Lee, & Lester, 2008).

Over the course of our early efficacy study, kindergarteners using Boost Reading grew an average of 16% more than kindergarteners who didn’t use Boost Reading. First graders using Boost Reading grew 23% more than first graders who didn’t.

We compared students in kindergarten through fifth grade who used Boost Reading during the 2019 fall semester to students from the same district who did not use Boost Reading, using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, 8th Edition (DIBELS® 8th Edition) Composite Scores and Zones of Growth. We found K–5 students who used Boost Reading showed better growth on DIBELS 8th Edition Zones of Growth than those who did not use the product. Additionally, we found that the program was particularly effective for English Language Learners (ELLs). (DIBELS 8th Edition; University of Oregon, 2018)

You can view the study here.

Boost Reading allows younger students to progress through the curriculum along a pathway that best fits their developing abilities. Students are placed into the program based on prior data and the system maintains a rich profile for them as they master each skill level. Boost Reading also provides adaptive support, meaning that the degree of scaffolding, instruction, and practice adapts within each game based on student performance.

Students are served up content that’s appropriate for them within each quest. If a student struggles with a particular content set (3 failed attempts), the set is removed from the quest and presented to the student in a later quest after they’ve had more practice with the prerequisite skills.

When this happens, the teacher dashboard will indicate that the student is “stuck” through the class view and the student view.

If the teacher taps on the student’s name, they can see the specific content that the student struggled with. This allows teachers to provide additional support for the student. The progress bar will go back to green when the student has mastered the content set at a later date.

Classroom use

For younger students

Boost Reading is a supplemental reading curriculum designed to support a student’s development in key early literacy skills through play. The games in Boost Reading are meant to engage students individually on their own unique path. As a result, there are numerous ways you can use Boost Reading with your students.

We recommend you allow students to play for 10–15 minutes per session, 2–3 times a week in some of the following ways:

As part of a work station or literacy center
During reading blocks or choice time
With students not in intervention groups during intervention time
During transitions between periods (or at the start or end of school)
In a computer lab
In after-school programs
At home (students may use logins to practice on Boost Reading at home)

For younger students

Students propel the storyline in Boost Reading forward as they take on quests in Bookerton. This narrative is available in both English and Spanish. Students can toggle between the two languages through their settings menu.

In-Game Supports

In addition to the overall narrative, many of the games have features that support ELL students and struggling readers:

Many of the games have read-aloud text or are picture-based so that students can work independently, whatever their level of language proficiency.
Supports such as cognates are provided for vocabulary words in Boost Reading interactive Reader.
Boost Reading has games that cover phonics and phonological awareness, including at the syllable level, to support pre-readers who need robust instruction in these areas.
Boost Reading has games that provide explicit language instruction, for example connectives and anaphora, as well as strategy instruction in comprehension monitoring and morphology.
Boost Reading’s instructional methods (e.g., providing clear models, multiple opportunities to practice skills, feedback, cumulative review) and the skills and strategies taught in phonics, morphology, and language leverage techniques proven to help ELs learn how to read in English. Coupled with progressing Spanish-language support, Boost Reading ensures that all students can succeed, no matter what their first language is. Read more here.

Technology

Supported Devices and Network Requirements

To ensure that your hardware and network meet the minimum technical requirements for optimal performance and support of Boost Reading please see Amplify’s customer requirements page

List of IP Addresses to Allow

To make sure Boost Reading is accessible at your district, you can add the appropriate URLs to your district’s firewall allowlist. Visit the Amplify Network Access Validator to see the list of URLs and IP addresses.

Season 6, Episode 6

Leading Legislative Change, with State Senator Mimi Stewart

Mimi Stewart is a state senator from New Mexico and previously worked as a public school elementary special education teacher for thirty years, with an expertise in reading literacy. Her unique background has turned into a passion for and a history of championing educational policies as a legislator. This episode focuses on how state government and state legislation can work to improve literacy instruction. She takes us through the process of creating a piece of literacy legislation, New Mexico Senate Bill 398, which passed in 2019. Sen. Stewart also shares the latest that bill and talks about what she’s now focusing on from her place in the legislature—like changing that way we teach teachers from a university level.

Join Science of Reading: The Community to connect with fellow educators.

Transcripts and additional resources:

Transcript

New Mexico Senate Bill 398

Mimi Stewart – Twitter

People for Mimi Stewart – Facebook Page

Mimi Stewart – Website

The May Center for Learning – Website

Meet Our Guest(s):

Retrato de una mujer sonriente de mediana edad con un collar de turquesa y aretes a juego, un marco circular con un libro e íconos de mariposas, que simbolizan la alfabetización.

Mimi Stewart

A former teacher, Mimi Stewart represents New Mexico’s 17th district in the state Senate. She’s spent the last eight years in the state Senate. Previously, she served 20 years in New Mexico’s House of Representatives. From 1995 to 2010, Stewart served in the House while also holding her job as a teacher. By trade, Sen. Stewart is a public school elementary special education teacher, with an expertise in teaching reading. She also taught other teachers how to teach reading using science for five years. In New Mexico’s Senate, Sen. Stewart sponsored New Mexico Senate Bill 398, which requires all first graders to have a simple dyslexia screener.

Meet our host, Susan Lambert

Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Her career has been focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Susan is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.

As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Susan is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.

Quotes

“Think about how many young kids in school right now we are not reaching and that have that feeling that they're dumb and they can't get it. I had one kid say to me, 'Ms. Stewart, I think there's just a secret code.' And I said to him, 'You are right. There is a secret code. It's called the alphabetic code, and you can learn that easily."

—Mimi Stewart

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Portrait of an older man with gray hair, glasses, and a suit, set against a gray background with a patterned border of books, pencils, and light bulbs.

Season 6, Episode 2

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