Repeated Reading in Practice – CHARTER Schools’ Success Story

How One Charter School Network is Transforming Literacy Through Repeated Reading

In a time when schools are working harder than ever to close opportunity gaps, one charter school network, serving historically underserved communities, is making significant strides in literacy. Their not-so-secret weapon? Repeated Reading.

By implementing this targeted intervention with consistency, intention, and creativity, they’re helping middle and high school students not only become stronger readers but also more confident learners. Their approach is a model of what’s possible when schools build systems that prioritize both student outcomes and equity.

What is Repeated Reading?

Repeated Reading is a research-based intervention where students read the same passage multiple times to build fluency, accuracy, and comprehension. It’s especially effective for students who struggle with decoding or reading fluently, common barriers to accessing grade-level content.

But repeated reading isn’t just about fluency. It’s also about repetition with purpose: giving students a safe space to practice, build confidence, and experience measurable growth over time.

How This Charter School Network Uses Repeated Reading

This network’s implementation is both practical and powerful, driven by clear structures and a shared belief that every adult is a literacy advocate. Here's how they’ve built a successful system:

• Scheduled Reading Blocks:Repeated reading happens three times a week during protected instructional blocks. These include advisory periods, intervention time, and small-group settings within special education services. This consistency ensures the intervention isn’t squeezed in or treated as optional, it’s a core part of their literacy strategy.

• Skilled Support Staff:A range of professionals support students, including trained instructional aides, special education teachers, and school psychologists. Each adult is equipped to scaffold students’ reading growth and provide personalized feedback.

• Short, Data-Driven Cycles:The school uses six- to eight-week intervention cycles, where student progress is carefully monitored through fluency data, accuracy checks, and comprehension assessments. This allows students to enter and exit the intervention based on need—not labels or assumptions.

Key Strategies That Make It Work

1. Creative Staffing

Rather than waiting for more specialists, the network empowers para-educators, instructional assistants, and even volunteers to lead repeated reading sessions. With foundational training and ongoing support, these staff members play a meaningful role in students’ success.

2. Short-Cycle Interventions

The school avoids one-size-fits-all timelines. By implementing short cycles with progress monitoring, they ensure students receive the right level of support, no more, no less. This dynamic approach keeps students from being stuck in interventions unnecessarily and maintains a sense of forward momentum.

3. Literacy as Everyone’s Responsibility

One of the most inspiring aspects of this model is how the school builds a culture of literacy ownership. All staff, regardless of role, receive training on reading development and fluency strategies. This means students hear consistent messages about literacy across classrooms, cafeterias, and counseling sessions.

4. Student-Centered Practices

Students aren’t passive recipients in this process. They set personal fluency goals, track their own progress, and even reflect on how their reading skills help them in other subjects. This kind of ownership and self-efficacy makes a lasting difference in motivation and engagement.

Why This Matters

Too often, secondary students who struggle with reading are overlooked. Yet, without fluency, it’s difficult to access any grade-level content, whether it’s a science lab, a history text, or a math word problem. This school’s approach shows that it’s not too late. With the right support, older students can make real, measurable gains in reading.

This is more than an intervention, it’s a mindset shift. Literacy isn’t just the ELA teacher’s job. It’s everyone’s responsibility, and with thoughtful implementation, repeated reading can be a game changer.

Final Thoughts

At Layered Education, we champion strategies that are practical, proven, and student-centered. This charter network’s approach to repeated reading demonstrates how schools can reimagine staffing, elevate student voice, and build inclusive practices that lead to real results.

Whether you're a school leader, a teacher, or a support staff member, you have a role to play in building literacy for all.