Individualized Literacy in Early Grades Reduces Achievement Gap Merrick-Moore Elementary School

Merrick-Moore Elementary School in Durham, North Carolina looks at teaching reading as a program that requires teachers to tailor lessons to the student's skills. Classroom assistants and reading specialists help by splitting children into groups that sometimes number only two or three. Each student is assigned a specific reading level from a prescribed set of books. Similarly, every child gets a weekly spelling test geared toward that child's reading level. The layers and levels within the tightly controlled list of materials are designed to keep close tabs on every child's achievement while constantly pushing the child forward.