Wayne-Westland Michigan Case Study
Unifying Instruction. Building a Blueprint for Literacy Success.
How Wayne-Westland Accelerated Literacy Growth in Only 2 Months
Structured literacy instruction strengthened Tier 1 reading outcomes across PreK–5 classrooms.
In partnership with RGR, Wayne-Westland Community Schools aligned structured literacy instruction across classrooms to accelerate measurable reading growth across PreK–5.
- Westland, Michigan
- 9,600 Students
- 624 Teachers
- 77 Administrators
- 1 Preschool
- 10 Elementary Schools
- 3 Middle Schools
- 4 High Schools
- 63% Socioeconomically Disadvantaged
- 20% Special Education
- 54% Title 1
Wayne-Westland was using more than 100 literacy tools across PreK-5 with no shared instructional model. Inconsistent instruction was limiting growth — and district leaders recognized that intervention alone wouldn't solve the problem. Stronger Tier 1 instruction and consistency had to come first.
Within two months of implementation, 97% of teachers reported literacy gains across PreK–5 classrooms after Wayne-Westland aligned literacy instruction using the RGR Literacy Suite districtwide.
Teachers used consistent instructional routines, followed shared expectations, and strengthened Tier 1 instruction to accelerate measurable literacy growth across PreK–5.
Wayne-Westland increased Grade 5 decoding proficiency from 30% to 85% within one school year after aligning literacy instruction across PreK–5 classrooms, as measured by RGR’s Diagnostic Decoding Survey.
Students built foundational skills more efficiently while teachers gained clearer instructional direction and more consistent classroom practices.
“70% of our fifth graders couldn’t accurately identify every single letter, consonant, sound, and digraph. By the end of the year, that was down to 15%.”
Wayne-Westland aligned structured literacy instruction across PreK–5 classrooms using shared instructional routines, consistent literacy practices, and stronger Tier 1 reading instruction.
Teachers received ongoing professional learning, coaching, and classroom support that strengthened implementation consistency across schools and classrooms.
Diagnostics and instructional data helped teachers identify skill gaps earlier, guide instructional decisions, and monitor implementation across classrooms.
When Wayne-Westland replaced more than 100 fragmented literacy tools with one aligned instructional approach, the change showed up everywhere — not just in student data.
97% of teachers said they enjoyed using RGR — a signal that consistency wasn't just an administrative win, but something teachers experienced as genuinely supportive of their work.
90% of teachers said RGR training prepared them for classroom use, building the instructional confidence that fidelity depends on.
The district also reduced its reliance on Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention — evidence that stronger Tier 1 instruction was closing gaps before they grew, creating a more sustainable literacy model across schools.
See how districts like Wayne-Westland are driving measurable literacy growth with Really Great Reading.