If you had stepped into a Rockford, Illinois elementary school classroom a few years ago, you’d have seen students grouped by grade, moving through lessons together. On paper, that looked fine. In practice, it left struggling readers further behind and failed to challenge kids ready to move ahead.

So the teachers tried something new: grouping by reading ability instead of age. It wasn’t simple, but it worked. After COVID, learning gaps were too wide to ignore, and one-size-fits-all lessons just didn’t reach kids where they were.

The shift came from a simple truth—you need different instruction for different learners. Once teachers embraced that mindset and began using the science of reading, real change took root.

Morning reading blocks now feature multi-age skill-based groups, allowing targeted instruction that matches each student’s readiness and pace. Teachers use a spelling inventory and simple skill assessments to place students in appropriate groups, adjusting group composition whenever necessary. Instructional flexibility and frequent progress monitoring ensure that students move forward only when skills are mastered, not held back or rushed unnecessarily.

Since starting this approach, the school saw a notable rise in third-grade reading proficiency—an 18-point increase since 2021, including an 8-point gain just in the most recent year. The proportion of “at-risk” readers dropped by 25 points overall, with individual classes seeing as much as 72% of at-risk students reaching or exceeding year-end proficiency benchmarks.

ARTICLE: We Started Grouping Students by Reading Ability vs. Grade. Here’s What Happened

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