Many parents are surprised to hear that reading instruction does not end in elementary school. By the time students reach high school, they are expected to read complex texts, analyze information, and apply what they read across all subjects. Yet for many teenagers, reading is still a skill that is developing.
I regularly see gaps in foundational reading skills in my work supporting high school students. These gaps were never fully addressed earlier. About one-third of high school students are reading two to three grade levels below where they need to be at the beginning of the school year. Students often find ways to cope and skim assignments, avoid longer texts, or rely on summaries. These strategies can help students get by, but they do not build fluency, stamina, or confidence as readers.
This matters because high school reading requires much more than understanding the main idea. Students are expected to evaluate sources, recognize bias, and explain their thinking with evidence. These skills depend on strong vocabulary, background knowledge, and the ability to focus on text for extended periods of time.
A vital strategy in adolescent literacy is teaching both students and secondary teachers that reading is a complex neurological process that requires many parts of the brain to work in sync. When students understand that their brain is essentially “wiring” itself to connect visual symbols to sounds and meanings, it can demystify their struggles and reduce the stigma of needing help. Challenges in any one area, from visual processing to linguistic integration, can make learning feel frustrating.
For many years, reading support for older students was often treated as something separate from regular instruction. Research on how adolescents learn to read has helped shift that belief. We now understand that reading skills continue to develop well into the teenage years and benefit from clear instruction and consistent practice.
At California Virtual Academies (CAVA), this understanding shapes how we approach literacy in high school, integrating structured reading support into core instruction rather than treating it as an add-on.
