The Reading Roadmap | Grades 3-5: What Happens Next

Students in grades 3–5 can read more accurately than ever, yet many still struggle to make sense of increasingly complex text. This edition of The Reading Roadmap explores what districts are seeing and what it takes to help older readers process, connect, and apply what they read as demands increase.

In this Newsletter

Upcoming Webinar: Overlooked Pieces of SOR
Featured Blog: The Comprehension Gap
Case Study: How a District Raised Decoding Scores to 40%
Product Webinar: Launch into Orbit for Grades 3-5
CEO Perspective: What Happens After Students Can Decode
Support That Works: Decodables for Older Readers

Live Webinar: The Overlooked Pieces of the Science of Reading

Join our webinar on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 3 PM ET, where expert panelists will explore why some students still struggle to make sense of what they read despite strong phonics and decoding instruction.

This session focuses on often-overlooked elements of the Science of Reading:

• how comprehension develops across text

• how morphology supports word meaning, not just word reading

• how students use language to connect and interpret ideas

Register Now

Featured Blog: The Comprehension Gap in Reading Instruction

Students can read the words but still struggle to explain what they’ve read. The issue is not decoding, it’s how language supports meaning.

This shows up in classrooms every day:

students read accurately but cannot explain what the text means
responses stay at the surface instead of connecting ideas
understanding breaks down as language becomes more complex

Understand why this happens and what it takes to support meaning as reading demands increase.

Read the Blog

Case Study: How One District Raised Decoding Scores by 40%

More than 40% of students reached decoding proficiency by midyear when instruction aligned and targeted foundational gaps.

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD unified dyslexia and multilingual learner support across campuses, driving measurable growth in just one semester.

See the Results

Product Webinar: A Live Webinar on Bridging Decoding and Comprehension

Get an inside look at Orbit, RGR’s new solution designed to bridge that gap by connecting word knowledge, morphology, and language to deeper understanding for learners in upper elementary and beyond.

Join us on Thursday, May 21 at 1:00 PM ET for an inside look at:

what traditional comprehension instruction often misses
how Orbit supports consistent, explicit instruction
what happens when students truly understand what they read

Save Your Seat

The Literacy Trajectory: What Happens After Students Learn to Decode

District leaders are seeing the same pattern across schools: students can read accurately but still struggle to make meaning from text.

This blog explores why progress stalls as text becomes more complex and what systems can do to sustain reading growth.

Read the Article

Support That Works: Decodables for Older Readers

“The decodables are wonderful practice in decoding words containing the phonics patterns taught in the lessons.”

— Brooke Novak, Intervention Specialist, Greenfield EVSD

Decodables give older struggling readers structured practice that builds accuracy, confidence, and momentum from the start. Without access to readable text, progress can stall.

Check Out Decodables