ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative

09/01/2026

Today was a good day in Birmingham. 📚

Today at the Birmingham office, we welcomed a group of ARI Beyond Grade 3 peer coaches for makeup training—teachers who, for one reason or another, weren’t able to join us for summer training.

And what a day it was!

It was a day to learn, connect, visit, laugh, share ideas, and get excited about the work ahead. There is something special about bringing educators together who have all said YES to investing in students beyond grade 3.

Tomorrow, we’ll welcome another group—and we are already looking forward to it!

Thank you, Alabama educators, for all you do and for the way you pour into students each and every day. Your work matters. Your commitment matters. And YOU are making a difference.

Every child. Every chance. Every day. ❤️

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

08/28/2026

ARI BG3 loved wrapping up the week with the incredible team at Calera Intermediate School! ❤️

This team spent the day learning together, digging into Lexicon Lab and exploring the benefits and importance of advanced word study in fourth and fifth grade. Because as students move beyond the primary grades, the words they encounter—and the depth of their word knowledge—matter more than ever.

After lunch, the team experienced Strengthening the Strand, building the conditions for comprehension across all content areas and thinking about what it takes to ensure students have the knowledge, language, and strategies they need to access increasingly complex text.

What a powerful way to end the week!

We believe in this work.

We believe in the boots-on-the-ground educators across Alabama who show up every day to meet the needs of struggling readers while advancing adolescent literacy.

Every child. Every chance. Every day. ❤️

08/26/2026

The Beyond Grade 3 team was honored to work alongside the fourth- and fifth-grade teams in Escambia County Schools today!

This team dug into how assessment can inform all tiers of instruction—using tiered instruction as a form of prevention:

• Strengthening Tier 1 core instruction through differentiation to meet the needs of all learners
• Using targeted Tier 2 instructional support to meet specific needs and close gaps early and often
• Extending learning for students who are already proficient or have mastered a standard

The team also used data to identify an area of focus, deconstruct focus area standards, and began to build learning progressions, and develop systems of assessment. This is strategic planning in action.

It is an honor to work alongside teams like this as we all learn more about supporting struggling readers and advancing adolescent literacy across the state of Alabama.

The work of Beyond Grade 3 is about advancing adolescent literacy in all content areas.

It is an honor to support the people doing this work across Alabama.

*We didn’t get a group pic, but we will next time! 💙💚📖

Every child. Every chance. Every day. 💙

08/26/2026

The Alabama Reading Initiative would like to recognize districts who have achieved the honor of being named a Science of Reading Gold Certified District for 2026 by achieving a 92% or higher completion rate in two LETRS® courses!

These districts exemplify a commitment of sustainability to the Science of Reading and effective instruction. Congratulations!

Attalla City Schools
Chilton County Schools
Clarke County Schools
Etowah County Schools
Jasper City Schools

08/25/2026

Today, ARI BG3 had the privilege of spending time with an incredible team of 4th–8th grade ELA and history teachers in Clarke County!

*** There are also some ARI BG3 peer coaches in this group! ***

What a great partnership this year is going to be as these educators come together to build vertical alignment, shared understanding, and coherence of instructional practices.

Today, they dug into actionable assessment—looking closely at data, identifying focus standards, and beginning to plan with purpose.

They wrestled with the questions that matter:

What does mastery look like?
What will be evidence of mastery?
What will I do if some students struggle?
How will I extend learning for students who are already proficient?

They also explored what tiered instructional support looks like at every level, thinking deeply about prevention and support within Tier 1 and Tier 2.

This work is student-centered.
It is data-informed.
It is outcome-driven.

We use assessment and data to understand what students need, identify actionable next steps, and ultimately measure the impact of our instructional decisions on student learning.

What a great day. What a great team!

We are blessed to do this work, and Alabama is blessed to have teachers like these—boots on the ground, doing the work and changing the lives of students every single day.

Every child. Every chance. Every day.