Beyond the Science of Reading: Accelerating K-2 Learning in Fresno

In 2023, Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) launched a literacy initiative called Every Child is a Reader to ensure that every student in California’s third-largest school district learns how to read by the end of first grade. The district occupies a position of significant influence in a state that has long been at the crossroads of language, literacy, and multilingual education. More than 20 percent of FUSD’s 70,000 students are multilingual learners and more than 14 percent are students with individualized education plans (IEPs).  

Early literacy is a critical component of a strong academic foundation, which is a vital factor in long-term social and economic mobility. To improve the likelihood of all students in FUSD accessing multiple pathways to thriving lives, the district needed to focus on improving literacy outcomes for its youngest learners. 

Each of the seven regions in the district developed its own regional literacy plan. The Fresno High Region was determined to address a key question: How can a large and diverse district markedly improve early literacy experiences and outcomes for all K–2 students? 

That same year, TNTP and the nine elementary schools of the Fresno High Region began a long-term partnership. This collaboration focused on building educator and leader knowledge, skills, and capacity in the science of reading for grades K-2, with a particular focus on applying those principles for multilingual learners and students with IEPs.

Using the science of reading as a foundation, TNTP’s approach to literacy instruction, which we refer to as the science of language and literacy, intentionally bridges asset-based and linguistically affirming practices with explicit, systematic instruction.

At the beginning of the partnership, Fresno High Region leaders and teachers worked closely with TNTP to understand the current state of early literacy instruction across their nine elementary schools. Synthesizing district data in an “Opportunity Snapshot,” TNTP’s Diagnostics team highlighted bright spots and set goals for improvement.

Year 1: Strengthening Understanding of Language and Literacy Development

The collaboration deepened educators’ awareness, knowledge, and skills in how to bring the science of language and literacy to life for all learners. To make progress toward the goals of Every Child is a Reader, it was essential that every educator maintained high expectations grounded in a deep belief that all students can be successful.  

TNTP provided ongoing professional development focused on the application of skills and foundational knowledge from the ARISE course. Co-created by TNTP and other Project ARISE partners, and free for all California educators, ARISE is an online professional learning course tailored to the California context that offers a whole-child approach to literacy instruction. 

Throughout Year 1, TNTP held monthly, day-long professional learning sessions built on the ARISE course content for K–2 teachers at each school site. These sessions bridged theory and practice by incorporating videos, modeling, and specific curricular examples. TNTP helped Fresno High Region leaders develop systems and structures for application and accountability, such as a “Look For” tool for classroom observations aligned to key practices.

Year 2: Connecting Theory to Practice

In Year 2, TNTP and Fresno High Region leaders shifted to a cohort model, visiting each school quarterly for walkthroughs and observations, paired with a full-day professional learning session. Between site visits, the team held monthly virtual professional learning sessions for K–2 teachers. In these sessions, TNTP provided systems, structures, and models to make the science of language and literacy actionable, concrete, and transferable for participants. 

According to Rebecca Wheeler, Fresno High Region’s Instructional Superintendent, “The professional learning sessions encouraged teachers to share across the region. Teachers learned to use tools that helped them plan sequences of literacy instruction and respond to formative assessment.”

TNTP incorporated specific strategies that focused on the strengths and needs of neurodivergent students and multilingual learners. For example, TNTP delivered additional content related to the science of language and literacy for Spanish language arts at a dual-language school in the district.

Coherence and Collaboration from Classroom to Central Office

A critical component of success during these two years was strong collaboration among district leaders, principals, teachers, and instructional coaches to align values, goals, and participation across the region. TNTP’s research has found that when leaders prioritize one or two narrow goals, educators know what to focus on and why it matters for students. By establishing early literacy as a clear priority and setting actionable goals, leaders in the Fresno High Region supported system-wide coherence across all levels of leadership.

While much of the work in the first two years focused on teacher development, TNTP simultaneously supported leaders to build their capacity for ongoing implementation in the following ways: 

• Setting expectations for leaders to complete ARISE modules and attend professional learning sessions 
• Holding leader-specific debrief sessions after classroom observations 
• Developing key systems and structures for school leaders and instructional coaches focused on observations, feedback, and data 
• Collaborating with the region’s instructional superintendent, literacy coach, and lead elementary principal to anticipate educators’ needs and align on messaging 
• Encouraging leaders and teachers to reflect on the data, have bold conversations about what was working in classrooms, and make shifts in instruction when needed  

“Over the two years working with TNTP, leaders’ understanding of the science of reading has grown tremendously,” said Instructional Superintendent Wheeler, “and, importantly, the leaders have developed capacity to support high-quality instruction and data analysis in their schools. The conversation didn’t stop in between TNTP-facilitated professional learning sessions—leaders and teachers could practice, collaborate, and continue to learn.”

Having a collective understanding of the impact of instruction fostered a shared responsibility for the outcomes of all students and contributed to a sense of trust and belonging among the Fresno and TNTP teams.

“The conversation didn’t stop in between TNTP-facilitated professional learning sessions—leaders and teachers could practice, collaborate, and continue to learn.”

After two years, every grade in K–2 across the Fresno High Region has seen significant growth in early literacy. What’s more, that growth has accelerated over the two-year period. The gains achieved in the 2024–25 school year outpaced gains from the year before. 

For example, only 7 percent of first-grade students started the school year on grade level in both 2023–24 and 2024–25. By the end of Year 1 of the partnership with TNTP, 43 percent of first graders were on or above grade level. By the end of Year 2, that number of first graders on or above grade level rose even higher to 52 percent.  

First graders in the Fresno High Region also experienced larger gains from fall to spring than other first graders across the district on average (+45 percentage points compared to +40 percentage points). The sustained and thorough implementation of literacy principles emerging from this collaboration resulted in significant impact in a short period of time.

This fall, the state of California will require new universal K–2 screenings for reading difficulties so that every student can receive the literacy support they need to thrive. In Year 3, TNTP and Fresno High Region leaders will focus on developing and expanding targeted strategies to further support students with IEPs and multilingual learners. It’s clear from the region’s accelerated progress over just two years that coherent, evidence-based early literacy instruction can lead to significant growth for students, teachers, and leaders. 

Contact us to learn more about how TNTP can support evidence-based instruction based on the science of reading and the science of language and literacy in your school system.