Building Stronger Readers Through Data-Informed Instruction at Monroe Township School District

Monroe Township School District, located in Central New Jersey, is a suburban community with a history of high achievement in academics. Teachers and administrators there take pride in cultivating a supportive environment where collaboration is the norm and educators are encouraged to lead, innovate, and grow professionally.

“This was my first place of employment and I fell in love with it instantly,” said Kristin Miller, an iIntervention teacher at Barclay Brook Elementary School. “Teachers are wonderful and dedicated.”

Yet, despite being a high-achieving district, Monroe’s leaders recognized that there was room for improvement in literacy outcomes, including increasing test scores even higher and ensuring consistency across all grade levels. So, in 2021 they embarked on an ambitious effort to improve literacy instruction by focusing on a more data-informed approach, resulting in the district the following year adopting a new high-quality literacy program, Savvas Learning Company’s myView Literacy®. Three years later, they are seeing positive results.

Shifting from a Workshop Model to a More Structured Framework

For many years, the district had relied on a balanced literacy-type workshop model for its literacy instruction, and while the approach had some strengths, teachers increasingly felt that it lacked the structure and explicit instruction necessary to meet all learners’ needs, especially in the wake of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We needed an increase in test scores,” said Samantha McCloud, K-5 district supervisor for curriculum and instruction. “We are a pretty high achieving district, but we knew that we could go further and we did not, at the time, have assessments that were readily available, that were rigorous and that were aligned to our curriculum perfectly.”

Educators were also learning more about the benefits of a more evidence-based approach to reading instruction, which included an emphasis on teaching foundational literacy skills, such as phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency in an explicit, systematic way.

Educators also reported difficulty aligning instruction to state standards and struggled with assessing student progress in a meaningful way.

District leaders knew they needed to move toward a more cohesive, research-based model that would support all students, whether in general education, special education, or advanced settings. They decided that they needed to adopt and implement a high-quality literacy program that provided structure, embedded assessments, and a strong foundation in reading and writing skills.

“We started to hear from the teachers that they were lacking something,” said Samantha. “They needed a program.”

Implementing Assessment-Driven Literacy Lessons

In 2022, district leaders identified myView Literacy as the program that could meet their needs. The program stood out because it was fully aligned to state standards, integrated reading and writing, and included assessments designed to inform instruction. Unlike the workshop model, which often left teachers feeling uncertain about next steps, myView offered a structured and intentional pathway through literacy development.

“It's structured and it's guided, and that’s what I like,” said Kayla Bianco, a fourth grade teacher from Woodland Elementary School. “ I like being able to come in and know exactly what I'm doing.”

Teachers quickly noted the difference. Lessons had clear objectives, daily routines, and intentional sequencing that gave both students and educators confidence. But it was the built-in assessment tools that boosted instruction to the next level.

myView’s assessments go beyond a single end-of-unit test, offering weekly progress checks, quick quizzes, and unit assessments. Teachers could now use these tools to monitor student learning in real time, identifying who needed targeted support and who was ready for enrichment. This continuous cycle of instruction and feedback represented a major shift from using anecdotal notes, conferring records, and other traditional methods to monitor progress and guide instruction toward more data-informed decision-making.

“myView hit all of the points,” said Samantha. “It had everything embedded within the program that we knew we needed.”

Data-Informed Instruction

The addition of structured assessments transformed the district’s instructional culture. Teachers moved from relying largely on anecdotal notes to analyzing concrete data that revealed patterns in student learning.

This data-driven approach extended into collaborative planning. Grade-level teams met regularly to review assessment results, share strategies, and plan targeted interventions. Teachers could discuss how to address comprehension difficulties or extend writing skills without first having to align basic expectations.

“Having those unit-end assessments would solidify the learning of those topics that were discussed,” said Kristin, the intervention teacher. “We're able to see what skills in isolation those students are grasping (or) just not understanding yet, and then plan accordingly.”

Leaders supported this process by facilitating collaboration days where teachers worked together across grade levels. These sessions provided time for data analysis, planning, and reflection.

“Our district has been great with collaboration time,” said Heather Corona, second grade teacher at Barclay Brook Elementary School. “Being given that time is a gift because we're in the classroom and we need that time with our peers to figure out what worked.”

Parents also appreciated the consistency. Families could see that their children were working on the same skills and texts as peers in other classrooms, which built confidence in the district’s approach.

Growth in Skills, Scores, and Confidence

Across grade levels at the district, students have shown measurable growth in foundational reading and writing skills. In the early grades, assessments revealed notable improvements in phonics, spelling, and fluency. By winter, many students had advanced from below-grade-level benchmarks to meeting or exceeding expectations.

Teachers observed growth across the spectrum of learners. Even the district’s most struggling readers demonstrated progress, while advanced students continued to be challenged. The structured curriculum ensured that many students experienced forward momentum.

“The scores said it all. It was amazing,” said Kristin. “There was tremendous growth for each of my students in my class, no matter what level, my lowest to my highest, they all made growth.”

Beyond test scores, the district noticed a cultural shift. Students gained confidence in their reading and writing abilities. With lessons structured around clear goals and aligned assessments, students understood the purpose of their learning and how their daily work connected to long-term success.

The initiative also fostered student leadership and pride. District newsletters highlighted classroom projects, public celebrations, and student achievements, reinforcing a culture where literacy learning was valued and visible.

“Were really seeing progress now,” said Sam. “We're also moving in a direction where data is being used to drive that instruction, and that was the piece that was missing.”