Rather than expecting students with the most need to attend zero period, stay after-school, or meet on Saturdays, many MSQI schools program a strategic reading period into their school day. During the strategic reading period, students are grouped homogeneously based on their reading profiles. Instruction of those groups during that strategic reading period then targets the use of particular reading skills or comprehension strategies, based on students’ levels and needs.

For example, a school might program all 6th graders for strategic reading during Period 2. During that period, one group of 6th grade students who struggle with decoding will receive a phonics and word recognition intervention, another group of 6th grade students who are fluent but need support with reading comprehension will engage in small group reading instruction, and another group of students reading on grade level will take an advanced or Regents course. Literature circles, debate, and Socratic seminars can also be incorporated into strategic reading period for students of all reading levels.

Strategic reading groups are fluid across the school year, such that students may move from one group to another as their needs change and diverge from those of peers within their original group (e.g. from the Just Words group to small group reading instruction), based on teacher and grade team monitoring of progress and growth. This will ensure that all students’ learning needs are continuously met.