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Scotch Plains-Fanwood will discontinue Reading Recovery, district will redirect resources into universal literacy supports
Summary
After reviewing a decade of longitudinal data, the district will end its Reading Recovery program for first graders at the end of the school year and shift the funds to strengthen core literacy instruction and district-wide progress monitoring; 39 students were reported currently receiving Reading Recovery services.
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District informed the board the district will discontinue its Reading Recovery program at the end of the 2025–2026 school year and redirect those resources into strengthened core literacy instruction and systematic progress monitoring across grade levels.
Curriculum committee members reported an assessment of the district’s early reading interventions, reviewing a decade of longitudinal data and current research. They said Reading Recovery produced short-term gains for participating first graders but that those gains were less likely to be sustained long-term and often required additional remedial support in later grades. The committee reported there are currently 39 first-grade students receiving Reading Recovery services.
As a result, the district will end Reading Recovery and allocate funding toward universal screeners, progress monitoring and interventions that operate across grade levels to identify and support students earlier. Staff will also review intervention models used in comparable districts to inform next steps and implementation. The board recorded the curriculum committee’s recommendation and will oversee follow-up work to build a districtwide early literacy framework.
