Creating a Language-Centered Ecosystem
From kindergarten classrooms to high school halls, Marietta City Schools is proving that with strong partners, the right investment in teachers, and a commitment to structured literacy, every child can become a reader.
By pairing Science of Reading-aligned teacher professional learning with job-embedded coaching, student outcomes have been improving rapidly. This integrated model — developed by the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School, and later scaled through the Georgia Department of Education — has been recognized by state leadership for delivering double-digit reading gains. In fact, with the signing of the Georgia Early Literacy Act, our state has positioned itself as a national leader in evidence-based literacy reform. The implementation model for this plan? Marietta City Schools.
Since 2021, Marietta City Schools has been committed to one overarching goal — ensuring every student reaches their fullest reading potential. This is our story from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
2021
Year Literacy & Justice for All Initiative Launched
K–12
Grades Using a Structured Literacy Framework
40+
New Reading Specialists Hired for Grades One Through Five
#1
#1 in Georgia for Grade Three ELA — Spring 2025
Grades K–5
A Foundation Built on Science
Marietta City Schools is committed to Literacy and Justice for All and to the Science of Reading — an evidence-based approach to literacy — ensuring every kindergarten through fifth-grade teacher has the training, coaching, and resources to unlock each child's reading potential.
Literacy and Justice for All, a community-wide movement made possible through investments by United Way of Greater Atlanta, operates on a simple but powerful theory of change: if child-facing adults have the knowledge, skills, and agency to provide language-centered ecosystems, children will read proficiently and be on a path to a life of self-determination.
The Approach
The objective has been clear: to provide every elementary school teacher with training in structured literacy. Continuous professional development led by researchers is coupled with coaching from top educators who model how the pedagogy looks in practice. At the district level, tremendous investments of time have led to necessary changes in instruction, curriculum, and assessments.
And, as we addressed post-pandemic learning loss, the initiative expanded its focus from kindergarten through third grade to fifth grade. Community partnerships and programs, including Cobb Collaborative's The Basics, Wellstar Health System's Small Talk, and United Way's Learning Spaces, have helped us further engage with and extend this work into the community.
Notably, the Georgia Department of Education, in partnership with the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy, is currently replicating Marietta's structured-literacy approach statewide — a testament to the district's leadership in this critical area.
Teacher Supplements
A one-time supplement approved for credentialed teachers and coaches providing direct reading instruction to students.
Additional Positions
Up to 40 new full-time and part-time reading specialist positions for grades one through five, and four Science of Reading facilitators.
Professional Development
Continuous learning from leading researchers, coupled with instructional coaching from top educators who model best practices.
Cox Campus Online Modules
Accredited, evidence-based language and literacy training and resources.
Curricular Resources
Wit & Wisdom, a comprehensive language arts curriculum, and UFLI Foundations, a core word recognition curriculum.
Progress Monitoring
Real-time evaluation and progress monitoring systems to track student growth and inform instruction throughout the year.
The Results Speak for Themselves
From remarkable scale score growth to district-wide rankings, the data tells a story of transformation — and equity — across every student group.
+17
Points — Grade Three Mean Scale Score
MCS Grade three mean scale score grew by 17 points from Spring 2022 to Spring 2025, compared to +10 for Metro Atlanta and +1 for the State of Georgia.
+11%
Reading At or Above Grade Level
MCS students reading at or above grade level in grades three through eight increased by 11% from Spring 2022 to Spring 2025 — outpacing state and Metro Atlanta growth.
18 of 20
Content Areas Above State
MCS performed better than or equal to the state in 18 of 20 content areas in Spring 2025, and improved in 13 of 20 content areas from 2024 to 2025, according to MAP Growth (NWEA).
Increase in percentage of students reading at or above grade level — MAP Growth (NWEA), 2nd Grade (Spring 2022) vs. 3rd Grade (Spring 2023)
+17%
All Students
+31%
English Learner Students
+24%
Hispanic Students
+23%
Economically Disadvantaged Students
+21%
Students with Disabilities
+21%
Multiracial Students
+17%
Black Students
+8%
White Students
Marietta Center for Advanced Academics
#1
in Georgia
Grade Three ELA — Percentage of students scoring Proficient or Distinguished (out of 1,240 schools)
West Side Elementary School
#1
in Georgia
Grade Three ELA — Mean Scale Score (out of 1,240 schools)
West Side Elementary School
#3
in Georgia
Grade Three ELA — Percentage of students scoring Proficient or Distinguished (out of 1,240 schools)
Grades 6–8
We Will Not Leave Our Older Students Behind
After transforming literacy outcomes in elementary grades, Marietta City Schools turned our attention to middle school — with a bold, three-tiered plan to reach every student in grades six through eight.
Understanding the Challenge
Evaluations of students in grades six through eight at both Marietta Sixth Grade Academy and Marietta Middle School revealed a significant number of students still reading below grade level. Our approach has been aggressive — calling for changes to staffing, training, class scheduling, and instruction. We are evaluating Lexile levels and determining when intervention aligns with our kindergarten through fifth-grade pedagogy, while also identifying when older students require a different level of structured literacy support.
Winter MAP Growth · Marietta Middle Grades · 2024–2025 vs. 2025–2026
Achievement and Growth Percentiles — year-over-year change for grades seven and eight in ELA and Math.
| Spring MAP Growth | 2024–2025 | 2025–2026 | Change | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELA | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | ||||
| Mean | Growth | 40 | 54 | 61 | 73 | +21 | +19 | |||
| Achievement | 48 | 49 | 72 | 77 | +24 | +28 | ||||
| Math | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | ||||
| Mean | Growth | 30 | 51 | 55 | 64 | +25 | +13 | |||
| Achievement | 43 | 46 | 70 | 73 | +27 | +27 | ||||
MAP Growth (NWEA)
Achievement Percentile — how MCS compares to similar schools in the NWEA norm group. Growth Percentile — how much MCS grew compared to similar schools. Mean / Median — mean is the arithmetic average; median is the middle score, less affected by outliers.
Three-Tiered Professional Development
Targeted professional learning for all grade six through eight teachers, structured across three tiers of support.
AIM Pathways
Learner-centered online courses and modules.
Additional Facilitator
One Science of Reading Facilitator for middle grades to provide direct coaching and modeling for teachers.
Curricular Resources
Necessary curricular resources and structured literacy materials to support evidence-based instruction.
Progress Monitoring
Real-time evaluation and progress monitoring systems to track student growth and inform instruction throughout the year.
Grades 9–12
Extending the Science of Reading to Marietta High School
The commitment to the Science of Reading does not stop at eighth grade. Marietta High School is now bringing structured literacy professional learning to its teachers, ensuring every student, including English Language Learners, receives evidence-based literacy instruction through graduation.
Who Is Involved
Year One of the Teacher Cohort targeted Marietta High School reading and ESOL teachers who served students across a wide range of courses. For Year Two, training is extended to all ninth and tenth-grade ELA teachers and all ninth-grade social studies and science teachers.
Learning Objectives
Teachers receive professional development with the goal of growing an understanding of structured literacy and the use of structured literacy practices in the classroom. The cohort is designed to help teachers become familiar with how the language brain becomes a reading brain and understand the Science of Reading.
Themes of Work
Professional learning focuses on deepening understanding and translating content knowledge to evidence-based instructional practices. Themes include the Importance of Language Systems, an Overview of Assessment, Word Recognition, Reading Fluency, Vocabulary and Word Meaning, Making Sense of Sentences, Literacy Knowledge, and Text Structures.
AIM Pathways
Content knowledge is built through AIM’s Pathway to Proficient Reading: Secondary and English Language Learners courses — an interactive digital platform aligned with the International Dyslexia Association Knowledge and Practice Standards.
Additional Facilitator
One additional Science of Reading facilitator at Marietta High School — extending coaching capacity directly into the high school classroom.
Progress Monitoring
Real-time evaluation and progress monitoring systems to track student growth and inform instruction throughout the year.
Partnership · Collaboration · Community
Key Partners in Our Work
The Literacy and Justice for All initiative in kindergarten through fifth grade and the structured literacy programs in grades six through twelve are made possible through the generous support and partnership of foundations, universities, and organizations committed to ensuring every child in Marietta becomes a confident, capable reader.
AIM Institute
An Anonymous Family Foundation
Bagwell College of EducationKennesaw State University
Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation
Cobb Collaborative
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL)
Georgia State University
The Goizueta Foundation
Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation
Learn4Life
Mary Frances Early College of EducationUniversity of Georgia
Quality Care for Children
ReadSource
Rollins Center for Language and Literacyat the Atlanta Speech School
United Way of Greater Atlanta
Wellstar Health System
Visit Us
Inspired by what you've read and want to learn more? Have questions and need guidance on how to transform literacy instruction at your school or in your district?
Marietta City Schools invites educators and instructional leaders to visit our elementary schools and experience structured literacy the way we teach it every day.
Click here to learn more.