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When selecting a progress-monitoring tool, teams should consider:
- Does the tool have a sufficient number of alternate forms?
- Does it specify minimum acceptable growth?
- Does it demonstrate validity and reliability for the performance score?
Progress-monitoring data should be collected and graphed over time so the team can examine the student’s rate of progress and determine whether the student is on track to meet the goal established in the Reading Improvement Plan. Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) guidance notes that progress-monitoring measures should provide information about whether a student is making adequate progress with the current level of support.
Monitor Fidelity of Implementation
Student progress is only one part of the review. The team also needs to determine whether the intervention is being implemented as planned.
Fidelity of implementation means examining whether the intervention is being provided according to the plan, including the agreed-upon instructional strategies, frequency, duration and other identified components. Reviewing fidelity helps the team determine whether a lack of student progress may be related to the intervention itself or to how the intervention was implemented.
Use Data to Guide the Next Decision
A Reading Improvement Plan is designed to change as the team learns more about the student’s response to intervention. Regular progress monitoring and fidelity checks – typically after six to eight data points have been collected and graphed – allow the team to answer an essential question: Is the intervention, as implemented, helping this student make the progress needed to reach proficiency? Section 3 of the Reading Improvement Plan template provides guidance for identifying whether:
- The intervention is working and can be faded or discontinued;
- More time is needed with the intervention; or
- A change to the intervention is needed.
This ongoing cycle of progress monitoring, review and decision-making continues until the student achieves reading proficiency and exits the intervention. When teams consistently use data to make informed decisions about next steps, the Reading Improvement Plan becomes more than a document – it becomes a tool for ongoing, student-centered problem solving.
Explore Reading Improvement Plan Resources
The Reading Improvement Plan template and related resources provide the foundation for this four-part series and are available to support teams as they develop and implement Reading Improvement Plans. The Reading Improvement Plan template is available on KDE’s Early Literacy Resources webpage. For answers to common questions about screening, benchmarks, diagnostic assessment and Reading Improvement Plans, review the “Read to Succeed Implementation FAQ.” Teams also are encouraged to view the Reading Improvement Plan video in its entirety. These resources should be used as the primary references for additional information and clarification related to Reading Improvement Plans.
Coming next: What happens when the data show that a student is not making the expected progress? Part 4 will explore how Reading Improvement Teams can respond when a student’s needs change or the intervention plan needs to be adjusted.
Your Voice Matters: Share Your Experience through the Kentucky Teacher Workload Survey
The Kentucky Department of Education is conducting a statewide survey to better understand teacher workload and the conditions that shape teachers’ professional time.
The survey remains open through Oct. 31 and takes approximately 15–20 minutes to complete. Your responses will help KDE better understand teacher workload and working conditions and identify supports that may contribute to more sustainable teaching conditions.
Participation is voluntary, and responses will be reported in aggregate. Individual teachers will not be identified.
Complete the Kentucky Teacher Workload Survey.
Survey closes: 11:59 p.m. ET Oct. 31, 2026
CONTACT INFORMATION
For questions about Early Literacy, please email the Early Literacy Team.
Visit the tabs on the left-hand side of the Early Literacy Webpages to access the Science of Reading Professional Learning page, as well as educator and leader resources and information about early literacy screening assessments, structured literacy, and the Kentucky Reading Academies.
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