Close to 30 percent of American students drop out of school, and about 80 percent of them do so because they cannot read the material in their high school courses. Many of those who manage to struggle to the finish line read little better. And it is also true that one of the most widespread complaints about freshman college students, to say nothing of those who do not go to college, is that they cannot write.

The origin of these problems lies in elementary school, where many students start to fall behind, read more slowly than their peers, and fail to pick up vocabulary at the rate that is necessary to be successful in school. As reading becomes more and more difficult, these students get more frustrated and try to hide their struggles from their teachers and peers, counting the days until they can get out of school.

America’s Choice has been working on these problems for many years. The leaders of our team have led the development of rigorous literacy standards and materials, a long-term effort that has involved many of the country’s leading literacy experts. We have created the nation’s most admired guidance on standards-based instruction in reading and writing from the primary grades right through high school.

Ramp-Up Literacy courses feature two 90-minute, full-year courses for students who enter middle or high school two or more years below grade level. This is the most cost-effective program available to enable middle and high schools to meet the literacy needs of students who are struggling in school and at risk of failure unless they learn to read the material in all their courses. The Australian Council for Educational Research developed Ramp-Up Literacy’s formative assessment system exclusively for America’s Choice. Teachers learn to determine students’ independent reading levels and fluency and accuracy rates, while also tracking the number of pages students read during independent reading, so they can be grouped appropriately for instruction. These targeted, systematic instructional courses include the professional development that teachers need to succeed.

Writers Advantage offers the best in-depth, standards-based professional development available anywhere for teaching the craft of writing to elementary, middle, and high school students. Writers Advantage is particularly timely now, as many states and districts realize they need to put more focus on writing for students to do well on state and SAT writing demands. The professional development that is part of Writers Advantage supports strong, grade-level writing not just in English language arts, but right across the curriculum. Writers Advantage also makes the connections between reading and writing explicit. Reading reinforces writing. Writing reinforces reading.