Achieve3000 Literacy Health Sciences High School Success Story

Health Sciences High School, a public charter school in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, California, implemented Achieve3000 Literacy to improve reading proficiency among its culturally and linguistically diverse student body. Founded in 2007, the school serves approximately 550 students in grades 9–12, with more than 20% identified as multilingual learners, many of whom have experienced limited or interrupted formal education.  Achieve3000 Literacy was introduced in 2009 and is primarily used in history and science classes, with additional integration across English, art, and career and technical education courses. The program delivers differentiated reading materials matched to each student’s Lexile level, supporting individualized growth while encouraging participation through scaffolded comprehension activities and “stretch” articles that promote productive struggle.  Data collected from more than 1,100 students between 2018 and 2024 showed significant improvement in reading performance across all grade levels. Average percentile rank gains ranged from 13.3 points in grade 9 to 17.5 points in grade 12. Each comparison demonstrated statistically significant growth (p < .001). Students who began the year below the 50th percentile showed the largest average improvements, ranging from 20.2 to 24.1 points. End-of-year results indicated that 26.6% to 32.1% more students achieved Lexile scores classified as “On Track” for college and career readiness, with grade 10 students nearly doubling their on-track rate.  Teachers across disciplines noted enhancements in student engagement, reading confidence, and access to complex content. For example, science and history teachers reported that over 75% of seniors read at grade level by graduation, compared to 47% at the end of grade 9, and that students developed stronger comprehension and analysis skills with direct relevance to their coursework.