The Secondary Literacy Gap: Why Our Struggling Readers Need More Than Accommodations

When a third-grader struggles with reading, everyone mobilizes. But when a ninth-grader can't decode multisyllabic words or comprehend their biology textbook? Too often, the response shifts from How do we teach this? to How do we work around this?

I've sat in countless IEP meetings where well-meaning teams decided that accommodations were enough. Audiobooks, extended time, reduced reading requirements—all valuable supports. But here's what I've learned across more than a decade in special education: accommodations help students access content, but they don't build the skills students need for life beyond high school.

And when families try to find support outside school? They discover that many private tutors would rather "catch it early" with younger students than tackle the complex, sometimes messy work of adolescent literacy intervention.

Our secondary struggling readers are falling through a gap—and it's time we talk about why, and what we can do about it.

When Accommodations Become the Only Answer

I get it. By the time a student reaches high school reading multiple grade levels behind, it feels overwhelming. Elementary has the reading specialists. Secondary teachers have 150 students and content standards to cover. Resources are stretched thin. And honestly, there's often an unspoken belief that if intervention hasn't worked by now, maybe it won't.

So we default to accommodations. We provide text-to-speech. We modify assignments. We find ways for students to demonstrate learning without reading grade-level text.

These supports matter—I use them with my students. But when they become our only response, we're essentially telling students: "We'll help you get through school, but we won't help you become a reader."

That student still won't be able to read a job application, a lease agreement, or information about their own healthcare independently. Accommodations are a bridge, not a destination. Students deserve both access and instruction.

The Private Tutoring Challenge

When families realize schools aren't providing literacy intervention, they often turn to private tutors—and hit another wall.

Many tutors prefer working with younger students or high-achieving kids who need enrichment. The honest reasons I've heard:

"The behaviors are too challenging." Adolescents who've struggled with reading for years bring understandable frustration, anxiety, and sometimes resistance. They've internalized failure. They've developed elaborate avoidance strategies. Rather than seeing these as symptoms that require compassionate, brain-based approaches, some tutors see them as reasons to refer elsewhere.

"I want to prevent problems, not remediate them." There's a preference for early intervention—which is great, except it leaves secondary struggling readers with nowhere to go. Working with a 15-year-old reading at a 5th-grade level requires different expertise, and not everyone is willing to develop those skills.

The work is complex and intensive. Adolescent literacy intervention isn't quick or simple. It requires systematic instruction while simultaneously addressing years of gaps and keeping pace with grade-level content demands. It takes specialized training in structured literacy, an understanding of adolescent development, and a whole lot of patience.

The result? Families are caught between schools offering only accommodations and tutors who decline the students who need help most.

What This Means for Students (And Why It Matters So Much)

I think about my students who know—who know—they're behind. They've spent years watching peers read fluently while they struggle. They've felt "stupid" even though reading difficulties have nothing to do with intelligence. By high school, many have disengaged entirely.

Without intervention, these students face genuinely limited futures: fewer college and career options, continued dependence on others for reading tasks, ongoing shame around a fundamental life skill.

And here's what breaks my heart: adolescent literacy intervention works. Research shows it. I've seen it in my own classroom. Older students can make significant gains with appropriate, intensive instruction. Their brains are absolutely still capable of change. They often have stronger motivation than younger kids. They can grasp and apply complex strategies.

But they need someone willing to walk with them through the hard parts.

What Schools Can Do

Invest in secondary literacy specialists. Elementary shouldn't monopolize intervention resources. Secondary students need trained reading specialists who understand adolescent literacy development and evidence-based approaches.

Pair accommodations with instruction. Both/and, not either/or. Students need access to content and explicit work on closing skills gaps.

Support content teachers with literacy strategies. Every teacher touches literacy. Secondary content teachers benefit from professional development in vocabulary instruction, text structure, and comprehension strategies within their disciplines.

Build intensive intervention into the schedule. This requires creative problem-solving and school-wide commitment, but it's possible. Students need daily, systematic literacy instruction without sacrificing core content.

Address the emotional component. Provide support that helps students process reading-related anxiety and shame alongside skills instruction. Behavior is communication—and years of reading struggle communicate a lot.

What Families Can Do

Advocate with persistence and collaboration. You can push for more than accommodations while staying solution-focused. Request evaluations, ask specifically about intervention services, document everything, and build partnerships with educators when possible.

Seek specialized support. Look for tutors or programs trained specifically in structured literacy and adolescent intervention. Ask about their experience with struggling secondary readers—not just reading credentials in general.

Understand the behavior. Resistance, frustration, shutdown—these aren't character flaws. They're symptoms of years of struggle. Seek support from people who get that and know how to work through it compassionately.

Be realistic about timelines. Closing significant gaps takes time—often a year or more of consistent work. There are no shortcuts. But steady progress is absolutely possible, and it's worth the patience.

Celebrate every victory. When you've struggled for years, small gains are huge. Notice and celebrate incremental progress. It fuels motivation and builds the belief that change is possible.

It's Not Too Late

This is what I need every struggling secondary reader, their families, and their teachers to know: it's not too late.

Adolescents can become proficient readers. I've seen it happen. But it requires adults willing to commit to intensive, sometimes challenging work. It requires schools to allocate resources beyond elementary grades. It requires tutors willing to develop expertise with this population. And it requires families who know they have every right to ask for more.

Our students deserve plans that prepare them not just to get through high school, but to build independent lives beyond it. That includes reading.

Let's Walk This Path Together

If you're supporting a secondary student who struggles with reading, you don't have to settle for accommodations without instruction. You don't have to accept door after door closing from tutors who "prefer younger students."

My secondary literacy tutoring is built specifically for adolescent struggling readers—students who need systematic, explicit instruction delivered by someone who understands both the academic gaps and the emotional landscape they're navigating. I work with the complexity, the behaviors, the years of accumulated discouragement, and most importantly, the tremendous potential in every student.

I'd love to talk about where your student is now, where they want to be, and how we'll build the bridge together. Reach out to learn more about my approach to secondary literacy tutoring.

Because it's never too late—and your student deserves someone who believes that.