From Struggle to Success: How the Slant System Is Transforming Student Readers

The insights and outcomes shared in this spotlight come from a teacher currently in practicum, Dr. Kimberly Q. Entzminger, serving in Aiken County Public Schools. Her work reflects the powerful impact that structured, explicit literacy instruction and the talents of a well-trained teacher can have on students with significant reading challenges.

In classrooms, growth is often measured in numbers. Fluency rates, assessment scores, and grade-level benchmarks all tell an important story. But sometimes, the most powerful evidence of impact goes beyond the data. It shows up in confidence, independence, and the moment a student realizes, “I can do this.”

This spotlight highlights the experience of an instructional coach and former reading interventionist who has been implementing the Slant System with three students receiving intensive, one-on-one support. Each student began at a different point, but all shared a common need for explicit, structured literacy instruction.

What followed was more than progress. It was transformation.

Measurable Reading Growth with Structured Literacy Intervention

In a role that spans both classroom support and individualized intervention, this educator works closely with students who are not making adequate progress in traditional settings. This year, the Slant System was implemented with three students: one repeating first grade, one in second grade, and one fifth-grade student who entered significantly below grade level.

First Grade Student Growth

One first-grade student demonstrated strong gains across all key measures, achieving 135% of their stretch growth goal on i-Ready from fall to spring.

• Oral reading fluency increased from 0 to 57 words correct per minute
• Nonsense word fluency improved from 8 to 23 words per minute
• Accuracy on grade-level text rose from 76% to 98%

These improvements reflect a growing foundation in both decoding and reading accuracy.

Second Grade Student Growth

A second-grade student made exceptional progress, achieving 256% of their stretch growth goal, the highest in the grade level.

• Advanced from first-grade performance to:
  • Surpassed level in phonics
  • Third-grade comprehension in fiction
  • Fourth-grade comprehension in non-fiction
• Overall i-Ready placement increased from early first grade to third grade
• Oral reading fluency improved from 30 to 87 words correct per minute
• Accuracy increased from 85% to 99%

This growth extended into overall academic performance, with reading grades rising from 40 in the first grading period to 84 by the third, earning honor roll recognition.

Fifth Grade Student Growth

A fifth-grade student experienced some of the most dramatic gains.

• Achieved 362% of their stretch growth goal on i-Ready
• Advanced from a kindergarten-level reading score to a third-grade level in just five months
• Oral reading fluency increased from 23 to 68 words correct per minute
• Accuracy improved from 63% to 99%

At the most recent progress check, this student was reading fourth-grade text with strong fluency and accuracy.

Across all three students, the pattern is clear: accelerated growth, increased fluency, and significant gains in accuracy and comprehension.

How Explicit Phonics Instruction Creates Breakthrough Moments

While the data is compelling, the true impact of the Slant System becomes even clearer in those breakthrough moments.

Both the first- and second-grade students had received strong Tier 1 instruction, yet continued to struggle with phonemic awareness and decoding. The difference came in how Slant presented phoneme-grapheme correspondences. Teaching certain patterns as unified chunks, such as blends or vowel teams, provided clarity that had previously been missing.

For one first-grade student, traditional sound tapping did not lead to successful blending. However, using Slant’s “pounding out” technique unlocked that skill, allowing the student to blend sounds for the first time.

A powerful breakthrough also occurred with the fifth-grade student, who initially felt overwhelmed by grade-level vocabulary. After consistent instruction, he began independently sorting words based on whether they were sound-regular. He explained that once you identify the syllable type, the words “are spelled the way they sound,” and identified only a few that required help.

This moment reflected a deep shift. He was no longer guessing. He was applying knowledge, analyzing patterns, and approaching reading with confidence. He is now passing reading and language arts for the first time.

Building Reading Confidence in Struggling Readers

The impact of the Slant System goes far beyond academic growth. It changes how students see themselves.

All three students have developed a sense of pride in their progress, supported by intentional celebration from both teachers and school leadership. That pride has translated into increased motivation. Each student is now choosing to check out books and read independently.

Academic confidence has followed. The second-grade student is now earning A/B honor roll recognition, and the first-grade student is passing reading for the first time.

One of the most meaningful examples came during a parent meeting for the fifth-grade student. His father shared that his child had never volunteered to read in a church group due to embarrassment. Recently, he raised his hand and read two paragraphs aloud without error. When he finished, the other students applauded.

Moments like this show how literacy growth impacts far more than academics. It opens doors to participation, confidence, and a sense of belonging.

Why Structured Literacy Programs Support Teacher Success

The impact of the Slant System is not limited to students. It has also shaped this educator’s instructional approach.

With a background in Orton-Gillingham-based instruction and experience across multiple programs, the Slant System stands out for its clarity, organization, and ease of implementation. The structured design allows educators to focus more on instruction and less on planning logistics.

The flexibility of both 30-minute and extended lesson formats provides practical support for real classroom needs. What once required dividing lessons manually is now thoughtfully built into the program.

Equally important is the alignment with LETRS. This connection makes it easier to translate research-based concepts into actionable instructional steps, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

The biggest takeaway is clear: when instruction is explicit, structured, and well-designed, it creates the conditions for both teacher effectiveness and student success.

Student Success with Phonics-Based Instruction

Perhaps the most powerful reflection comes directly from a student:

“I made a 93 on my Wordly Wise test. I used to think Wordly Wise was hard, but now I see that it is really pretty easy once you know your syllable types and what sounds the letters make.”

This statement captures the heart of effective literacy instruction. It shifts not only performance, but mindset.

What once felt overwhelming now feels manageable. What once felt out of reach now feels achievable.

The Impact of Structured Literacy on Student Outcomes

The success of these students highlights an essential truth. When students are given the right tools, delivered through structured and explicit instruction, growth is not only possible, it can be accelerated.

The Slant System does more than teach reading skills. It helps students understand how reading works. And in doing so, it builds confident, capable learners who are ready to engage with the world around them.