Case Study: Central Lee Community School District boosts ELA proficiency with Curriculum Associates i-Ready Literacy Portfolio

Central Lee Community School District boosts ELA proficiency by 14 points with Curriculum Associates

Central Lee Community School District, a rural school district in Iowa, faced the challenge of improving literacy outcomes after relying on a guided reading approach for fifteen years. They partnered with vendor Curriculum Associates to implement The Literacy Portfolio by i-Ready, which included the Magnetic Foundations and Magnetic Comprehension programs, to adopt a structured, Science of Reading-aligned approach.

Following the implementation of Curriculum Associates' solution, Central Lee Elementary School saw a dramatic transformation in just one year. The district increased its ELA proficiency by more than 14 percentage points from spring 2024 to spring 2025, with student groups outpacing the state average. This significant measurable impact contributed to the school earning a 2025 ESSA rating of Commendable.