Superintendent Avila’s strategic priority to have all students reading proficiently by 3rd grade is experiencing tremendous traction—in just 5 months! During the 2017-18 school year, Dr. Avila required all students to utilize Footsteps2Brilliance’s literacy solution at least 15 minutes per day. As documented by their district-wide Fall and Winter scores, 100% of Rialto’s elementary schools have already had double digit reading gains across 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades.

Rialto USD Celebrates Dramatic Gains Toward 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency on their CAASPP State Test

With 85% of students qualifying for Free and Reduced Lunch and over 93% minority students, Rialto USD presented Superintendent, Dr. Avila, with an exciting opportunity to make a difference when he began to lead the District in July of 2015. He worked with all stakeholders, especially teachers, to have all students reading proficiently by 3rd grade, but he recognized that teachers could not achieve this goal alone. Through a unique partnership with Footsteps2Brilliance, the District launched “Literacy, the Bridge to Success!” a citywide bilingual early literacy initiative that enriches classrooms and engages families by leveraging the smartphones and devices parents already own.

After only 18 months of sound classroom instruction and parental support, the District reports an 11% increase in the number of students scoring proficient on California’s 3rd Grade ELA test when students use Footsteps2Brilliance for 23+ minutes per week. Also, by partnering with Footsteps2Brilliance to create a citywide literacy initiative, the District is able to provide families with comprehensive bilingual apps to help improve reading for children of all ages, including those not yet enrolled in school. This partnership is proactively changing the trajectory for future generations of Rialto USD students.