Systemic Direct Instruction: How The Grange P-12 College Improved Reading Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
TL;DR: The Grange P-12 College in Hoppers Crossing successfully reversed declining reading outcomes through its innovative "Core Literacy" program. By treating reading as a standalone subject rather than a subcomponent of English classes, the school achieved significant growth on NAPLAN reading scores by 2026. Crucially, the program succeeded in an environment where 40 per cent of the student cohort received educational adjustments due to disability, defying national downward trends and providing a replicable model for inclusive education.
The Challenge of Secondary School Literacy
Many secondary schools across Australia face significant challenges with declining student literacy levels. This issue is particularly acute in schools serving highly diverse student populations with complex learning needs. In 2024, educators at The Grange P-12 College, located in Hoppers Crossing, confronted a stark reality: nearly a quarter of all incoming Year 7 students were reading at a level equivalent to prep-to-grade 2.
This severe literacy gap meant that standard high school curriculum delivery was inaccessible to a large portion of the student body. Across Australia, the broader educational landscape was experiencing a similar crisis, with NAPLAN results showing that one in three Australian students failed to meet basic literacy benchmarks. This gap was widening rapidly between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged student cohorts.
The Core Literacy Subject Framework
To address this critical issue, the leadership team at The Grange P-12 College decided that traditional English classes were insufficient to correct severe reading delays. The school expanded an innovative trial to treat reading not as an activity embedded within English classes, but as an entirely standalone subject.
Under this model, reading was allocated its own dedicated instruction time, its own specialized curriculum, and its own trained teaching staff. Clara Tran, the school’s Core Literacy Coordinator, explained that high schools historically treat reading as something that occurs naturally within wider English classes. However, Tran argued that "the evidence doesn’t support that reading fixes itself through exposure to texts in English class. It has to be taught directly, systematically on its own."
Supporting Students with Educational Adjustments and Disabilities
A defining feature of the student population at The Grange P-12 College is its high level of diversity and complex educational needs. In 2025, approximately 40 per cent of the student body received specialized educational adjustments due to diagnosed disabilities.
For students with disabilities, traditional, unstructured teaching methods often fail to provide the explicit skills required to build reading comprehension and phonics. The Core Literacy model, designed by literacy academic Carol Christensen, directly addresses these barriers. Christensen’s whole-school approach works by systematically dividing students into small, targeted groups based strictly on four defined levels of reading ability, regardless of their chronological age or year level. This allowed educators to tailor instruction directly to each student's current cognitive and learning needs, ensuring that students with disability-related learning barriers received appropriate, focused instruction.
Measurable Outcomes and Academic Progress
The systematic implementation of the Core Literacy model yielded significant academic gains. By 2026, the school saw an immediate and sustained boost in its NAPLAN literacy results across multiple year levels:
- High Relative Growth: More than 30 per cent of Year 7 to Year 9 students at The Grange recorded high relative growth on their NAPLAN reading scores from 2024 to 2026.
- Outperforming Peers: This 30 per cent growth rate significantly outperformed similar schools, where only 24 per cent of students achieved high relative growth over the same period.
- Library Engagement: Reflecting a cultural shift toward literacy, the school’s library database recorded an increase in book borrowing of nearly 70 per cent since the program's inception.
- Home Practice: Students in Years 7 and 8 attended three weekly dedicated Core Literacy lessons and were actively encouraged to complete 20 minutes of reading at home every day.
Broader School Transformations and Academic Culture
Principal David Smillie, a veteran educator with 50 years of teaching experience, noted that while children’s interest in reading has generally declined over the decades due to competing technology like mobile phones, The Grange has successfully established a "strong academic agenda" over the past three to four years. Smillie emphasized that building reading into a daily, structured routine is essential for embedding these core cognitive skills.
The success of the Core Literacy approach has had a positive effect on the school's overall academic achievements. Last year, the school recorded some of its strongest Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) results. Notably, the student who achieved school dux was also the dux of the reading program, having read a record 600 books during her time at the school. The Grange’s structured model has also been adopted with promising results at Sunshine College and Braybrook College, and has been highlighted by the Grattan Institute as an exemplary benchmark for school transformation.
Key Takeaways
- Inclusivity in Practice: The Grange P-12 College successfully implemented a major reading intervention program within a student population where 40 per cent of students received disability-related adjustments in 2025.
- Direct, Standalone Instruction: The Core Literacy program operates by treating reading as a standalone subject with a unique curriculum, direct instruction, and ability-based grouping designed by academic Carol Christensen.
- Exceptional NAPLAN Growth: From 2024 to 2026, over 30 per cent of Year 7 to 9 students achieved high relative growth in NAPLAN reading, outperforming similar schools (24 per cent) and defying national downward trends.
- Recognized Benchmark: The Grattan Institute has highlighted this model—also utilized by Sunshine and Braybrook Colleges—as a benchmark for successful school-wide educational transformation.