INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — Two moms whose children struggled to read launched a movement nearly 15 years ago. Now, four schools in Indian River County have reached a 90% reading proficiency goal.
WATCH BELOW: 'From third grade on, you're reading to learn,' Rosewood principal Adam Faust tell WPTV's Jon Shiainman
Indian River County's schools are drawing national attention for a community-driven literacy program that started with a simple but ambitious goal: get 90% of third graders reading at grade level.
The effort is called the Moonshot Moment, born in 2012 through The Learning Alliance, a nonprofit co-founded by parent Liz Remington, whose son struggled with reading.
"You are afraid and looking for answers and we really struggled with what is going on and how do we problem solve," Remington said.
The nonprofit brings together schools, philanthropists, and business owners to fund added resources, including reading coaches, in elementary classrooms.
"It means the community has to come together and be an unstoppable team," Remington said.
When I first met Remington in 2017, just 56% of third graders in the district were reading at grade level. Today, four schools have reached the 90% milestone, including Rosewood Magnet School.
"From birth to third grade, you're learning to read. From third grade on, you're reading to learn," said Rosewood principal Adam Faust.
Faust said the achievement came down to the final day.
"We had six kids to test to make the 90%. We needed three to be at proficiency or above, and it turned out five of those kids made it," Faust said.
At Osceola Magnet School, principal Jennifer Norris said students will return to a new campus building and a new reading challenge after the school also cleared the 90% threshold.
"We're shooting for 95% this year," Norris said.
The stakes behind that goal are significant.
"If students are reading at grade level by third grade, the data show they are going to be proficient readers for the rest of their life," Norris said.
Other school districts across Florida are now looking at adopting the Moonshot Moment model — a continuation of a mission that started with one parent's child and has since helped thousands of students.
"Put the systems in place and you build your team and implementing collectively and collaboratively and it's so powerful," Remington said.
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