How universal access drove Read&Write adoption in First District RESA

Wayne County’s monthly usage after universal Read&Write access

The state of Georgia has made important investments in student accessibility supports. For years now, Read&Write, uPar, and Equatio have been offered statewide to remove barriers in reading, writing, and math. However, the tools have been limited in who can use them. As Meredith Carter, Instructional Coach in Wayne County, put it:

 “The entire state of Georgia has access to these tools, but only for students with IEPs so it’s not quite as leveraged and utilized.”

However,  First District RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency) saw the promise of these tools. They wanted to see what was possible when access was expanded and supports were normalized. Shelley Woodward, Southeast GLRS Coordinator, made it happen. She organized a pilot where ALL students, not just those with disabilities, could access Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y) tools. First District RESA saw the pilot as a chance to move Read&Write from a limited-access support into a region-wide practice.

Expanded access would:

• Reduce stigma around instructional supports
• Strengthen general education buy-in
• Make it easier for teachers to implement
• Meaningfully integrate assistive technology into daily classroom instruction
• Strengthen support to both improve access to instruction and address skill gaps

When Shelley reached out to the First District RESA districts for early pilot adopters, Wayne County immediately raised their hand to participate. 

The shift from eligibility to universal access

Wayne County recognized that more students need the supports that Everway tools offer.

• English learners could benefit.
• Students performing below grade level could benefit.
• Students without identified needs could benefit.
• Teachers could embed supports into Tier 1 instruction.

Anna Rozier, Wayne County’s Special Education Coordinator, described the decision:

This was a shift from gatekeeping support to building it into everyday teaching. But availability did not guarantee integration.

The baseline: available but not embedded in daily instruction

Before universal access, Wayne County’s usage existed but was limited. During the prior school year, Read&Write usage reached 276,100 total tool interactions districtwide. When distributed across eligible students, this equated to roughly two uses per student per day. Encouraging, but not embedded into daily instruction.

Walkthrough data showed a clearer picture. In November, administrators observed 0% evidence of assistive technology integration in classrooms. Supports were available. They were not yet embedded in daily classroom practice. Teachers reported feeling overwhelmed. As Anna noted:

“They felt overwhelmed by the amount of things that they were expected to learn and implement.”

Early technical challenges also slowed momentum. When teachers encountered barriers, usage declined. The missing piece was practical application. Teachers were not asking what the tools could do. They were asking how to apply them in tomorrow’s lesson.

Building sustainable implementation

Improvement did not result from a single training. It came from alignment across regional, district, and school levels.

Regional support: Removing barriers and monitoring progress

At the RESA level, Southeast GLRS Coordinator Shelley Woodward focused on two priorities: resolve technical barriers quickly and keep usage data visible and actionable. When implementation stalled, Shelley worked directly with IT teams to identify and correct the issue. Removing friction early prevented frustration from becoming disengagement.

Shelley provided each district with individualized data updates. Rather than ranking districts, she kept conversations focused and constructive. Where engagement was low, she created targeted sessions to build confidence and skill. Meredith described the impact of in-person coaching: “Shelley would sit down right there with them and say, ‘Let’s work through it.’”

Hands-on guidance made integration feel manageable.

District leadership: Focus and reinforcement

Wayne County reinforced implementation through manageable steps. Anna reviewed usage patterns by tool. When engagement slowed, she shared brief refresher videos and reminders in district communications. “In my newsletter, I put a little plug about using the tool and why it’s helpful.”

The cadence was intentional: one tool at a time, clear reminders, and practical next steps. Rather than mandate use, the district allowed buy-in to grow through visible success. “When you press something on somebody and make them do it, there’s much less buy-in.”

The rollout also protected teacher capacity by beginning with middle and high schools before expanding further.

School-level routines: Normalizing access

At the classroom level, normalization became the priority. Meredith set a clear expectation:

Supports were embedded into existing workflows.

• Texts uploaded to Google Classroom
• Digital task cards
• Audio access during independent reading
• Assistive technology labeled in lesson plans

Requiring teachers to identify assistive technology in their lesson plans also increased intentionality. Planning replaced improvisation. Students responded.

Support became part of classroom practice, not a marker of difference. When access is universal, students across the spectrum of neurodiversity can select the tools that match how they learn best, without public identification.

Results: From access to integration

1. Usage growth

After universal access and structured coaching:

• Read&Write interactions increased from 45,600 in August to 708,000 in February
• This represents a 1,450% increase from August to February this school year
• February usage alone exceeded the previous school year total
• Usage increased 211% year over year

This growth reflects sustained classroom integration across subjects and grade levels.

2. Instructional visibility

Walkthrough evidence of assistive technology increased from:

• 0% in November → 63% in January

Assistive technology stopped being something that existed, and became something teachers actually used.

3. Early academic indicators

Following expanded access and stronger implementation, educators reported early academic signals.

• Improved performance on common assessments
• Mid-year data trending stronger than earlier baseline
• Increased student independence during reading tasks

Meredith connected timing and implementation: “We’re just now starting to see the impact.”

Anna observed that mid-year results showed stronger trends compared to earlier cycles and projected growth on end-of-year assessments. Results over time will continue to clarify impact. Early indicators suggest that universal access is strengthening comprehension and independence.

Why access for all produces stronger results

The experience of First District RESA highlights a practical conclusion. Limiting access resulted in hesitation among students, inconsistent instructional use, and limited student reach.

Universal access resulted in:

• Reduced stigma
• Broader voluntary usage
• Tier 1 instructional integration
• Measurable growth in classroom implementation
• Early academic improvement signals

When access is universal, students who rely on supports can use them confidently, students who benefit occasionally can opt in, teachers plan for support proactively, and leaders can observe and measure progress.

Access stops being an accommodation. It becomes part of how the classroom works.