Literacy curriculum reforms in the middle grades require students to interpret challenging literature and write well-formed texts. Teachers are accountable for designing instruction that builds these high-level literacy skills with increasingly diverse groups of students. In this article we describe findings from studying a literacy approach aimed at supporting'teachers and students in meeting these demands. Based on a sociocognitive perspective, the Supported Literacy approach engages students in collaborative interpretation through a seamless integration of reading, discussing, and writing about compelling literature. Through classroom observation and outcomes assessment, we have identified features of learning opportunities that enable students with disabilities to perform similarly to their peers. We describe these instructional features and illustrate how they work together to support all students in achieving rigorous outcomes.
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