From “Leveled Lives” to Leveled Up! How DIVI Brings Shanahan’s Vision to Life

“We have placed way too much confidence in what was an untested theory, and now which is a failed one.” — Timothy Shanahan, Rejecting Instructional Level Theory (Aug 23, 2025)

On August 23, 2025, Timothy Shanahan republished one of his most important blog posts, revisiting the decades-old debate over whether children should be taught with “instructional-level” texts or with grade-level challenging texts supported by scaffolding. This updated piece coincides with the release of his new book, Leveled Reading, Leveled Lives (Harvard Education Press, 2025), which pulls together decades of research showing why the “instructional level” theory doesn’t work — and what schools should be doing instead.

For context: Shanahan’s earlier blogs (2011) were among the first widely read challenges to the orthodoxy of leveled reading. At the time, most schools were firmly entrenched in Fountas & Pinnell–style guided reading. Shanahan’s willingness to question that practice, backed by evidence and professional authority, gave other educators permission to reconsider the model. His arguments influenced how the Common Core treated text complexity and helped set the stage for the current Science of Reading movement. In short, Shanahan’s work has been pivotal in reshaping literacy instruction over the last fifteen years.

Now, with new evidence and a comprehensive treatment of the issue, his message is clearer than ever: children need consistent access to grade-level texts, along with explicit instruction and scaffolding.

That’s exactly where DIVI comes in.

What Is DIVI?

DIVI is a new assistive technology - it's a reading practice platform designed to work alongside structured literacy instruction. It does two critical things:

1. Decodable Practice Library – DIVI provides what is quickly becoming the world’s largest bank of authentic, decodable texts, each aligned to phonics rules a child has been explicitly taught. This ensures practice directly reinforces instruction.
   

2. Grade-Level Access With Scaffolds – DIVI can make any book or text on it's platform customized to each individual student — and even now offers some New York Times bestsellers. Their library of books is expected to expand quickly over the next year. The text itself is never changed or simplified. Instead, DIVI personalizes scaffolding to each child’s decoding mastery, so they can experience the full vocabulary, syntax, and knowledge in the authentic text.
   

In other words: DIVI bridges the gap between skill practice and real reading, removing the artificial ceiling imposed by “leveled” reading systems.

The Problems With Instructional-Level Texts

1. A Theory Built on Sand

Shanahan traces the “instructional level” idea back to Emmett Betts (1946) and a doctoral dissertation by P. A. Kilgallon. Neither provided empirical evidence that matching students to texts of a particular difficulty promotes learning. Later studies (Powell, 1968; Morgan, Wilcox & Eldredge, 2000; O’Connor et al., 2010) confirmed that students often learn more from challenging texts than from “just-right” texts.

DIVI’s Answer: DIVI does not restrict access based on arbitrary “levels.” Instead, every student can access the full range of authentic texts — from classroom novels to New York Times bestsellers — while receiving individualized scaffolding aligned to their decoding skills. The text itself is never altered or simplified.

2. Common Core’s Radical Shift

The Common Core State Standards (2010) disrupted the leveled reading paradigm by requiring grade-level text exposure and discouraging below-grade-level assignments. While many states have since moved on from CCSS, nearly all retained its text-complexity standards.

DIVI’s Answer: DIVI operationalizes this requirement at scale. Every student can read grade-level texts daily, not just the few who are already proficient. Scaffolding features ensure that struggling readers engage meaningfully with complex vocabulary, syntax, and knowledge without drowning in frustration.

3. The ACT Findings: Text Complexity as the Differentiator

The ACT’s landmark report Reading Between the Lines (2006) found that performance on complex texts — not question types or comprehension strategies — was the strongest predictor of college readiness. Students did not gain ground by practicing “main idea” or “inference” questions; they advanced by grappling with more sophisticated texts.

DIVI’s Answer: DIVI keeps the complexity of authentic texts intact, ensuring students experience the very features that build long-term comprehension: challenging syntax, nuanced vocabulary, dense informational content, and varied text structures.

4. Instructional Level = Lowered Ceiling

Shanahan highlights that instructional-level theory minimizes teaching. By selecting easier texts, teachers reduce the need for scaffolding and impose an artificial ceiling on growth. This explains why schools making the greatest gains are those that consistently use grade-level texts (TNTP, 2024).

DIVI’s Answer: DIVI removes the ceiling entirely. Students always have access to full, authentic texts at grade level and beyond. The platform personalizes scaffolding to each child’s current decoding mastery, automating the kind of individualized support teachers simply cannot provide to every student simultaneously.

5. A Caveat for Beginning Readers

Shanahan notes that for very beginning readers (K–1), decoding must be established before complexity is ramped up. Once decoding foundations are in place, however, students benefit most from challenging texts.

DIVI’s Answer: DIVI integrates both worlds:

• Decodable practice texts mapped precisely to phonics instruction.

• Grade-level authentic texts scaffolded for access.This dual approach ensures early decoding is mastered while students simultaneously gain exposure to rich language and knowledge.

Why DIVI Is Different

Many digital platforms claim to adapt text for learners, but too often they do so by simplifying or rewriting the original. Shanahan’s article makes it clear: that practice undermines learning. Students don’t need watered-down text; they need authentic challenge with support.

DIVI is fundamentally different:

• Authenticity preserved: The text never changes.

• Individual scaffolds applied: Words are tagged by decoding rules, enabling practice and highlighting without altering the story.

• Equity ensured: Every child can access the same books as their peers, no matter their skill level.

• Scalability achieved: What Shanahan prescribes — scaffolding grade-level texts for all students — becomes feasible in real classrooms, tutoring programs, and homes.

Conclusion: From Leveled Lives to Leveled Up Lives

Shanahan’s updated 2025 article confirms what many educators have suspected: the “instructional level” approach has failed our students. What kids need is access to grade-level texts, with scaffolding and explicit instruction to help them succeed.

That is precisely what DIVI delivers. By combining structured literacy practice with full access to authentic grade-level texts, DIVI doesn’t just align with Shanahan’s vision — It’s not simply compatible with his recommendations; it is a platform that makes them practically achievable at scale.

For educators, researchers, and literacy leaders wrestling with the roadblock of “leveled lives,” DIVI offers a way forward: equity, motivation, and accelerated growth for every reader.

- - -

To learn more about DIVI, please visit https://operationread.com. If you are an educator, CALP, CALT, reading specialist, or tutor, we would be glad to provide you with a complimentary account. Because DIVI is a new platform, early users will have the unique opportunity to help shape its development — from features and options to how it best supports students. Your feedback will be invaluable as we continue building a tool designed to make grade-level access and scaffolding practical at scale.