Looking back on a course they had designed, the authors recognized that the catalyst to success was the commitment to incorporating five course components: (1) substantial instructional minutes; (2) authentic academic reading material; (3) various instructional groupings; (4) instruction on vocabulary; and (5) background knowledge, and modeling of college expectations. Alone, each component was effective; together they were powerful. VECTOR started out with a goal-to assist students in becoming better readers. All of the research, teaming, and hard work paid off when these five components helped establish literacy as the foundation of academic achievement, and students excelled amid high expectations. This article provides a detailed look at each of these critical components.