The purpose of this practice brief is to provide schools, districts, and states with background knowledge about best practices for older students who struggle to read. It focuses on the reading skills that adolescents need to more fully access content-area curricula and, in turn, secure a productive future. The authors define adolescent reading as occurring between fourth and 12th grades and as separate from early reading in kindergarten through third grades. [For related reports, see "Interventions for Adolescent Struggling Readers: A Meta-Analysis with Implications for Practice" (ED521837) and "Effective Instruction for Adolescent Struggling Readers: Professional Development Module. Second Edition. Facilitator's Guide" (ED521838).]