Using a mixed methodology study, this article explores the influence of academic language comprehension on reading, writing, and academic performance at a regional comprehensive institution. We completed a comprehensive survey of 150 students in ENGL 101 and 201, asking questions about academic reading strategies and important disciplinary concepts in the majors of individual survey participants. Additionally, we conducted a phenomenological study of instructor perceptions of student reading ability in order to gain a more complete picture of the role of reading in student performance. Finally, we triangulated this information by coding and analyzing multiple writing samples from assignments specifically designed to capture student facility with academic language. In order to explore possible curricular changes, we compared our findings with theories of academic literacies and the requirements of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Our research suggests that the ongoing implementation of the CCSS provides an opportunity to reconsider and revise how universities approach academic literacies and reading across the curriculum at the university level.