Kentucky's school reform accountability goal of each school reaching an academic measure of "proficiency" by 2014 illuminated the findings in recent statewide reading test scores: 44.30% of middle and 71.25% of high school students scored below "proficient." The research question for this exploratory, descriptive study was, "Do teaching practices in secondary schools with high reading achievement scores differ from those in schools with low reading achievement scores?" High school reading scores were first stratified by region. Regions seven and eight--western and eastern Kentucky--were selected for the study. Next, the reading scores were sorted by score from highest to lowest within the two regions. Five secondary schools were randomly selected from each of the resulting four strata (N=20). Feeder schools for the 20 secondary schools were identified and added (N=19) for a total sample of 39 schools. 70.5% of the 8th-10th grade teachers within these schools completed surveys, developed by using research-based reading strategies. A random sample of five teachers within each school was selected to be observed then interviewed. Finally, a content analysis of each school's Comprehensive School Improvement Plan identified strategies planned to improve reading. Quantitative and qualitative data analyses were used to identify differences between instructional strategies in high and low achieving schools. (Contains 17 tables.) [This research was funded through a grant from the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development (CCLD) in Kentucky.]