Episode 4: Access is Not the Enemy of Rigor

There's a growing narrative in education that adapting text for struggling readers means lowering the bar. This week, we're pushing back on that — hard.We sat down with Ethan Pierce from Adaptive Reader to unpack what accessibility actually means in the context of literacy — and why the current conversation about access vs. rigor is missing the mark.Together, we dig into the real relationship between access and rigor, what accessible reading looks like inside a classroom in practice, and where technology fits into expanding opportunity without compromising the integrity of the text or the learning experience.If you've ever felt the tension between meeting students where they are and holding high expectations — this episode is for you.