95 Phonics Core Program insights
Explore insights from educators and practical resources as you evaluate the benefits of an evidence-based reading program to support your Tier 1 phonics instruction.
Research-based best practices for implementing a Tier 1 phonics program
Fairfax School District is located in a small community on the southeast side of Bakersfield, in Kern County, California. The district currently has four schools (theyāre adding a fifth) with a total of 2688 students. Here they share best practices in implementing the science of reading.
You have to be able to tell your story of why a new program is important to get the buy-in because if you donāt have a story and you just say ābecause it worked over there,ā itās not going to work. I have to model it myself and show the importance of it. As a leader, you need to have a passion project for your staff that youāre excited about. Thatās how you change the culture.
David Mack Chief Administrator of Business Services, Fairfax School District
I am seeing double digit gains in K-5ādouble digit.
Nikki Porter, Principal
Explicit phonics instruction is raising the bar in Tennessee
Teachers kept saying they needed something else. Every school was doing something different, piecing things together, trying to fill that gap for K-2 Phonics. But nothing was going deep enough.
SUMMER CARLTON Curriculum and Professional Learning Supervisor, Franklin Special School District
95 Phonics Core ProgramĀ® earns certification
Certification confirms link between Science of Reading and 95 Percent Group product designĀ
There are more than 8,000 products used in K-12 schools and fewer than 1 percent have earned this recognition.
Rachel Schechter, PhD Learning Experience Design (LXD) Research
Spotlight Missouri: Science of reading success
For this feature on Fort Zumwalt School Districtās efforts to implement explicit, research-based phonics instruction, we turned to Stephanie Sanker, curriculum coordinator for elementary English language arts, and second grade teachers Amanda Fowler and Marcia Biermann, to hear about their challenges and successes.
We did guided reading, but the true teaching of phonicsāI had never done that. I know that our kids had been lacking that skill, not only helping them decode but also to encode with their writing. So we were really, really hoping to find something that could help these kids. I feel like this program has really filled that need.
MARCIA BIERMANN Second grade teacher
95 Phonics Core ProgramĀ® K-2 Efficacy Study
300%
more improvement for the treatment group of Kindergarteners using 95 Phonics Core Program after only 14 weeks
One of the most effective tools that we’re using in Fulton County Schools is 95 Phonics Core Program. That has been a game changer for our students and for our teachers. Honestly if I tried to remove that program from our teacher’s hands these days, they would fight me. And when I go into classrooms, I see students learning at levels that they haven’t learned in previous years. It’s truly been transformational.
Mike Looney, PhD
Spotlight Maryland: Science of reading transforms literacy
Here we take an in-depth look at the Wicomico School District in Maryland, whose leadership and literacy team worked together to transform their approach to reading instruction. They saw, in return, strong student improvement. One changemaker, Dr. Renee R. Hall, offers tips for other educators on advancing literacy in their school or district.
Our kids are part of whole-class instruction with 95 Phonics Core Program and then, if they need more focused help, they use the intervention materials that employ the same methods. For students, this connected experience is so much smoother. Itās like being able to talk in the same language.
Renee Hall, PhD Supervisor of Reading K-5, Wicomico County Public Schools
Spotlight: Literacy grows in Glen Rose
200%
increase in first graders reading at grade level
Having a strong strategy like this in Tier 1 is your best defense against more kids moving into Tiers 2 or 3.
Julie Groce, First Grade Teacher
95 Phonics Core ProgramĀ® K-2 Efficacy Study
#1
ESSA Level of evidence, based upon a third-party independent efficacy study on the impact of 95 Phonics Core Program
We look for growth from all students, not just our struggling students. We canāt be satisfied with the growth we have experienced; some students havenāt reached their highest potential yet. We need to set high expectations and bring out the best in our teachers.
Joyce Flowers, PhD
95 Phonics Core Program in the news
Alabama state DOE recommends 95 Phonics Core Program as English/Language Arts supplemental material for grades K-3
Leveraging independent research to ensure that our programs are effective in helping learners build reading skills is at the core of our work at 95 Percent Group. It is exciting to extend our impact in Alabama and support the stateās work to advance what is best for children: using the science of reading to accelerate student literacy skill development.
Brad Lindaas CEO
Put science into practice
Professional learning opportunities
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I believe that 95 Percent Group is uniquely positioned to help guide the way for an ever increasing Science of Reading base in our country. We provide the entire literacy system for teachers and their students. This includes professional learning, assessment, and instructional resources so that teachers can turn theory into practice and help each child make progress.
Laura Stewart Chief Academic Officer