Reading is a fundamental skill for success in school and in life. At St. Norbert School, we believe every child has the right to read. Our research-based curriculum explicitly teaches students how to decode written text (read) and encode spoken language (write). All students receive explicit, systematic instruction with progress monitoring.This ensures that each child learns to crack the code of alphabetic text and develops into a highly capable reader and writer.
During the 2022-2023 school year we implemented a new phonics program called UFLI Foundations. The UFLI program is based upon research that found effective early literacy instruction works best when it:
- "Develops awareness of the segments of sounds in speech and how they link to letters,
- Teaches students to decode words, analyze word parts, and write and recognize words,
- Ensures that each student reads connected text every day to support accuracy, fluency, and comprehension" (UFLI, 2022).
The results after one year of implementation were extraordinary. The average growth of our kindergarten class was near two times the average growth of kindergarten students nationally.