UFLI Foundations - Does it Work?

While working towards my master's degree I learned a lot of information about the importance of a strong systemic phonics program. I decided that since my school does not have a program that all grade level use, I was going to find an effective one. After looking around I came across a post on a Science of Reading Facebook group about this program called UFLI Foundations. I decided to check out their website and I was pleasantly surprised with what I came across. I brought the program to my principal, explained the basics, and had the manual in my hands in less than three weeks.

Here is a little bit of background about UFLI Foundations. This phonics program was created by several women at the University of Florida Literacy Institute in 2020, making the program new in the phonics world. The program is backed by research and the program is partially funded by James Patterson (the author). The program was piloted in several elementary classrooms and showed a large effect size on student phonics growth. UFLI provides all users with free decodables, presentations, and game activities for each lesson. The lessons are bound in a book which is priced at 70$ plus shipping and handling. This program is significantly cheaper and more accessible than many other packaged programs that I have seen before.

Now let's get into the results. I implemented this program with my 2nd-grade students daily for 10 weeks. Students spent 30 minutes a day receiving explicit phonics instruction on spelling patterns. At the end of the week, students were asked to take a quick 10-word spelling assessment over the two skills they learned earlier in the week. Students are also asked to write two dictation sentences and scored based on their spelling and sentence grammar. At the end of the 10 weeks, students in my class were scoring 20% higher than they were at the beginning of this program. This is significant growth in an already high classroom. Struggling students performed even better with an average growth of around 24%.

With the results that I have found in my classroom, I recommend this program to everyone. Not only is it extremely effective for elementary students, but it is also feasible for many teachers and schools looking to make a change in their phonics instruction.

For more information about UFLI Foundations, check out their website here https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/foundations/