Phonics First™ is grounded in current best practices of teaching reading to both beginning and struggling readers, k-adult. Our programs follow the approaches recommended by the National Reading Panel, Reading First, NICHD and leading experts. Phonics First™ is accredited (International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council) assuring schools districts and parents that the methodology is steeped in research and utilizes proven methods especially for students struggling with core reading skills. Due to the sequential, systematic and explicit nature of Phonics First™, teachers receive real-time feedback (assessment) and can remediate immediately during every part of each lesson. Pre-testing is typically done using DIBELS and AIMSweb with ongoing progress monitoring. Phonics First™ is adaptable to whole classroom instruction, small group instruction or intensive intervention.

Phonics First™ is aligned to state standards relating to phonemic awareness, decoding and encoding, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Phonics First™ is currently being used in school districts throughout the United States in conjunction with most major reading publishers’ core programs.

Phonics First™ satisfies a wide range of IEP reading requirements. Students gain in-depth instruction and practice with phonemic awareness, phonics (decoding and encoding) and fluency. The program is used successfully in all settings – general education, title programs and special education. In special education, however, the program’s multisensory components become even more critical to helping the student understand and retain information.

Combining the expertise that teachers gain from Phonics First™ along with assessments such as Dibels or AIMSweb, teachers can quickly determine which aspects of Phonics First™ will be instructionally appropriate to keep the student(s) progressing along the Stages of Reading Development (Chall, Harvard).

Response to Intervention (RtI)
Both IDEA and Title I, Part A place a great emphasis on the RtI model and its implication for utilizing programs that adhere to the science of teaching reading. Phonics First™ is an effective, scalable RtI tool, leveraging teachers’ instructional time, allowing for differentiation of instruction, and as needed, an increasingly intensive intervention. Phonics First™ is designed to significantly enhance teacher’s expertise in the process and science of teaching reading, especially to those students who struggle. Studies prove that teachers who understand their subject matter and receive adequate professional development, produce students with higher academic skills. Phonics First™ professional development provides teachers with the ability to reach students at all three tiers and more importantly, to adjust their teaching strategies based on what the students need at any given time. Phonics First’s™ accredited status assures districts and the community that the program not only prevents reading failure, but can, in many instances, decertify students from special education.

1. RtI/Phonics First™ - Tier I (Instruction for students on or above-level)
   • Phonics First™ Foundations is applicable for regular education teachers, k-3 as a differentiation of instruction tool and as a beginning-to-read program.
   • Phonics First™ Structures is applicable for teachers of regular education students grades 4-8 as an enrichment tool. (Phonics First™ Structures focuses on Greek and Latin roots to teach common spelling patterns, spelling patterns, vocabulary and fluency.
     
     
2. RtI/Phonics First™ - Tier II (Instruction for students who are at-risk)
   • Phonics First™ Foundations is used at this tier for small group intervention, push-in or pull out, k-5
   • Phonics First™ Structures is used at this level for students in grades 6+ who are still struggling with basic language skills such as phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding and fluency.
     
     
3. RtI/Phonics First™ - Tier III (Instruction for students with identified learning disabilities)
   • Both Phonics First™ Foundations (k-5) and Phonics First™ Structures (Gr. 6+) are accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council for use with language disabled students. Requirements for accreditation include that the program follows an explicit, multisensory and systematic instruction methodology and is sequential and cumulative in its lesson design.
     
     
4. Limited English Proficiency
   • Phonics First™ Reading is instructionally effective with ELL students due to its explicit and systematic design. It is even more important for students just learning English to understand its organization, sounds and patterns. Phonics First’s™ sequence and structure of the lessons provides the necessary security for those just learning English. It addresses the often difficult sound-symbol correlations, isolates individual sounds for correct pronunciations, organizes syllable patterns and continually reviews learned information as new concepts are introduced, allowing for ongoing practice and mastery.

Phonics First™ meets the needs of SLD students due to its flexibility as both a differentiation of instruction tool and as an accredited intensive intervention program.

Differentiated instruction is a proven method of closing the achievement gap for all children, including children identified under IDEA and at-risk children in the general education program. Phonics First™ trained teachers are able to provide continual assessment during each part of the lesson due to its sequential design. This enables teachers to immediately remediate when students struggle. Phonics First’s™ strong science of teaching reading component and multisensory techniques allow for differentiation of instruction across the curriculum.

Accredited Intensive Intervention Program: Phonics First™ breaks down the teaching of reading into its smallest components (sound structure and spelling rules) and applies this to fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. The multisensory techniques are incorporated within all lesson parts from review, to learning new sounds/concepts to sight words, syllabication and oral reading. This design is especially comforting to the SLD student as it fosters success in every aspect of the lesson.

IEP Measures of Achievement Requirement

The IEP must include a description of how the child’s progress toward meeting the annual goals will be measured and when periodic reports on the progress the child is making toward meeting the annual goals (such as through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports) will be provided. [34 CFR §300.320(a)(3)] (Special ARRA Note: ARRA suggests the use of stimulus funds to develop or expand the capacity to collect and use data to improve teaching and learning.)

Phonics First™ includes a Skills Report Card that can be used for the IEP in conjunction with DIBELS, AIMSweb or Lexia Quick Reading Test.

Phonics First™ is aligned with State Standards as they relate to teaching phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

Phonics First™ design follows the recommendations from the National Reading Panel, has a successful review from the FCRR and published white papers. It is established that Phonics First™:

1. improves reading scores in grades k-12
2. significantly benefits low-performing students
3. is strongly endorsed by teachers, administrators, school and private-practice psychologists, psychiatrist and parents

Special ARRA Note: ARRA suggests stimulus funding provide intensive district-wide professional development for special education and regular education teachers that focuses on scaling-up, through replication, proven and innovative evidence-based school-wide strategies in reading, math, writing and science, and positive behavioral supports to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Phonics First™ has provided professional development for all school personnel for almost 20 years. Our delivery of professional development follows the guidelines set forth by leading experts and adheres to the recommendations of the National Staff Development Council. Phonics First™ professional development includes coursework that grants graduate credits, is accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council, offers support and implementation including leadership academies, facilitation of peer-to-peer dialogue, classroom demonstrations, classroom observations/feedback and ongoing professional development opportunities.

Coursework

1. Phonics First™ 210 (30 hours, 2 graduate credits):
   applicable for teachers teaching k-3 regular education and special education/at-risk k-5.
2. Phonics First™ 300 (24 hours, 1 graduate credit):
   review of and extension and deepening of knowledge pertaining to PF210.
3. Phonics First™ 350 (24 hour, 1 graduate credits):
   applicable for teachers teaching at-risk or special education students grades 6+.
4. Phonics First™ 400 (Specialist Certification, 60 hours):
   contact RLAC for information.
5. Phonics First™ 450 (School-Site Coach, 30 hours):
   contact RLAC for information.
6. Phonics First™ 500 (Train-the-Trainer):
   contact RLAC for information.

Workshops

• Phonemic Awareness
• Written Expression and Grammar
• Connecting DIBELS Outcomes to Phonics First™ Instruction
• Connecting AIMSweb Outcomes to Phonics First™ Instruction