Monroe School District is seeing encouraging gains in early reading skills following the districtwide implementation of a new phonics curriculum in kindergarten through second grade.

Learning to read is one of the most important things students do in school. When children become strong readers early, it helps them succeed in every subject that follows.

This year, Monroe School District is focusing on helping our young students build stronger reading skills from the start. Early results show that this work is making a difference.

Our goal is simple: help every Monroe student become a confident reader by the end of second grade.

A Research-Based Approach to Teaching Reading

Over the past two years, select K–2 classrooms across the district have been piloting a new phonics program called UFLI Foundations. The program helps students learn how letters and sounds work together to form words.

UFLI is based on research about how children learn to read best. It focuses on helping students:

• Hear and recognize sounds in words
• Connect sounds with letters
• Read and spell words more easily
• Build confidence as readers

Kindergarten students practicing sounding out words by writing them on white boards.

After seeing positive results from the pilot classrooms, the Monroe School Board approved the curriculum to be used in all kindergarten through second-grade classrooms this school year.

Before the school year began, teachers participated in training where they practiced new reading routines and learned strategies to support every learner.

Supporting Teachers and Classrooms

Each elementary school now has UFLI Lead Teachers who help support this work.

These teachers:

• Share teaching strategies with colleagues
• Invite other teachers to observe reading lessons in their classrooms
• Work together to support students who need extra help

This teamwork helps make sure students across the district receive strong reading instruction.

Shawna Clark, a kindergarten teacher at Salem Woods Elementary, is one of our UFLI Lead Teachers. Here she is pictured using UFLI in her classroom.

How We Measure Student Progress

Monroe schools use a program called i-Ready to track student learning in reading and math in grades K-8.

Students take the i-Ready reading assessment several times each year. The results help teachers:

• See what skills students already know
• Identify where students may need extra support
• Track growth over time

This information helps teachers adjust their lessons so they can better meet students’ needs.

Encouraging Early Literacy Gains

Results from the winter i-Ready reading assessment show positive progress in almost all early reading skills compared with last year. Across kindergarten through second grade, more students are performing at or above grade level in important reading areas.

These areas measure important building blocks of reading, such as hearing sounds in words, recognizing common words, building vocabulary, and understanding what students read.

Winter i-Ready Reading Results (2024–25 to 2025–26)

The chart shows the percentage of students in Kindergarten through Grade 2 performing at mid or above grade level on the winter i-Ready reading assessment. Click here to enlarge the chart.

Some highlights include:

Kindergarten

• Phonological Awareness increased from 20% to 24%
• Vocabulary increased from 32% to 34%
• Literature comprehension increased from 50% to 57%

First Grade

• Phonological Awareness increased from 42% to 46%
• High-Frequency Words increased from 39% to 44%
• Overall comprehension increased from 23% to 29%

Second Grade

• Phonological Awareness increased from 87% to 89%
• High-Frequency Words increased from 38% to 49%
• Literature comprehension increased from 23% to 29%

These skills are the building blocks of strong reading.

A kindergarten student practicing sounding out words through writing on the digital whiteboard.

Building a Strong Foundation for Future Learning

When students learn to read well in the early grades, they are better prepared for everything that comes later in school. The progress reflected in this year’s data highlights the impact of intentional, research-based teaching strategies and the dedication of Monroe’s educators.

As these young students move into later grades, these stronger reading skills will help them tackle more challenging books and learning across all subjects. Over time, we expect these gains to result in more students learning at or above grade-level standards throughout elementary, middle, and high school.

Monroe School District is grateful for the dedication of its K–2 teachers, instructional coaches, and support staff, whose work is helping students become stronger readers every day.

Kindergarten students practicing sounding out and spelling words using magnetic letters.