Program Description
WordFlight is a literacy assessment and intervention solution for grades 3-8 students who have not achieved reading fluency and comprehension because of deficits in foundational skills that should have been developed by the end of grade 2. Deficit skills include phonemic awareness, decoding, and automatic word recognition, all critical components of fluency.
WordFlight’s screening assessment quickly identifies those students with these skills deficits and WordFlight’s diagnostic provides details about students’ decoding knowledge, ability to generalize that knowledge, and the extent to which the student has developed automatic word recognition.
Aligned with the science of reading and based in the science of learning, WordFlight bridges the gap between phonics and fluency. WordFlight leverages adaptive technology to provide personalized, structured practice that helps students achieve fluency by moving beyond decoding to learning how to use letter-sound relationships in a way that results in automatic word recognition. WordFlight is a combination of structured student practice and teacher-led instruction.
Program Outcomes
The impact of WordFlight was examined in a small student randomized study in two Cedar Rapids Community Schools with close to 300 6th and 7th grade students. Students, stratified by baseline ability, were randomly assigned to WordFlight or a business-as-usual control. WordFlight was intended to be used 60-80 minutes per week for approximately four days per week throughout the school year. Students assigned to WordFlight demonstrated significantly higher growth on the Woodcock Word Attack (effect size = +0.14), earning the program a Promising ESSA rating. Results on the Woodcock WordID (effect size = +0.11), Oral Reading Fluency (effect size = +0.04), and the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (effect size = +0.09) were positive but not significant.
Staffing Requirements
No special qualifications or certifications are required. Foundations in Learning provides training for all staff that use the program.
Professional Development/Training
Foundations in Learning provides multiple professional development sessions each year to support implementation and teacher knowledge of the science of reading and learning.
Technology
WordFlight operates as a web-based program as well as an application for Apple iPads. Hardware and software requirements can be found here.