Utah BOE approves 95 Percent Group resources

Adoption Evidence-Informed, Recommended Supplemental Programs for Grades K-5 highlights programs’ alignment to the science of reading 

Lincolnshire, Ill. – January 30, 2023 – 95 Percent Group LLC, the trusted source for comprehensive, proven literacy solutions, announced today the Utah State Board of Education approved its flagship 95 Phonics Core Program® and 95 Phonics Intervention and 95 Phonological Awareness Intervention as Recommended Supplemental Literacy Curriculum Resources.

In 2022, Utah joined a growing number of states to realign reading instruction to structured literacy, grounded in the Science of Reading. The Utah State Board of Education convened a panel of experts to oversee the process of implementing a requirement that districts use materials backed by the Science of Reading. Its goal is to get 70 percent of Utah third graders reading at grade level by 2027.

The selection of 95 Percent Group’s programs for state schools is based on rigorous review by Utah’s professional educators.

“At 95 Percent Group, we are committed to developing programs that align to the Science of Reading, and our research demonstrates their efficacy,” said Brad Lindaas, CEO of 95 Percent Group. “We’re excited to equip more Utah educators with evidence-based reading solutions they can trust, and to empower them in accelerating student reading improvement.”

Even before the disruption of the pandemic, only 35 percent of fourth graders met the standards for reading proficiency set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Students who are not proficient by the end of third grade are less likely to thrive in school and graduate high school.

95 Percent Group’s Science of Reading ecosystem is designed to help teachers use structured literacy to close the reading skills gap with a rich portfolio of tools for Tier 1 and 2 reading instruction. Each product connects to every other product, allowing educators to add elements to their curriculum to meet the needs of all students, regardless of where they are in building their foundational reading skills.

The programs adopted by the Utah State Board of Education are:

• 95 Phonics Core Program®, a whole-class phonics curriculum, helps to address and prevent reading gaps for all students. 95 Phonics Core adds an explicit phonics strand to the daily reading block to ensure that all K-3 students receive consistent evidence-based and research-aligned phonics instruction to improve outcomes. There are multiple studies that demonstrate its effectiveness.
• 95 Phonics Intervention: The 95 Percent Group Intervention Phonics Package provides teachers with a diagnostic screener to pinpoint a struggling student’s precise deficits and effectively implement targeted intervention lessons to address and close specific skill gaps to mastery. This approach is proven to be as effective at teaching children to read as the explicit instruction delivered by the teacher. The package includes: Phonics Lesson Library™ (Basic, Advanced, & Multisyllable Levels)
  Phonics Chip Kit™ (Basic, Advanced & Multisyllable Levels)
  Phonics Screener for Intervention (1 Schoolwide License)
• 95 Phonological Awareness (PA) Intervention products are designed primarily for pre-K through grade 1 and are sequenced from the simplest syllable skills with compound words to the most complex phoneme substitution tasks. Abstract syllables, rimes, and phonemes become concrete using manipulatives to enhance awareness and manipulation of sounds that are included in the Phonological Awareness Lessons Deluxe Package.

The Utah State Department of Education’s expert panel reviewed and accepted the independently conducted study by Learning Experience Design Research that demonstrated the effectiveness of using 95 Phonics Core Program with either the 95 Phonological Awareness Intervention or the 95 Phonics Intervention. In the study design, the 95 Percent Group pilot school was matched with a randomly selected comparison group that engaged in “business as usual” literacy instruction and intervention for that district. The pilot school’s students showed advanced growth on the i-Ready® diagnostic reading assessment. 95 Percent Group’s program effect size was doubled when it was used over two years (0.64 for the pilot school vs. 0.31 for the comparison school).

About 95 Percent Group

Founded in 2005, 95 Percent Group is an education company whose mission is to help educators identify and address the needs of all readers. Using an approach that is aligned with structured literacy, the company focuses on providing educators with whole-class and small-group literacy solutions as well as developing foundational knowledge about The Science of Reading to deliver evidence and research-based instructional strategies. The company’s professional development, diagnostic assessments, skill continua, and explicit instructional materials strengthen all tiers of instruction and ensure that students receive targeted intervention instruction to close skill gaps.

For additional information on 95 Percent Group’s evidence and research, visit: https://www.95percentgroup.com/evidence-research.

About LXD Research

LXD Research is an independent evaluation, research, and consulting division within Charles River Media Group focusing on educational programs. We design rigorous research studies, multifaceted data analytic reporting, and dynamic content to disseminate insights. Visit www.LXDResearch.com.

###