UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) Foundations is a research-backed and evidence-based reading program designed to help students develop core reading skills through a systematic and explicit approach. Grounded in the science of reading, UFLI Foundations provides educators with a structured framework that ensures students master key literacy concepts like phonics and phonemic awareness before progressing to more complex skills. This intentional sequencing empowers students to build a strong foundation in reading and ultimately apply what they’ve learned with greater ease and fluency.
The UFLI Foundations approach is not only beneficial for T1 Core instruction but also serves as a powerful T2 intervention tool for struggling readers. By providing targeted support to help students overcome specific reading challenges, UFLI equips teachers with the tools they need to close literacy gaps and achieve measurable outcomes in student performance.
In this article, the experts at Booksource explore how the UFLI Foundations program works, the importance of its scope and sequence structure, and how it helps students read with confidence. Continue reading to learn more about the UFLI program and how educators can leverage Booksource’s expertly curated collections to enhance their classroom libraries.
UFLI Foundations is a comprehensive reading program developed by the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) that takes a systematic approach to teaching students how to read. Built on the science of reading, UFLI Foundations uses research-backed methods to ensure students gain the foundational literacy skills they need for reading success. The program focuses on essential elements such as phonics, phonemic awareness, decoding, and fluency, using interleaved practice to ensure students build mastery across skills while gradually progressing to more complex concepts.
One of the core strengths of UFLI Foundations is its focus on explicit instruction, meaning teachers deliver clear, direct lessons that help students understand exactly what they are learning and why it matters. This approach eliminates guesswork, providing students with the confidence they need to tackle reading challenges head-on. By following a structured path, UFLI helps students make meaningful progress in their reading abilities, with measurable improvements in performance that reflect the program’s effectiveness.
UFLI Foundations also emphasizes repetition and practice, ensuring that students retain and apply the reading skills they’ve learned. Whether teaching phonics rules or word recognition strategies, UFLI Foundations provides a solid framework that gradually builds students’ competence in reading, helping them move from learning letters and sounds to reading fluently. This research-driven program not only helps students in their initial stages of reading but also sets them up for long-term success and, as the name suggests, provides a foundation that supports future learning across all subjects.
At the heart of UFLI Foundations is the concept of scope and sequence—a carefully designed instructional plan that ensures students master essential reading skills in a logical, structured way. The program’s scope and sequence are built around the science of reading; guiding students step by step from fundamental skills like recognizing letters and sounds to more advanced abilities like decoding and fluency.
New concepts are introduced in a logical and cumulative way, allowing students to develop skills simultaneously. For example, phonemic awareness and phonics are taught together, helping students identify and manipulate sounds in spoken words while also connecting those sounds to written letters. Each new concept builds on previous learning, ensuring that students deepen their understanding of reading skills over time. This structured approach helps students apply new information without becoming overwhelmed.
As students advance through UFLI’s scope and sequence, they begin to apply the skills with more accuracy and automaticity. With consistent practice and explicit instruction, students become fluent in recognizing letter patterns, decoding words, and reading with ease. This allows students to focus less on the mechanics of reading and more on the comprehension and meaning of the text. The ability to apply these skills effortlessly leads to improved reading fluency and comprehension, setting students up for long-term literacy success.
One of the standout features of UFLI Foundations is its ability to serve as an effective intervention tool for struggling readers. By offering a structured, systematic approach, UFLI helps teachers identify specific areas where students are falling behind and provides targeted strategies to help them catch up.
For struggling readers, UFLI Foundations zeroes in on critical reading skills such as phonemic awareness, decoding, and fluency. These are the building blocks of literacy, and students who struggle in these areas often face significant challenges in their reading development. UFLI’s research-backed approach helps teachers break down these skills into manageable lessons, offering explicit, step-by-step instruction that makes complex concepts more accessible. For example, students might work on segmenting sounds or blending them together to form words—core skills that are often the root of reading difficulties.
Like any new skill, repetition and practice are essential for becoming proficient. The UFLI program was specifically designed for T1 Core instruction, but has been shown to be effective in T2 intervention scenarios. UFLI Foundations offers a flexible approach that allows teachers to slow down instruction, provide additional support, and revisit concepts as needed. This targeted intervention is crucial for students who need more time and focused practice to develop their reading skills.
Because UFLI Foundations is grounded in the science of reading, its effectiveness is backed by data. Teachers can track student progress through progress monitoring, adjusting instruction based on each student’s needs. This data-driven approach helps ensure that struggling readers receive the right support at the right time, leading to measurable improvements in reading performance. Over time, students who receive targeted intervention through UFLI not only catch up to their peers but also develop the confidence and skills they need to become successful, independent readers.
To fully support the UFLI Foundations approach, having the right resources in the classroom is a must. Booksource has curated a selection of book collections that align with the scope and sequence of the UFLI Foundations program, ensuring educators can provide their students with engaging, decodable texts that reinforce the lessons being taught.
The Booksource collections aligned to the UFLI scope and sequence are specifically designed to match the phonics and reading skills outlined in the UFLI Foundations program. Our collections include a variety of decodable books that help students practice the skills they’ve learned, such as recognizing letter patterns, decoding words, and building fluency. These collections are also a valuable tool for educators, allowing them to integrate high-quality reading materials into their UFLI-based instruction. Whether students are just beginning to learn phonics or are building fluency, Booksource’s collections provide targeted support to help them progress through each stage of the program.
We’re committed to helping educators find the right resources for their classrooms. With a team of literacy experts available, Booksource can provide personalized assistance to teachers and schools, helping them design classroom libraries that meet the specific requirements of the UFLI program. Whether you’re looking for books that align with a particular scope and sequence level or need guidance on building a comprehensive classroom library, our experts are ready to help you find the perfect materials for your students.