Educator Spotlight: Consistent, Scripted Literacy Instruction Improves Scores

The Perrysburg Exempted School District near Toledo, Ohio, is focused on ensuring all students achieve their greatest potential. Chris Rollins, a reading tutor at Fort Meigs Elementary School, has been instrumental in those efforts. Thanks to Chris for sharing her experience implementing evidence-based literacy instruction across grades and its impact on test scores.   

What has your journey in education looked like? 

After teaching kindergarten and first grade for 40 years, I retired and was rehired at Fort Meigs Elementary School as a reading tutor for grades K-4.   

How has Fundations® helped your students? 

Fundations is a Structured Literacy program that teaches letter sounds, writing, and the way words are spelled and why. Our students who started using the program in kindergarten are progressing through the grades, and they are scoring above grades in the past.   

Can you share success stories from your implementation of Fundations? 

Kindergarteners can start words with the /c/ sound with the correct letter, either c or k, because they know the rule for the following vowel. And first graders learned that the /k/ sound at the end of a short vowel word is spelled with -ck. 

What sets Wilson® programs apart from other literacy programs you’ve encountered? 

Wilson offers teachers a structured approach to teaching reading in an organized and systematic way. And all teachers are using the same method of teaching at the same time, so I’m able to reinforce what the teachers in the regular classroom have already presented. 

What do you appreciate most about Fundations? 

The program is easy to use. I like the structured lessons and resources that are provided. I use FUN HUB® regularly for videos and for practice worksheets.