Insights

It’s time to address the elephant in the classroom: literacy scores are below grade level nationwide. States and districts are taking notice with some states even writing into legislation the Science of Reading, an interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. As a result, schools and administrators are facing increasing pressure to use research-proven instruction and to raise reading performance. Despite significant efforts by teachers, schools, districts, and states, reading proficiency has continued to be an "elephant in the room" challenge for decades and remote learning has only exacerbated the situation.

It’s time we take a comprehensive approach to the way literacy is taught to students. At Learning A-Z, we understand the urgency to teach students foundational skills to help encompass the knowledge and abilities necessary to support successful reading. This is why Learning A-Z recently launched Foundations A-Z: the Future of K-5 Foundational Skills Instruction — strengthening our existing collection of solutions.

Foundations A-Z and Raz-Plus: A new future for literacy
Designed by the creators of the award-winning solution Raz-Plus, which combines longtime teacher favorites Reading A-Z and Raz-Kids, Foundations A-Z offers a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction that is sure to be a game-changer for classrooms nationwide. For students, this new product, built from the ground up in the Science of Reading, integrates systematic, explicit instruction, clearly modeled lessons and engaging skill-building opportunities to help them further develop their foundational skills. For teachers, it includes embedded professional development videos to provide constant support as they build confidence and drive better student literacy outcomes.

While Foundations A-Z alone has the power to make an immense impact to close the nationwide literacy gap, when implemented with Learning A-Z’s Raz-Plus, this powerful duo equips educators with a range of engaging, research-based resources to provide everything students need — no matter where they are in their literacy journey.

What educators are realizing is that to improve foundational reading skills for children of all ages, it’s not only about having the right reading research, it’s about delivering the right Science of Reading-aligned instruction, at the right grade level, with the right support in an engaging, affordable format. To do this, we must turn reading into a relevant, meaningful, and connected activity for students of all ages while also accelerating learning with the right support and pace and deliver systematic, explicit, and cumulative instruction for teachers from the first lesson.

Literacy is key to successful lifelong learning. The combination of Foundations A-Z and Raz-Plus provides effective Science of Reading instruction that is easy for teachers to use and fun for kids to learn. To learn more about Foundations A-Z, visit our website.