Grants

Fluency Innovator Grants to Award Free Subscriptions to WordFlight Literacy Intervention Solution

• By Rhea Kelly
• 08/16/24

The call for applications is now open for Foundations in Learning's Fall 2024 Fluency Innovator Grants program. Teachers and administrators from schools and districts serving grades 3-8 may apply to receive a free subscription to WordFlight, a literacy assessment and intervention solution for students with deficits in reading fluency and comprehension, for the Fall 2024 semester.

WordFlight utilizes an online screener to identify students who are struggling with foundational reading skills. It then performs a diagnostic assessment to break down specific strengths and knowledge gaps, to help teachers select interventions for individuals or groups of students. Through an online instructional program, WordFlight provides students with personalized practice in a game-like environment. Teacher resources include lesson plans as well as reporting and management tools.

"Effective yet easy-to-implement literacy interventions are critical in supporting classroom instruction and helping struggling readers get on a path to fluency," said Allison Zimmermann, CEO of Foundations in Learning and creator of WordFlight, in a statement. "Day in and day out, we see the impact of WordFlight in helping students build their foundational reading skills and we designed this grant to get the program in the hands of even more educators so they can further support their students in becoming proficient and confident readers." 

Eligibility requirements for the grants, as detailed by the company, include:

• Participation from the administrator responsible for curriculum.
• At least 15 students must participate. These can include: students in grades 3-8 who are at risk for reading failure, or have had one or more years of intervention and whose difficulty with word recognition skills interferes with reading fluency and comprehension; English Language Learners who meet a standard for conversational English language usage; or special education students and students with dyslexia (if the implementation and follow-up process for these populations is collaboratively agreed upon during the planning process).
• Implementation must begin by Oct. 15, 2024.
• Students must use WordFlight's online component 20 minutes per day for four to five days a week throughout the grant period or until they complete the program.
• The school must provide suitable technology to permit students and teachers access to the WordFlight online system.
• Applicants must participate in training and professional development sessions.
• Current WordFlight customers and/or former grant recipients may not apply.

The application deadline is Sept. 15, 2024. Preference will be given to applications from schools or districts with more than one applicant. Grants will be awarded on a rolling first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, visit the WordFlight site.