{"id":1569,"date":"2023-09-26T13:43:35","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T13:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.wilsonlanguage.com\/knowledge-library\/success-story\/a-districts-deep-dive-into-structured-literacy\/"},"modified":"2024-08-29T17:20:48","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T17:20:48","slug":"a-districts-deep-dive-into-structured-literacy","status":"publish","type":"success_stories","link":"https:\/\/dev.wilsonlanguage.com\/knowledge-library\/success-story\/a-districts-deep-dive-into-structured-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"A District’s Deep Dive Into Structured Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cannon-McMillan School District, PA<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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As Pennsylvania\u2019s recently passed House Bill 1642 promotes Structured Literacy (SL)<\/a> for reading instruction, one public school district is celebrating the results of its plunge into this approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many school districts, the Canon-McMillan school district had been using the three-cueing model and other balanced literacy strategies during literacy instruction. However, test scores suggested that something was missing for many students.<\/p>\n\n\n

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That\u2019s when literacy coach Makenzie Buhman joined the district, bringing with her ten years of experience as a Wilson\u00ae<\/sup> Dyslexia Practitioner (W.D.P.)<\/a>. In her new role, she not only provided intervention-level reading instruction to students but also led professional learning for her fellow teachers. Makenzie was eager to tell administrators and teachers alike about an evidence-based solution to their students\u2019 reading struggles\u2014Wilson Language Training\u00ae<\/sup> (WLT) programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs soon as my administrators heard the facts about WLT programs, it got their attention,\u201d Makenzie said. \u201cOnce you hear about Fundations\u00ae<\/sup> and Wilson Reading System\u00ae <\/sup>(WRS), it\u2019s compelling. You can\u2019t help but want to take that information and apply it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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With district approval, reading interventionists first implemented Fundations. Thanks to a grant from the Dyslexia Screening and Early Literacy Intervention Pilot Program<\/a>, the district rolled out the program in kindergarten during the 2019\u20132020 school year, followed by Grade 1 in 2021\u20132022 and Grade 2 in 2022\u20132023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt took several years of professional learning, training, workshops, and bringing WLT into the district to start seeing changes,\u201d Makenzie noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While improvement wasn\u2019t instantaneous, the result was worth the time and hard work. In 2019, Makenzie became a Wilson\u00ae<\/sup> Credentialed Trainer (W.C.T.)<\/a>. This professional growth meant she could offer a new variety of helpful learning opportunities to her peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rewards of Structured Literacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the implementation of Fundations, the reading score improvements in Canon-McMillan schools have been astounding:<\/p>\n\n\n

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