Q. Does Fundations meet the requirements of Reading First?

A. Yes. The Florida Center for Reading Research, one of three federally funded Reading First technical centers, conducted an independent review of Fundations and its effectiveness. The analysis confirmed the alignment with reading research, that Fundations addresses each of the five components required by Reading First (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension), and noted no weaknesses in the program. (Read full report.) Fundations is not considered a core program, however, it can be incorporated into Reading First grants as a supplemental prevention or early intervention program.

Q. How is Fundations implemented?

A. School or District-Wide Implementation:
Wilson Fundations provides schools or districts a means to teach students decoding and writing basics to all K-3 students. It is delivered to the general education classrooms in 25-30 minute lessons per day. This is appropriate when the core language arts program does not present a systematic phonics approach. Fundations is designed to be used with the existing literature-based reading instruction to provide a comprehensive language arts program.

In addition to whole class instruction, students who are in the lowest 30th percentile, those with specific areas of weakness or a diagnosed language disability should work in small groups or 1:1 settings up to 30 additional minutes 3-5 times per week.

Targeted Classroom and Small Group Implementation:
In schools where Fundations is not used in the general education classroom, it is appropriate to select Fundations as an intervention program for students in the lowest 30th percentile. Students should have Fundations for 40-60 minutes each day, completing the 25-30 minute standard daily lesson, plus a double dose lesson up to 30 additional minutes 3-5 times per week. This can be conducted in a whole class, small group or 1:1 setting.

Q. Since the program is sequential from one level to the next, do students have to complete each level?

A. Fundations presents all skills in a systematic and sequential manner in four levels: Level K, Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. When Fundations is implemented as a prevention program in the general education class, it is best for students to have completed the previous level. However, when districts are first implementing the program, the following guidelines can apply:

• Level K - There are no prerequisites with Level K.
• Level 1 – Instruction can begin without having completed Level K since the K skills are covered in the early units of Level 1. Time in the first few units can be extended as needed.
• Level 2 – General education classrooms are successfully implementing Level 2 without having completed Level 1. However, the first few units of instruction may go slower and it is important to get the foundation skills to mastery.
• Level 3 - Level 2 must be completed prior to beginning instruction in Level 3.

Q. How long is a Fundations lesson?

A. The standard lesson is designed as a 30-minute daily lesson with the whole class. In addition, Fundations includes supplemental small group activities to reinforce and extend each lesson for students in need. These double dose lessons can provide up to an hour of specialized instruction. The Fundations website provides a recommended double dose lesson plan for each level.

Q. Do teachers need training to implement Fundations?

A. The manual, along with the corresponding CD provides the guidance necessary to teach Fundations successfully. Each Fundations Teacher’s kit includes an interactive multimedia CD that provides extensive, “real-time” lesson and activity demonstrations. Teachers watch Fundations lessons being taught in a classroom or small group setting. Multiple interactive resources allow teachers, for example, to hear the correct pronunciation of sounds, model proper “sound tapping” and straightforward letter formation. This CD corresponds closely with the comprehensive Teacher’s Manual. This CD provides on-demand support for teachers implementing the program.

Q. Do we have to follow the Fundations sequence?

A. As a comprehensively designed and integrated program, Fundations instructional content has been carefully sequenced to maximize student learning mastery. As an example, Fundations has carefully sequenced sound/symbol instruction to assure that the introduction of commonly confused letter sounds (b,d; e,i; o,u; g,j) is separated by several weeks. Deviating from Fundations’ scope and sequence reduces the program’s fidelity, impacts its integrity and validity, and jeopardizes student outcomes.

Q. We are using Fundations as a Tier II intervention and the Fundations scope and sequence is different from the classrooms’ core program; can we map Fundations to our core’s scope and sequence?

A. Fundations program should be taught following the Fundations scope and sequence. Struggling readers are deductive learners and it is critical that their instruction be explicit, systematic, cumulative, and multi-sensory: the principles of Fundations. It is important to follow the Fundations lessons and activities as prescribed as skills are clustered and integrated for greatest impact and effectiveness. Teaching activities out of sequence or in isolation is much less effective. Dr. Joseph Torgesen, Director of the Florida Center for Reading Research, states that intervention programs should be taught with fidelity. See FCRR website www.fcrr.org.

Q. Which program should be used with struggling students in the primary grades, Fundations or Wilson Reading System®?

A. Fundations is appropriate for students in K-3 who are in the lowest 30 th percentile. The Fundations Intervention Inventory, available on the website, can be used to determine the Fundations instructional level for student intervention groups. Students who do not make adequate progress with Fundations small group or 1:1 intervention should be referred for further testing. The Wilson Reading System® (WRS) is specifically designed for students with a language learning disability in need of intensive instruction. Students in grades 2 and 3 that need more intensive 1:1 instruction should be tutored by a certified Wilson teacher with the Wilson Reading System®.

Q. Why does Fundations teach lower case letter formation before upper case letter formation?

A. When teaching students to read and write simultaneously, instruction of lower case letters first works best. Fundations presents lower case letters first because lower case letters occur much more often in text than do upper case letters. Lower case letters also ‘pull together visually’ more easily than upper case letters when students are forming words, and, since lower case letters are rounder, they allow for faster writing once the formations are learned. In addition, children often enter school knowing many upper case letter formations, but few if any lower case letters. (Mann, V.A. and Foy, J.G.; “Phonological Awareness, Speech Development and Letter Knowledge in Preschool Children; Annals of Dyslexia, Volume 53, International Dyslexia Association, 2203).