WordFlight is a unique, evidence-based literacy intervention solution with a patented diagnostic that bridges the gap between phonics and fluency by focusing on automatic word recognition—a critical and often overlooked skill needed for students to become fluent readers.
Aligned with the science of reading and based in the science of learning, the online program from Foundations in Learning is designed for students in grades 3-8 who have not achieved reading fluency and comprehension because of deficits in their foundational skills. These skills are typically developed by the end of grade 2.
WordFlight provides personalized and adaptive, structured practice in an engaging game-like environment that makes learning stick. Throughout the program, students experience varied task difficulty, context changes, and ongoing feedback to help them develop their automatic word recognition skills, the critical precursor to fluency.
Formats/platforms:
WordFlight can be used on any desktop or laptop device with Windows, MacOS, or ChromeOS. It is recommended to use the program on Google Chrome; however, it is generally compatible with other commonly-used browsers.
Primary URL:
Problem solved:
Even with high-quality early instruction, students will struggle across all subject areas if they are unable to read fluently. This is extremely detrimental to students’ ongoing academic success, especially as they reach the secondary level.
WordFlight helps build the foundation for fluency. The program includes:
● Screener: Available free to educators, the screener quickly identifies students who struggle with foundational reading skills
● Diagnostic: Tracks progress and personalizes learning with the only patented assessment that provides visibility into each student’s decoding, generalization, and automatic word recognition skills—the best predictors of fluency
● Instructional Program: Leverages adaptive technology to provide personalized, structured practice in an engaging game-like environment
● Teacher Resources: Robust reporting and teacher-directed lesson plans that support explicit instruction in an MTSS framework
● Ongoing Support: Gives teachers access to tailored implementation and support resources, as well as professional learning
For the 2024-25 school year, the program features increased personalization and more supports for struggling readers. Notably, the Diagnostic determines the personalized instructional path, including tasks and difficulty of the tasks, for each student. WordFlight adjusts with each objective assessment and in-task activity, accurately starting the student at the right level of difficulty and support they need.
Grade/age range:
WordFlight is designed for students in grades 3-8 who have not achieved reading fluency and comprehension because of deficits in their foundational skills. It can also be used in grade 2 as part of Tier 1 instruction.
Core/supplemental/special needs/extracurricular/professional development?
Supplemental and special needs
Subject:
Reading
Lesson time needed:
Students traditionally get the best results when they use WordFlight’s online instructional program 20 minutes per day four or five days per week, with a goal of 60 to 80 total minutes per week.
Pricing model:
Price varies based on site size with annual site subscriptions starting at $2,495.
Additional services included or needed:
To support the successful use of WordFlight, Foundations in Learning provides professional learning throughout the school year to help teachers implement the program with fidelity and make data-driven instructional decisions. It also offers curriculum guides and lesson plans to further support explicit, small group instruction.
Beyond a device and internet connection, as well as the provided resources, no other products or services are needed for students and educators to use WordFlight.
What makes WordFlight unique?
When implemented with fidelity, WordFlight helps increase students’ decoding, generalization, and automatic word recognition skills—the best predictors of fluency—and then accelerates their foundational skills to support fluency development.
Notably, the program has been shown to help move 80% of struggling middle school students to proficient in foundational reading skills within one school year.
One example of this was at a Title 1 middle school in Iowa where educators realized they had a persistent problem: Too many students in grades 6-8 were not reading at grade level. To help change course, the school implemented WordFlight and students began using the online instructional program 20 minutes per day, four to five days per week, to build their decoding and automatic word recognition skills—the critical precursor skills for fluency.
At the end of the year, students who used WordFlight out-performed the control group intervention in two key foundational reading skill areas. They scored 38 percentage points higher in automatic word recognition and 35 percentage points higher in decoding.
Further, at the elementary level, one dual immersion teacher in California saw the number of students scoring as proficient in phonics and fluency double on the FastBridge assessment after only four months of using WordFlight. A majority of students in the class also improved their proficiency in automatic word recognition and decoding, as measured by the WordFlight Diagnostic.
Characteristics:
WordFlight is an integrated assessment and intervention system specifically designed to provide educators with meaningful, easy-to-understand data to support their instructional decision-making and planning.
For students, WordFlight provides a personalized learning experience based on the initial WordFlight Diagnostic and continually adapts to meet each student’s learning needs. This learning takes place in a gamified environment designed to engage and motivate students. Throughout the program, students earn avatars and points to celebrate their growth and progress.
Here's what users are saying:
“I think it really helped me with my grammar and my spelling. Before WordFlight, I didn’t have great grammar. After [WordFlight] I felt like I really improved with my grammar skills and my writing. My mom even said that she noticed that I’m reading more books than I usually do.”
—7th grade student using WordFlight
“Finding WordFlight was a game changer.”
—5th grade dual immersion teacher in California
“I love this program! It is a way to keep middle schoolers engaged and yet help fill those gaps in their reading instruction.”
—Middle school teacher in Iowa
