Steps to Implementing Phonics Blitz™
and Phonics™ Boost Lessons

Schools interested in implementing Phonics Blitz and Phonics Boost lessons can take the seven steps outlined below to ensure the quickest and best results.

Step 1 - Identify Students Who May Have Reading Weaknesses

Use a one-minute oral reading fluency (ORF) measure to identify students who do not meet the grade-level benchmarks and therefore may not be reading as strongly as expected. The ORF measure is called a screening assessment. For more information on screening assessments, click here.

Step 2 - Diagnose Reading Weaknesses of Students Identified In Step 1

Administer the Diagnostic Decoding Surveys to students who are identified in Step 1 as having reading weaknesses. The surveys provide information about each student’s decoding abilities. The surveys are administered one-on-one, and it takes about seven minutes per student to administer and score both the Beginning and Advanced Decoding Surveys.
Really Great Reading offers full-day and half-day workshops on administering and scoring the surveys. Schools already familiar with the surveys may download RGR’s complimentary set of Diagnostic Decoding Surveys. To do so, click here and request that information.

The chart below describes appropriate grade levels for each of the surveys.
Grade        1:  middle and end of year: use the Beginning Decoding Survey.
Grade        2:  beginning of year: use the Beginning Decoding Survey.
Grade        2:  middle and end of year: use both the Beginning and Advanced Decoding Surveys.
Grades 3-12: Use both the Beginning and Advanced Decoding Surveys.

Step 3 - Group Students

Enter students’ scores from both the ORF screening measure (see Step 1) and the Diagnostic Decoding Surveys into the online Grouping Matrix. The Grouping Matrix will group students based on their decoding abilities. It will also provide an instructional recommendation for each student, as shown below.

Step 4 - Assign Teachers, Determine Intervention Groups, and Schedule Instruction

1. Identify students who will receive intervention instruction.
• Sometimes not enough teachers or other resources are available to place all identified students in intervention. In this case, a decision needs to be made about which students will receive intervention first.
2. Identify teachers who will be providing intervention lessons.
3. Schedule the intervention classes and the professional development.

Step 5 - Train Teachers

Really Great Reading offers two-, three-, or four-day Phonics Blitz and Phonics Boost workshops with a half-day follow-up session.

Click here for more information about workshops.

Step 6 - Teach Lessons

Teach the Phonics Blitz and Phonics Boost lessons as recommended. Some schools use alternative forms of the Diagnostic Decoding Surveys to monitor each student’s progress after every 10 or 20 lessons.

Step 7 - Post Test to Measure Student Progress

After the Phonics Blitz or Phonics Boost lessons are completed:

1. Administer an ORF measure.

• A comparison of the ORF accuracy percentage and WCPM pretest scores used to place students in Phonics Suite and the post-test scores after completing the lessons will determine the effectiveness of lessons by showing the overall improvement in a student’s reading of grade-level text.

2. Administer the Diagnostic Decoding Surveys.

• Comparing the scores used to place students in Phonics Suite and the post-test scores will show whether students have made adequate improvement in their phonics skills.

Possible results from post-testing include:

• Students meet all benchmarks for ORF and the Diagnostic Decoding Surveys. These students do not need more intervention.

• Students who improve their accuracy percentage on an ORF assessment but still do not read at an adequate rate may need further diagnosis to determine whether they would benefit from instruction in fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension.

• Students who do not meet benchmarks on the Decoding Surveys may need to continue phonics instruction.