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South Elementary students demonstrate UFLI reading intervention at Grandville school board meeting
Summary
South Elementary interventionists showed the board how the district uses the UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Initiative) Tier 2 reading program in small groups, with live phonemic-awareness, visual and auditory drills and word-work activities to illustrate data-driven, multi-tiered instruction.
South Elementary interventionists gave Grandville Public Schools board members a hands-on demonstration of UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Initiative) during the Sept. 23 school board meeting, showing how the district uses small-group, data-driven instruction to address early reading gaps.
Kim Hyde, a reading interventionist at South Elementary, walked board members through typical UFLI lesson components, including phonemic awareness, visual and auditory drills, blending practice, irregular-word work and connected-text reading. Hyde described how lessons are organized across two days and how staff use formal and informal assessment to decide whether students should remain in Tier 2 small groups or move to individualized Tier 3 instruction. Dr. England, introduced by staff as a presenter for the school, and Lori Smith (named as the other South interventionist) described the district’s broader MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) approach to literacy and said they have used UFLI at South for two years with “huge gains.”
During the demonstration, students participated in blending and spelling drills, constructed words using magnet trays, and read decodable passages selected to match their learned phonemes. Hyde said the goal is to target specific skills for small groups based on classroom data and then loop back with assessments to guide reteaching or advancement.
Board members thanked the presenters and praised the district’s investment in literacy supports. The demonstration concluded after roughly 30–45 minutes of classroom activities and a short Q&A with board members.
The presentation did not include specific districtwide outcome numbers in the meeting; staff said UFLI is used locally as a Tier 2 intervention and is part of the district’s broader literacy strategy under MTSS. The board packet included a copy of the lesson and additional materials for members to review. No formal board action was taken on the program at the meeting.
