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Antioch Unified says K–2 phonics program is now in all classrooms as board presses for supports for older students
Summary
District leaders presented a K–2 literacy rollout centered on phonics and a University of Florida literacy program; staff told trustees implementation is in year one but '100% implementation' is occurring in classrooms as they develop progress monitoring and supports for older grades.
Antioch Unified officials told the school board their elementary reading initiative is now fully rolled out across kindergarten through second grade, and they outlined next steps for progress monitoring and supports for older students.
Deborah, an administrator in Educational Services, presented the district's approach to foundational reading, describing a two-part emphasis on word reading and listening comprehension and a suite of materials and practices including phonological awareness, a phonics program drawn from the University of Florida literacy materials (referred to in the presentation as UFLY), "secret stories" manipulatives, pacing guides and weekly progress-monitoring cycles. "We are at 100% implementation; it is happening in every classroom," she said, describing professional development for K–3 teachers, pacing guidance and a digital K–2 pilot for collecting progress data.
Trustees asked how the program serves English learners and older students. Deborah said the program's cyclical routines benefit English learners because the approach returns to concepts repeatedly; for middle-school intervention she referenced the district's use of Read 180. Trustees pressed for clarity around pacing windows (within three or six days of the pacing guide), average days off pace and how fidelity will be balanced with teacher judgment; staff said administrators are auditing pacing and will target supports where classes are multiple days behind.
The presentation also highlighted complementary work on vocabulary and background knowledge for grades three and above through a district book study and professional development, and a grant-provided magazine for all third grade classrooms. District staff described training partnerships (California Reading and Literature Project trainers) and noted some outliers where late starts or missing materials explain delays, but said the majority of teachers are on or ahead of the pacing guide.
The board requested additional breakdowns of the pacing data (average days off pace and year-over-year comparisons when available) and discussed ways to use that data to highlight strong practices. The board did not take formal action on the literacy item; the presentation will inform ongoing implementation and future reports.
