EPS Academic Spotlight

Strong Teaching, Strong Readers

Every day at Fircrest Elementary School, Academic Interventionist Stephanie Sharp gathers a small group of students around a table to lead a focused reading lesson.

“Let’s start at the top of the page and point to the first word,” says Ms. Sharp, as eight small index fingers begin pointing and eight voices begin sounding out each letter.

That’s how reading begins—with symbols and sounds.

Across Evergreen Public Schools, this powerful learning process is happening every day—and we’re excited to continue our Academic Spotlight series by highlighting the impact of our Academic Intervention Program supporting each of our elementary schools.

In our first Academic Spotlight, we highlighted student innovation and problem-solving through robotics. In this installment, we turn to an equally important foundation for student success: learning to read.

Teaching That Makes the Difference

At the center of every student’s success is a skilled, knowledgeable teacher.

In Ms. Sharp’s small group, students listen for individual sounds, blend them into words, and write what they hear. The lesson is fast-paced, interactive, and carefully structured—while also encouraging and supportive. Ms. Sharp is one of 32 Academic Interventionists who skillfully apply instructional strategies that help early readers succeed.

Across Evergreen, our educators work every day to ensure that students develop the foundational skills needed to become confident readers. This work is intentional, responsive, and grounded in research.

Evergreen’s K–5 literacy framework is a coherent, research-aligned system that includes whole group, small group, and individual instruction in phonics, reading, and writing in every classroom. Our whole-group tier one core instruction is intended to provide the foundation that most students need to learn to read successfully.

Some students, however, benefit from additional, targeted support. That’s where students receive additional small-group instruction. Academic Interventionists like Stephanie Sharp provide this extra layer of support—using focused, responsive lessons to help students build and strengthen essential skills.

Recently, we’ve seen especially encouraging results from students where intervention staff are using the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) approach as part of this targeted support.

Strengthening Practice Through UFLI

UFLI is an evidence-based, structured literacy approach that helps teachers deliver clear, systematic instruction in foundational reading skills, including:

Hearing and working with sounds in words
Connecting letters and sounds
Blending sounds to read words
Spelling and writing

Just as important as the program itself is how our teachers bring it to life.

Across Evergreen elementary schools, educators are:

Using assessment to target specific student needs
Adjusting instruction in real time
Creating engaging and supportive learning environments
Collaborating with colleagues to strengthen their practice

This is the kind of expert teaching that leads to real results.

A System That Supports Educators

Back in Ms. Sharp’s group, students are building confidence, recognizing patterns, reading more smoothly, and taking greater ownership of their learning—and they are not alone.

Evergreen’s approach to literacy is designed to ensure consistency and quality across all 22 elementary schools while honoring the professional expertise of our teachers.

Our focus includes:

Providing research-based instructional tools
Investing in ongoing professional learning
Building coherence across classrooms and schools
Using data to inform and strengthen instruction

UFLI is one example of how we are continuing to refine and strengthen our system in service of students.

We are proud of the work our educators are doing and the impact it is having on students—because in Evergreen Public Schools, strong outcomes begin with strong teaching.

Real Results for Students

Because of the work happening through our Academic Intervention Program, students are making meaningful gains:

Significant growth after an average of just 21 instructional sessions
In grades 3–5, students receiving UFLI support are growing at twice the rate of similar peers on our district assessments
In grades 1–2, students are showing strong gains in foundational skills, with many reducing their level of risk
Students who receive early support are beginning to outpace their peers over time, suggesting a lasting, compounding impact

These outcomes reflect not just a program, but the skill, care, and precision of the educators delivering it.

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