A new literacy initiative in the Sioux Falls School District is showing “promising” results.

That’s the message from Linda McDaniel, coordinator of elementary curriculum, as the district has been piloting the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) approach to literacy since the 2023-2024 school year, when it began with kindergarten classrooms.

“As we deepen our understanding of the science of reading, we’ve carefully examined the curriculum used with our earliest readers,” McDaniel said at a Sept. 8 school board meeting. “Teachers are seeing students grow in confidence as readers and writers.”

McDaniel said UFLI is a research-based approach to teaching foundational literacy skills in a systematic approach. It provides teachers with a clear, explicit framework for teaching and e

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