UFLI decodable books: what they are and how to find them

Last updated 2026-07-09

What is UFLI Foundations and why does the book order matter?

UFLI Foundations is an explicit, systematic phonics program built by researchers at the University of Florida Literacy Institute. The University of Florida made it freely downloadable so any teacher or parent can use it without paying a licensing fee. ^[1] It organizes phonics into roughly 110 skill lessons, starting with the simplest consonant-vowel-consonant words and moving through consonant blends, digraphs, long vowel patterns, r-controlled vowels, and multisyllabic words in a deliberate order.

That order is not arbitrary. Structured literacy research, including the 2000 National Reading Panel report, found that phonics instruction works best when it is explicit (you teach the rule directly) and systematic (you teach skills in a logical sequence, simpler before more complex). ^[2] If a child learns the phonics pattern before reading it in a book, the book reinforces the skill. If the book contains patterns the child hasn't learned yet, they're forced to guess, which builds exactly the bad habits you're trying to break.

This is why matching decodable books to UFLI's scope and sequence matters so much. A book labeled "decodable" by one publisher might introduce long vowel silent-e patterns in lesson 3. UFLI doesn't get to silent-e until around lesson 40. That mismatch is not a small problem. It means the child cannot actually decode the book using what they know, and a decodable book they can't decode defeats the purpose entirely.

For parents of children with signs of dyslexia or confirmed phonological dyslexia, this sequencing matters even more. These kids don't shake off guessing habits easily. They need the reading material to stay strictly within their known phonics territory.

How does UFLI's scope and sequence compare to other phonics programs?

Different structured literacy programs teach phonics patterns in different orders. UFLI, SPIRE, Wilson Reading, Barton, and LETRS-based programs all share the same research foundation but sequence skills differently. That means a decodable book labeled "aligned with Wilson" is not automatically aligned with UFLI, even if both programs are excellent.

Here is a rough comparison of where major programs introduce key phonics concepts:

Phonics Skill	UFLI Foundations (approx. lesson)	Wilson Reading (approx. step)	Barton Reading (approx. level)
Short vowels CVC	Lessons 1-10	Step 1	Level 1
Consonant blends	Lessons 11-25	Step 1-2	Level 1-2
Digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh)	Lessons 18-22	Step 1	Level 2
Long vowel silent-e	Around lesson 40	Step 2	Level 3
R-controlled vowels	Lessons 50-65	Step 3	Level 4
Vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ea)	Lessons 65-80	Step 3-4	Level 4-5

These are approximate ranges drawn from each program's publicly available scope and sequence documents. The exact lesson numbers shift across program editions. The point is that a book aligned to Barton Level 3 may be roughly compatible with UFLI around lessons 38-45, but it's not a perfect match. When you're buying decodable books for a child using UFLI specifically, you want books that publishers have mapped to UFLI's own lesson numbers, more than to "structured literacy" in general.

Some families discover this the hard way. They buy a popular decodable series, hand it to their child after UFLI lesson 15, and find the books contain vowel teams the child hasn't touched yet. The child isn't failing because of their disability. The book is simply mismatched. ^[3]

Which decodable book series are explicitly aligned with UFLI?

A handful of publishers have done the work of mapping their books directly to UFLI Foundations lesson numbers. Others are compatible in spirit but leave the matching to you. Here's an honest breakdown of your main options as of mid-2025.

Publishers with explicit UFLI alignment charts:

Phonics Hero publishes a set of decodable readers with a scope and sequence document that cross-references UFLI lesson numbers. Their books are digital, with print-at-home PDFs available at lower price points.

Flyleaf Publishing has aligned many of its decodable readers to UFLI and provides a free alignment guide on its website. These are paper books, which many parents and teachers prefer for early readers.

Decodable Readers by Spelfabet (an Australian site that ships internationally or offers PDF download) publishes an alignment chart for UFLI. Prices run roughly $2-4 per PDF booklet.

Several smaller Etsy sellers have created UFLI-specific decodable readers. Quality varies widely on Etsy. Look for sellers who list the exact UFLI lesson number on each book listing and have substantial reviews.

Free UFLI-aligned decodable books:

The UFLI Foundations program itself includes decodable text passages at the end of each lesson in the Teacher Edition, which is free to download from the University of Florida website. ^[1] These are short practice passages, not full storybooks, but they are completely free and perfectly matched because they come from the same program.

Curriculum developers in Florida's public schools have shared UFLI-aligned decodable books on Teachers Pay Teachers. Many are free or under $3. Search "UFLI decodable" and filter by free resources. You'll find individual lesson books, mini books, and take-home readers.

Seattle Public Schools and several other districts have posted free UFLI-aligned decodable texts on their public curriculum pages. A search for "UFLI decodable books free PDF" will turn up district-posted materials shared under open licenses.

Series that are "compatible" but not UFLI-mapped:

Bob Books, Starfall books, and the Usborne Phonics Readers are popular and genuinely decodable, but none of them have been mapped to UFLI lesson numbers. They follow their own phonics sequences. You can use them alongside UFLI, but you'll need to check each book manually against UFLI's scope and sequence chart before handing it to your child. That takes real time.

For families working through the full UFLI program, spending one afternoon on a mapping spreadsheet for Bob Books against UFLI lessons is a legitimate strategy. It's tedious. It's also free.

What makes a book actually decodable, more than labeled that way?

"Decodable" has become a marketing term, and not every book wearing that label earns it. A genuinely decodable book for a given phonics level has three traits: the vast majority of words use only phonics patterns already taught; any high-frequency irregular words (sight words) have been explicitly pre-taught; and the story doesn't require the child to guess from pictures or context to identify words.

Reading researcher David Kilpatrick and others in the science of reading field estimate that books with 90-95% decodability at the student's current level allow for successful practice without excessive frustration. Below 85% decodability, struggling readers tend to fall back on guessing. ^[4]

One practical test: pick any page in the middle of the book and circle every word that contains a phonics pattern your child hasn't been taught yet in UFLI. If more than 1-2 words per page are circled, the book is above your child's current decoding level, no matter how the publisher labels it.

This matters especially for kids with double deficit dyslexia or rapid naming deficits, where processing demands are already high. Add unpredictable words to an already effortful task and a child can tip from engaged to shut down in minutes.

Sight words in decodable books deserve a separate note. Some publishers include high-frequency irregular words like "said," "the," and "was" starting in book 1. That's fine and appropriate, as long as those specific words are introduced explicitly before the book. UFLI's scope and sequence includes a high-frequency word list that runs parallel to the phonics lessons. A book aligned with UFLI lesson 10 should only contain high-frequency words introduced in UFLI lessons 1-10, not a random grab from a Dolch sight words list.

For a deeper look at sight word flashcards and how to pre-teach irregular words before reading, those resources pair well with any decodable book program.

How do you match UFLI lessons to specific decodable books at home?

The practical workflow is simpler than it sounds. Here's what actually works.

First, download the UFLI Foundations Teacher Edition from the University of Florida's UFLI website. It's free. Inside, you'll find a scope and sequence chart that lists every phonics skill by lesson number. Print that chart or keep it open on a tablet.

Second, find the publisher's alignment guide for the decodable series you want to use. Good publishers list something like "Lesson 1-5: Books 1-3; Lesson 6-12: Books 4-7" in a downloadable PDF or on their website. If the publisher doesn't offer an alignment chart, that's a red flag worth noting before you spend money.

Third, check each book manually with the one-page test described above. Even well-intentioned alignment charts have errors. Publishers update their books, UFLI updates its scope and sequence (it released an updated edition in 2022), and the charts don't always keep pace.

Fourth, introduce the book after the child completes the relevant UFLI lesson, not before. UFLI's lesson structure runs like this: teach the phoneme, blend with letter cards, practice with word lists, then read connected text. The decodable book belongs at that last step or as homework that same evening.

Fifth, before the child reads, quickly pre-teach any irregular high-frequency words in the story. Hold up the word, say it, point out what's odd about its spelling, and have the child repeat it three times. This takes about two minutes and cuts mid-story frustration sharply.

ReadFlare's free reading tools include a simple UFLI lesson tracker parents can print and use to log which books their child has read at each lesson stage, which helps avoid accidentally repeating books or skipping ahead. One mention is enough: the tracker is genuinely useful and takes five minutes to set up.

Can your child's school be required to use UFLI-aligned decodable books?

This is where reading instruction meets legal rights, and the answer is more nuanced than either "yes, absolutely" or "no, schools decide everything."

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every child with a qualifying disability is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment. ^[5] For a child with dyslexia or a reading-based learning disability, FAPE means the IEP team must identify reading goals and the specially designed instruction needed to reach them. The IEP can and should specify the type of reading instruction, including whether it must be systematic phonics-based instruction.

IDEA does not, however, give parents the right to demand a specific curriculum by name. A school could argue that any evidence-based structured literacy program satisfies FAPE. If a school uses a different UFLI-compatible program but provides materials at the wrong phonics level, that's a service delivery problem, not a curriculum naming problem, and it's still an IEP compliance issue.

For children without an IEP, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requires reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities that substantially limit a major life activity. Reading is a major life activity. A 504 plan can specify accommodations like "student will receive decodable text matched to current phonics level" even if it can't name UFLI specifically. ^[6]

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) also gives states flexibility to require evidence-based literacy programs, and several states including Florida, Mississippi, and Arkansas now mandate structured literacy by statute. ^[12] Florida's Just Read Florida initiative, for instance, requires schools to use FLDOE-approved reading materials, and UFLI Foundations is on that approved list. ^[7] If you're in a state with a literacy mandate and your school isn't using an approved structured literacy program, that's a state compliance issue, more than a preference disagreement.

Practical advice: bring a written request to the IEP team asking that reading instruction and all take-home reading materials be at the child's current phonics instructional level. You don't have to name UFLI. You ask for decodable text matched to the phonics scope and sequence being taught. That request is difficult to refuse.

For parents doing this for the first time, understanding what a learning disability test involves or getting a formal dyslexia test can give you the documentation that makes IEP conversations far more productive.

What does the research say about decodable books versus leveled readers?

This debate is largely settled in the research literature, though it still lights up teacher Facebook groups.

Leveled readers (like Guided Reading levels A-Z, Fountas & Pinnell) match books to students based on overall text difficulty, including picture support, sentence length, and vocabulary. They were never designed to control phonics content. A level C book might contain words with long vowel patterns and vowel teams a beginning reader hasn't been taught, and the instructional assumption is that the child will use context and pictures to figure those words out. That assumption is precisely what reading researchers now call the three-cueing problem.

A widely cited 2010 study by Stanislas Dehaene and colleagues, and decades of earlier work by Keith Stanovich, show that skilled readers process words letter-by-letter using phonological decoding, not by guessing from context or pictures. ^[8] Teaching children to guess from context trains an inefficient strategy that works tolerably well for average readers (who self-correct through sheer volume of reading) but fails badly for children with phonological processing weaknesses.

A 2022 study in the Journal of Learning Disabilities found that early access to decodable texts designed to match taught phonics patterns produced significantly better word reading outcomes for at-risk first graders than leveled text, with effect sizes around 0.40-0.50 standard deviations. ^[9] That's a meaningful effect for a choice of reading material, not a whole program or teaching intervention.

The National Reading Panel's 2000 report stated: "Systematic phonics instruction produces significant benefits for students in kindergarten through 6th grade and for children having difficulty learning to read." ^[2] Decodable books are the reading-practice arm of systematic phonics instruction. You can't fully carry out systematic phonics without giving children books they can actually decode.

Nobody has clean data on exactly what percentage of a child's reading practice needs to be decodable text versus other text. The honest answer is that the research supports decodable text as the main vehicle for early reading practice, particularly for children with identified reading difficulties, but it doesn't prescribe a strict ratio.

How much do UFLI-aligned decodable books cost, and are free versions good enough?

Cost swings widely by format and source.

Print books from established publishers like Flyleaf or Phonics Hero run roughly $8-15 per individual title, or $80-150 for a series bundle covering several program levels. For a child working through all 110 UFLI lessons, buying commercially published books for every lesson would cost several hundred dollars.

Digital PDFs are cheaper. Most Etsy sellers price individual lesson books at $1.50-3.00. A full set of PDF decodable books covering UFLI lessons 1-60 from a quality Etsy seller might run $40-70. You print them yourself, which adds paper and ink costs.

Free options are genuinely good enough for many families. The practice passages built into UFLI's free Teacher Edition are short but pedagogically solid. Florida DOE and several districts post complete sets of decodable readers aligned to their curricula online, and these are often directly usable with UFLI. The Reading League's resource library links to free materials from member organizations. ^[10]

My honest take: start with the free UFLI practice passages and free district-posted materials. If your child needs more reading volume at a given lesson stage before moving forward, that's when it's worth spending $20-30 on a bundle of PDF books for that specific skill cluster. Buying a $150 commercial series upfront before you know what your child needs is probably a waste of money for most families.

For supplementary practice, worksheets built around decodable words can extend practice between book sessions. Sight words worksheets that match UFLI's high-frequency word list are another free complement. First grade sight words resources work especially well alongside UFLI lessons 1-30.

How do you use UFLI decodable books effectively at home?

Using the books well matters as much as having the right books. A few principles from structured literacy practice:

Read the book three times over three days, not once and move on. First reading: the parent supports and the child decodes unfamiliar words with prompts. Second reading: the child reads with less support, building fluency. Third reading: the child reads as independently as possible, aiming for smooth phrasing. By the third read, most children show noticeably better speed and confidence. This repeated reading approach has strong research support for building both decoding accuracy and fluency. ^[11]

Correct errors immediately and specifically. When the child misreads a word, don't wait until the end of the sentence. Stop, cover the word with your finger, have the child say each sound from left to right, then blend. Say: "What sound does this letter make?" not "Look at the picture" or "What word makes sense there?" Context-based error correction is the one thing to never do with a child using a decodable book.

Read aloud together first if the child is very new to the lesson's phonics pattern. The parent reads a page, then the child reads the same page. This echo reading lowers anxiety and models fluent decoding without removing the child's practice opportunity.

Keep sessions short. Ten to fifteen minutes of focused decodable book reading is usually enough for one day. Reading fatigue is real, especially for children with phonological dyslexia or other decoding challenges. Two short sessions beat one long frustrated one.

Track the books your child has read. A simple checklist of UFLI lesson numbers with the titles read at each level tells you at a glance whether your child is getting enough practice text volume before moving forward. The commonly cited benchmark is that a child should read at roughly 95% accuracy before moving to the next phonics level, though individual variation makes this a guideline, not a hard rule.

What if UFLI decodable books feel too easy or too boring for your child?

This is a real concern, and it's worth taking seriously rather than waving off.

Decodable books are intentionally constrained. That's their feature. But some children, especially older students catching up after years of struggles, find the content of early decodable books babyish. A ten-year-old reading UFLI lesson 15 books is not a baby. They just have a specific gap in phonics knowledge that needs controlled practice text.

Several publishers have addressed this head on. Phonic Books (a UK publisher with US distribution) makes decodable series specifically for older struggling readers, with age-appropriate themes about adventure, sports, and mystery, using controlled phonics content. Their "Dandelion Launchers" and "Moon Dogs" series use content designed for readers ages 6-9, while the "Alba" and "Totem" series aim at readers ages 9-14. These aren't mapped to UFLI by lesson number, but their skill sequences are close enough that you can run a quick phonics check.

High Noon Books and Rowland Reading Foundation also publish decodable readers with older-student-appropriate content.

If the content is fine but the books feel too easy phonics-wise, don't push forward in UFLI faster than the child is ready. That feeling of ease is actually the goal: you want decoding to feel automatic at each level before advancing. If a child breezes through lesson 20 books perfectly, great. Move to lesson 25 materials. The books feeling easy means the phonics instruction is working.

If your child is frustrated rather than bored, step back one level. Frustration at 85% or lower accuracy means the book is above the child's current instructional level, not that the child needs to push harder.

How does UFLI fit into a broader school advocacy plan?

UFLI Foundations is increasingly popular in public schools, particularly in Florida and states with science-of-reading mandates. If your child's school uses UFLI as its core phonics program, you have a natural bridge for home practice: use the same program's aligned decodable books at home so the instructional language and skill sequence are identical across settings. Consistency between school and home practice is one of the most reliably effective moves for struggling readers.

If your child's school uses a different program, you can still use UFLI decodables at home as a supplement, but talk clearly with the child's teacher about which phonics skills are currently being taught. A mismatch between home and school phonics sequences can confuse some children, though for most it simply means more practice.

For parents building an IEP or 504 case, document every reading material your child uses at home and the results. Keep a reading log showing book titles, dates, and whether the child read at roughly 95% accuracy or struggled. That log becomes evidence of what instructional level is appropriate when the school proposes something above or below what your records show.

If you're trying to figure out whether your child has an underlying learning disability driving the reading difficulty, a formal evaluation is the right starting point. The signs of dyslexia checklist and understanding conditions like surface dyslexia or visual dyslexia can help you frame the conversation with the school. ReadFlare's parent advocacy kit includes letter templates for requesting evaluations and IEP amendments, which pairs well with the UFLI documentation strategy described here.

The bigger picture: decodable books are not a complete reading program. They are the practice text arm of a systematic phonics program. A child who reads only decodable books without also building vocabulary, listening comprehension, and background knowledge will eventually plateau. UFLI and its aligned decodable books are excellent for the decoding foundation. Oral language, read-alouds of complex books, and general knowledge building work alongside them, not instead of them.

Frequently asked questions

Are UFLI decodable books free?

The practice passages built into the UFLI Foundations Teacher Edition are free, because the University of Florida releases the whole curriculum at no cost. Full storybook-style decodable books aligned to UFLI range from free (district-posted PDFs, Teachers Pay Teachers freebies) to $1.50-3 per PDF booklet or $8-15 for printed books from publishers like Flyleaf. You can build a solid home library without spending much if you start with the free materials.

What is the difference between UFLI decodable books and regular decodable books?

"Regular" decodable books follow a publisher's own phonics sequence. UFLI-aligned decodable books are specifically mapped to the lesson numbers in UFLI Foundations. That matters because UFLI introduces phonics skills in a particular order, and a book designed for a different sequence may include phonics patterns the child hasn't learned yet in UFLI, making it only partially decodable for that student.

Can I use Bob Books with UFLI Foundations?

Yes, but you'll need to manually check each Bob Book against UFLI's scope and sequence to find which lessons they're compatible with. Bob Books follow their own phonics sequence, not UFLI's. Set 1 (short vowels, CVC words) aligns reasonably well with UFLI lessons 1-15. Later Bob Books sets introduce long vowels and blends in an order that doesn't match UFLI exactly, so check individual books before using them.

How many decodable books does a child need per UFLI lesson?

There's no fixed number, but most structured literacy practitioners aim for a child to read at roughly 95% accuracy before moving to the next skill level. In practice, that often means 2-5 short decodable books (or equivalent text volume) per major phonics concept, read multiple times each. A child who reads one UFLI lesson's decodable text at 98% accuracy the first time is ready to advance faster than a child who needs repeated practice.

Does UFLI Foundations include decodable books or just lesson plans?

UFLI Foundations includes short decodable practice passages embedded in the Teacher Edition at the end of each lesson. These are not full illustrated storybooks. They're 3-8 sentence texts for immediate decoding practice after instruction. For more engaging or higher-volume reading practice, most teachers and parents supplement with separately purchased or downloaded UFLI-aligned decodable storybooks.

What decodable books work for UFLI lessons 1-20?

UFLI lessons 1-20 cover short vowels in CVC words, consonant blends, and a small set of high-frequency words. Compatible books include Flyleaf Publishing's early readers (check their UFLI alignment guide), free Teachers Pay Teachers resources tagged "UFLI lessons 1-20," and the embedded practice passages in the UFLI Teacher Edition. Bob Books Set 1 covers similar ground but introduces skills in a slightly different order.

My child's school uses UFLI. How do I get matching decodable books sent home?

Ask the teacher directly, in writing, to send home decodable books or printed passages matched to your child's current UFLI lesson. Most UFLI teachers print the lesson practice passages or have school-purchased decodable book sets. If decodable take-home reading isn't part of the classroom routine, you can raise it at a parent-teacher conference or include it in an IEP or 504 meeting as a specific accommodation request for matched-level reading materials.

Are there UFLI-aligned decodable books for older students or second grade and up?

Yes. The UFLI scope and sequence extends well beyond early CVC words, and aligned decodable books exist for later lessons covering multisyllabic words, more complex vowel patterns, and suffixes. For older students who find early decodable content babyish, Phonic Books' older-student series (Totem, Alba) use age-appropriate content with controlled phonics, though they require manual matching to UFLI lesson numbers rather than an official alignment chart.

How is UFLI different from Wilson Reading or Barton for decodable book selection?

UFLI, Wilson, and Barton are all systematic phonics programs with strong research bases, but each introduces phonics skills in a different order. Decodable books officially aligned to Wilson step 1-2 may not match UFLI lessons 1-25. If your child uses UFLI specifically, look for books with an explicit UFLI alignment chart. Cross-program decodable books require manual checking against whichever program your child uses.

Can decodable books help a child with dyslexia?

Yes. Children with dyslexia, particularly phonological dyslexia, struggle to decode unfamiliar words because of weaknesses in phonological processing. Decodable books matched to their current phonics level give them repeated practice reading words they can actually sound out, building the decoding pathways their brain needs. Multiple studies show structured literacy instruction, including decodable reading practice, produces better outcomes for students with dyslexia than leveled or literature-based approaches.

What is the best free source for UFLI-aligned decodable books?

The UFLI Foundations Teacher Edition from the University of Florida is the most reliable free source. It contains practice passages for every lesson and is free to download. Teachers Pay Teachers has many free UFLI-specific decodable mini-books posted by teachers. Several school district websites, especially in Florida, post complete sets of UFLI-aligned decodable readers as public resources. Search "UFLI decodable books free PDF" to find current district postings.

Do decodable books hurt reading comprehension?

Research does not support the idea that decodable books harm comprehension. The concern is that constrained vocabulary might limit meaning-making, but studies show children who master decoding through decodable-text practice develop stronger comprehension over time because fluent word reading frees up cognitive resources for meaning. The key is to pair decodable book practice with oral read-alouds of complex, rich texts so vocabulary and background knowledge also grow.

How do I know if a decodable book is actually decodable for my child at their UFLI level?

Open to a middle page and circle every word that contains a phonics pattern not yet taught in UFLI through your child's current lesson. If more than 1-2 words per page are circled, the book is above level. Also check the high-frequency irregular words against UFLI's introduced-words list for that lesson stage. A book passing both checks is genuinely decodable at your child's current level.

Sources

1. University of Florida Literacy Institute, UFLI Foundations curriculum page: UFLI Foundations is a free, openly downloadable explicit phonics program developed by University of Florida researchers covering approximately 110 phonics lessons.
2. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Report of the National Reading Panel (2000): The National Reading Panel concluded that systematic phonics instruction produces significant benefits for students in kindergarten through 6th grade and for children having difficulty learning to read.
3. The Reading League, Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines: Decodable texts must be matched to a student's currently taught phonics scope and sequence; mismatched texts lead to guessing behaviors that undermine phonics instruction.
4. Kilpatrick, D.A., Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties (2015), Wiley: Books with 90-95% decodability at the student's current phonics level support successful practice; below 85%, struggling readers revert to guessing strategies.
5. U.S. Department of Education, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1400: IDEA guarantees every child with a qualifying disability a Free Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment, requiring IEP teams to specify specially designed instruction including reading methodology.
6. U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act: Section 504 requires reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities that substantially limit a major life activity such as reading, which can include matched-level reading materials in a 504 plan.
7. Florida Department of Education, Just Read Florida initiative and approved reading materials: Florida's Just Read Florida initiative requires schools to use FLDOE-approved structured literacy materials; UFLI Foundations is on the approved list.
8. Dehaene, S. et al., How Learning to Read Changes the Cortical Networks for Vision and Language, Science, 2010: Skilled readers process words letter-by-letter using phonological decoding pathways rather than whole-word guessing from context or pictures.
9. Cheatham, J.P. & Allor, J.H., The Influence of Decodability in Early Reading Text on Reading Achievement, Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2022: Decodable texts matched to taught phonics patterns produced significantly better word reading outcomes for at-risk first graders than leveled text, with effect sizes around 0.40-0.50 standard deviations.
10. The Reading League, Free Resource Library: The Reading League maintains a free resource library linking to open-access decodable reading materials from member organizations.
11. National Reading Panel, Report: Fluency section (NICHD, 2000): Repeated reading of the same text improves both decoding accuracy and reading fluency for beginning and struggling readers.
12. U.S. Department of Education, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), overview page: ESSA allows states to require evidence-based literacy programs; several states have used this authority to mandate structured literacy instruction in public schools.