COP and UFLI Come Together for District Training
COPESD and University of Florida Literacy Institute Partner for Successful UFLI Foundations Training
COPESD recently partnered with the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) to provide a highly successful UFLI Foundations training for educators across all 10 districts. The online training, which took place over two evenings on February 20 and 22, was attended by approximately 110 teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and teacher consultants at the elementary and middle school levels, demonstrating their dedication to professional development and improving literacy instruction.
UFLI is a program, focused on foundational reading skills, that can be used at the elementary level or as an intervention for struggling students in any grade. The program includes detailed lesson plans, PowerPoint slide decks, and downloadable materials for homework and center activities. Many of the resources can be found online here.
The idea to offer the UFLI Foundations training originated from the collaborative discussions held during COPESD's Literacy Leaders Connection meetings, where representatives from each district gather to learn, share, and support literacy instruction at the elementary level. As the program's alignment with reading science became clear, a request was made to COPESD Director of Instructional Services, Debbie Putnam. Recognizing the potential impact of the training, Debbie successfully secured the necessary funding, enabling educators from all 10 districts to benefit from this valuable professional learning opportunity.
The feedback from educators has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants expressing their appreciation for COPESD's efforts in organizing such helpful training. The remarkable turnout for the UFLI training, with educators dedicating their personal time outside of regular school hours, speaks volumes about their dedication to their students' success. By going above and beyond to attend this training, these educators demonstrated their genuine passion for delivering the most effective and impactful literacy instruction possible. As districts become more familiar with UFLI, COPESD literacy coaches are available for further support. Interested educators can contact Kim Peters at petersk@copesd.org or Kim Blumke at blumkek@copesd.org for coaching partnerships around UFLI or other areas of literacy.
