Beginning in July, the Oshkosh Area School District (OASD) launched the new *Summer LIFT literacy intervention program to provide targeted support for elementary and early middle school aged students.

Guided by the OASD's equity plan, participants were those in target populations who needed additional assistance to strengthen their literacy skills, helping them achieve their grade-level goals in preparation for the 2024-2025 school year.

The six-week program featured small group instruction and allowed for students to receive hands-on, individualized attention. Students were able to practice their reading and writing skills with one-on-one assistance from teachers and participate in a variety of engaging learning games and activities.

For those who attended regularly, teachers observed noticeable improvements in reading fluency, phonics skills to better decode (read) and encode (spell) words, as well as an increase in the students’ confidence in reading.

Jennifer Kautzer, an OASD literacy instructional support teacher (IST) and Summer LIFT teacher, continued, “Students grew in their confidence as readers. They were excited when they were able to apply what they learned at one station to their reading and writing of continuous text.”

“Watching the students gain confidence, find their agency, and discover the joy in learning were the greatest areas of growth in my observation,” agreed Amy Sippert, fellow OASD literacy instructional support teacher (IST) and Summer LIFT teacher.

In addition to improvements made in literacy skills, students also enjoyed the supportive and welcoming environment that the program provided.

“Students that attended the entire program felt safe to try something new,” said Ms. Kautzer, “They felt connected to the teachers leading the stations and were sad to see the program end.”

To hear the students’ reflections on the Summer LIFT program in their own words, check out the video below.

The Summer LIFT program is just one component of the OASD’s commitment to fundamentally evolving its approach to early literacy and equipping all students with the foundational skills they need to be successful readers, writers, and learners.

“As a district, we have set rigorous literacy goals in policy to establish high expectations of student achievement in reading, and create a direct connection from the boardroom to the classroom,” said Dr. Sam Coleman, OASD assistant superintendent of instruction. “Literacy is our number one academic priority and the District is engaging in this curriculum process to radically increase our literacy outcomes for all students.”

*Summer LIFT (Learn, Inspire, Foster, Thrive)