Spotlight Iowa: A Tier 2 implementation journey
When Fort Dodge Community School District aligned Tier 2 intervention with a strong science of reading foundation, the impact was immediate. This spotlight shares early insights from their K–5 implementation journey and what’s changing for teachers and students.
Fort Dodge Community School District Snapshot
- 53% Economically disadvantaged (FRL)
- 5% English language learner
- 14.2% Special education
- 2% Unhoused
- 17.2% Hispanic
- 6.6% Black
- 65.6% White
Teri Boezinger is one of the most passionate, committed leaders I have had the pleasure of meeting in my career, full stop. I was deeply moved by her story in leading Fort Dodge’s literacy journey and her commitment to the district’s transformation.
Laura Stewart
In this post, we focus on their Tier 2 implementation in particular. Teri Boezinger, director of curriculum and instruction at Fort Dodge Community School District, walks us through their implementation journey, and shares the story of their challenges and successes.
Featured products
95 Tier 2 Phonics Solution which includes 95 Literacy Intervention System™ and 95 Phonics Lesson Library™ 2.0. Additional aligned resources include: 95 Phonemic Awareness Intervention Resource™ (PAIR™) and 95 Multisyllable Routine Cards™ Package.
Fort Dodge Community School District is a large rural district in North Central Iowa facing difficult challenges including a growing unhoused population, a 25% student drop out rate, and a large number of students on IEPs who receive specially designed instruction. A new leadership team came into the district in 2023 and made a commitment to focus on literacy as a solution by implementing a strong foundational curriculum and deeply aligned intervention. In 2024 they partnered with 95 Percent Group and did a full K-5 implementation across all tiers.
It’s still early in the adoption process but one thing is clear—their efforts have changed the approach to intervention in the district. With everything they need in their hands, teachers are enjoying intervention instruction, and student behavior is improving as they’re making gains in literacy.
Access the full story now: What you’ll learn:
- How alignment across tiers improves instructional integrity
- How 95 Tier 2 Phonics Solution has helped the district transform intervention
- Why professional learning and coaching are key to ongoing success
