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Tier 1: Core instruction

Every student’s core reading experience. Explore instructional practices and products that reduce the need for intervention and help your students succeed as grade-level readers.

A literacy teacher working with younger middle school students

Tier 1 instruction: I do, we do, you do… simplified

Humans are not wired for reading. The evidence on the science of reading is consistent and overwhelming—explicit and systematic phonics instruction leads to better outcomes. Tier 1 instruction with 95 Phonics Core Program engages your core instruction with a structured literacy approach, leaving fewer children in need of intervention. And you can integrate it with any existing literacy curriculum to provide the focused phonics instruction your students need.

Collage of 95 Percent Group Phonics Core Program products.

95 Phonics Core Program®

Classroom-ready, evidence-based phonics instruction for your literacy block. In 30 minutes a day, the program builds critical phonics skills through explicit instruction to develop strong readers, K-5.

Proven effective by independent research, meeting the highest standard established by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Compatible with any literacy curriculum, aligning with all CCSS grade-level foundational standards

Culturally responsive resources to engage and empower each learner

25-30 weekly lessons, 30 minutes a day

Discover the 95 Phonics Core Program
An elementary school girl absorbed in her literacy workbook lesson

Make the most of your phonics time

From pre-written guides to opportunities for group and independent practice, the 95 Phonics Core Program gives educators the tools they need to efficiently and effectively support students, every step of the way.

Easy-to-follow instructional dialogue and consistent routines

Ready-made digital presentation files bring lessons to life with zero teacher prep

Student workbooks provide built-in practice for reinforcing skills

An older elementary school student reinforces his phonics skills

Tier 1 instruction can help students succeed as grade-level readers

When your whole-class, Tier 1 instruction provides a firm reading foundation, students are more likely to reach grade level. Phonics lessons based in the science of reading can prevent students from falling behind and requiring intervention.

Provide your students with best-in-class phonics instruction during the daily reading block. It pays off, for you and for them.

Effectively address skill gaps and develop skills to grade-level

Reduce intervention needs

Available throughout the critical K-5 years to provide a seamless continuum of instruction that builds in complexity

Learn more
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Having a strong strategy like this in Tier 1 is your best defense against more kids moving into Tiers 2 or 3.

Julie Groce


First Grade Teacher, Gallardo Elementary School

Build skills from kindergarten to grade 5

The lesson structure for 95 Phonics Core Program® is designed to build skills in young readers across grade levels.

Our Kindergarten 95 Phonics Core Program is built around the foundational standards, using phonemic awareness as an anchor to build mastery of letter-sound correspondences. The program introduces reading and writing application tasks throughout the 25 weeks as the process for achieving automaticity of sound-to-grapheme connections.

95 Phonics Core Program for Grade 1 and Grade 2 uses consistent routines, dialogues, phonics chip colors, and gestures to ensure student learning is focused on the content instead of varied instructional processes. Using consistent and explicit lesson structures, and teaching phonics skills in sequential order, students will successfully identify, read, and write grade-level text.

95 Phonics Core Program for Grade 3 focuses on using the previously taught foundational phonemic awareness and phonics skills to build automaticity in reading multisyllable words in both isolation and in text. Instruction centers on explicitly teaching the 6 syllable types as well as the morphological structures of words. Decoding and encoding tasks ensure students have the word attack skills necessary for reading and writing text with increasing complexity.

The 95 Phonics Core Program Word Study, Grade 4 and Grade 5, includes authentic text based on engaging science, social studies, and pop culture topics to teach word attack strategies. The program uses explicitly designed word study routines to analyze words using multisyllabic patterns, and morphological structures to enhance students’ curiosity for words while building accuracy and fluency when reading grade-level text.

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ESSA evidence supported in year-long study

Rigorous independent efficacy research confirms that the 95 Phonics Core Program accelerates reading improvement for all K-2 students, meeting federal standards under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Download the efficacy study

Learn more about 95 Phonics Core Program

Kareem Weaver

Everybody deserves the right to read. Literacy is for all.

Kareem Weaver


Co-Founder, Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate (FULCRUM)

Introducing the 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite™

Phonemic awareness is an essential skill in reading development and a strong predictor of reading success. Our new suite of solutions provides educators with the full array of tools they need to help all students in each tier master these critical skills.

95 Phonemic Awareness Suite components for phonemic awareness in education
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One powerful solution for multi-tier reading instruction

As educators, we understand the profound impact of effective literacy instruction. That’s why we designed the One95 literacy ecosystem to empower you with the best resources to develop the strongest readers possible.

It begins with proven literacy instruction products — then the knowledge, resources, and support to make them work. With One95, you’ll find:

  • Explicit and systematic Tier 1, 2, and 3 instruction
  • Professional learning and development resources
  • Extensive research on the science of reading
  • Access to literacy experts
Learn about our complete literacy system
Ecosystem graphic

300%


improvement in kindergarteners using 95 Phonics Core Program after only 14 weeks compared with students who did not use the program

Interested in learning more?

Your struggling readers with learning differences need more support, and this is the fun, engaging, and effective tool to help them. Interested in learning more? Get in touch today.

Contact a literacy expert
A smiling boy in a literacy-rich environment