Decoding the impact of decodable readers

During our last grant cycle, we received requests for decodable readers across almost every elementary school in Collierville. Decodable readers are books that emphasize phonics, so young readers can sound out, or decode, words and strengthen their literacy skills. Each book aligns with a specific phonics skill, helping students to build confidence as they progress toward more complex word patterns and text structures. At the Collierville Education Foundation, we have noticed a rise in popularity of these materials and love hearing from teachers about just how impactful the decodable readers are in their classrooms. Here are the schools that received brand-new decodable readers from the Collierville Education Foundation and how they are utilizing them.

Tara Oaks Elementary 

Darlene Rayburn from Tara Oaks Elementary requested early literacy decodable readers for multiple language arts classrooms. She believes that printed physical copies reinforce systematic phonics instruction by providing students with immediate, structured opportunities to practice decoding using taught skills and controlled vocabulary. Ms. Rayburn acknowledges that these readers are key to building a bridge toward future academic success. Strengthening a student’s decoding skills empowers them to access more challenging literature as they continue their educational journey toward college and career readiness, aligning with the district's CS2030 Strategic Plan.

“This grant supports three teachers and students in multiple grade levels. It has already been so helpful with increasing the reading skills and confidence of our struggling readers. We look forward to using them in the years to come.” –Darlene Rayburn

Schilling Farms Elementary

At Schilling Farms Elementary, first-grade teacher Erin Kuzmiak took another approach to decodable readers. Instead of fiction books, she combined her literacy lessons with social studies and science. The books she requested were a set of nonfiction Orton-Gillingham phonics readers. Now, every first grade classroom at Schilling Farms can use these during small-group instruction, literacy intervention blocks, and Response to Intervention (RTI) sessions to provide targeted, differentiated practice. The use of these nonfiction decodable readers allows students to build their vocabulary while deepening their knowledge of science and social studies.

Collierville Elementary School 

Kindergarten students at Collierville Elementary School begin decoding and blending words at the start of the school year. The curriculum introduces learning sounds first, then moves to decoding simple consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words – like cat, set, did and bun. After mastering those skills, blends, digraphs, double consonants and other more complex phonics skills are taught. Previously, access to high-quality decodable texts that matched students’ developing skills was limited. Thanks to Katie Ledbetter’s Collierville Education Foundation grant, the school received the WP UFLI Kindergarten Decodable Book Set, which includes 53 books! This grant directly enhances literacy instruction by putting appropriate, engaging texts into the hands of CES’s youngest learners, empowering them to read with purpose and joy from the very beginning of their academic journey.

Crosswind Elementary School Crosswind Elementary School also uses the Orton-Gillingham materials to support students’ reading ability, but specifically requested decodable readers that older elementary students would enjoy. Cheryl Swinderman, an interventionist at the school, wanted to find age-appropriate materials aligned with students’ reading levels and matching the interests of students in the middle and upper elementary grades. It can be challenging to find books that pique the interest of the older students while also being appropriate for their reading level. The Collierville Education Foundation grant provided books with higher readability levels. With these readers, students can continue building their reading skills and confidence, with the goal of meeting grade-level standards and successfully reading on-level texts independently.

Sycamore Elementary School 

Ashley Todd at Sycamore Elementary School uses decodable readers to support students who face challenges in reading due to developmental delays, dyslexia, vision impairments and processing disorders. Along with the books, she received a variety of educational tools, including phonics workbooks, multisensory flash cards, phonics read-aloud books, bright color markers, guided reading strips and more. With these materials, instructional methods are enhanced through small group learning, collaborative activities and improved assessment processes. The grant creates a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students at Sycamore.

Teachers, are you interested in receiving decodable readers or other learning materials from the Collierville Education Foundation? The 2026-2027 application will go live on Monday, Aug. 24. Check our website and social media pages for updates and more information.