Literacy Intervention for Educators of High School and Adult Learners
Do you teach teens who still struggle with reading and spelling?
Are you an educator supporting adult learners with literacy difficulties?
Are you an educator supporting adult learners with literacy difficulties?
Why Literacy Support Matters
Facing Literacy Challenges in Your Classroom?
Many older students struggle with reading and spelling due to gaps in foundational skills.
These challenges often impact confidence, engagement, and academic success without structured intervention.
We support high schools in implementing quality, evidence-based programs for students with poor literacy
Evidence-Based Support That Works
Our educators assist with the design and implementation of evidence-based programs to support your students who are struggling with reading and spelling.
- Tailored advice for your context
- Access to high-quality, evidence-based programs and resources
- Practical strategies for identifying student needs and monitoring progress
Why do we need an evidence-based phonics program?
Reading and spelling are complex processes that need to be explicitly taught through the use of a structured and systematic phonics program.
Structured Synthetic Phonics Programs beyond the primary years
Many older learners have never mastered the foundation skills required for participating in high school and adult education settings. For these students, it is essential to go back to the basics and fill any gaps in skills and knowledge. Synthetic phonics can make the English writing system more transparent to learners, so they can continue building their skills.
SPELD SA trainers can assist you to implement high quality phonics instruction in the unique context of high schools and adult education providers. As these programs have been designed for the first years of school, it is important to identify the needs of older learners and adapt literacy programs to best meet their needs.
Older learners provide a unique challenge with a range of considerations, including how to build fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, access to appropriate resources, and the use of assistive technologies.
Why choose a SPELD SA recommended program:
🔹Explicit, cumulative phonics instruction
🔹Easy to implement in small-group intervention
🔹Practical, easy-to-follow lesson structure
🔹Proven results with struggling adolescent readers
Older learners often need a clear, no-fuss, systematic approach to phonics and word reading. Tight instructional design, controlled texts, and fast-paced lessons target the core gaps that many high school students still carry.
By partnering with SPELD SA, you’ll have access to support and resources provided by accredited facilitators.
Structured Programs
Sounds-Write Linguistic Phonics Program
Sounds-Write is a speech-to-print approach designed to teach reading and spelling, from the very basics to more complex polysyllabic words.
Sounds-Write is a tried and tested approach, grounded in cognitive science, that is being successfully used in high school settings in South Australia, interstate and overseas.
UFLI Foundations - Phonics Program
Build strong decoding and spelling skills in older students with a research-based, structured approach.
UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) Foundations is a powerful program originally designed for early literacy, but now being used successfully in high school intervention settings.
FREE ticket to quality phonics programs courses for SA School Leaders
We invite School leaders including Principals, leadership staff, Inclusive Education and Literacy leaders, to join one of our upcoming training sessions as an introduction to the program.
Register your interest by emailing workshops@speldsa.org.au
Understanding and supporting students with learning needs
DIBELS 8TH Edition
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) is a collection of procedures and tools designed to evaluate the development of literacy skills.
DIBELS 8th Edition is more versatile than ever, helping more students across more grades. It's a highly effective, low-impact tool for assessing reading skills, widely used in schools, special education, and for students with dyslexia.
We run a specific workshop introducings DIBELS 8th
assessments and their use with older students, as a screening tool and for instructional guidance.
It touches on what we know about how students learn to read and the skills that need to be developed on the journey towards skilled reading at any age.
Participants practice scoring Oral Reading Fluency and the
MAZE measure for reading comprehension, and determining the implications for instruction and/or further assessment, based on the data.
Specific Learning Difficulties
Undertake our practical, research-informed workshop designed for mainstream high school classroom teachers and leaders seeking to better understand and support students with learning difficulties and diverse learning needs.
With a focus on what works in secondary settings, the session explores:
🔹 Common learning profiles and challenges in adolescence
🔹Evidence-based adjustments and instructional strategies
🔹Supporting literacy, organisation, and executive functioning
🔹Promoting engagement, confidence, and classroom inclusion
Why it matters:
High school students with learning needs are often under-identified or misunderstood. This session will help staff recognise key indicators, implement simple yet powerful supports, and create a more inclusive learning environment.
Enquire now!
FREE CALL 1800 371 085
Contact our Advisory Line to start the conversation about implementing literacy intervention at your school.
Available: Monday to Friday 9am - 1pm
Email: support@speldsa.org.au
Advisory Line Supported by The SPELD Foundation of South Australia and the Government of South Australia.
Sucess stories
"The kids were getting it; it was joyful, it was engaging."A case study showing the impact of implementing the program." -
Christine, Speech pathologist using the Sounds-Write program. Parafield Gardens High School. Read more here
“The phonetic approach will aid me to customise and explicitly target reading goals for students at my school. The repetitive approach will support my students who struggle to comprehend and create concrete reading knowledge.” -
Kellie, using the UFLI Foundations Program - Hospital School South Australia
