Literacy
At Park Rapids, we believe literacy is a shared journey between school and home.
Every student deserves to become a skilled, confident reader,
and we support that goal with
high-quality curriculum, intentional instruction, and comprehensive assessments.
From foundational phonics in the early grades to deep comprehension in the upper grades
our literacy programs are designed to meet students’ needs at every stage.
- View our District Literacy Plan below -
Resources
MDE: The Families READ toolkit helps Minnesota teachers give families ideas and tools to help their kids learn to read. The Toolkit materials are aligned with Minnesota's developmental standards and assessments for early language, literacy, and reading.
Download this 2-page flyer to learn more about the 2020 MN ELA Standards (November 2025):
Minnesota’s English Language Arts Standards: A Family and Caregiver Guide to Supporting Your Child’s Learning
UFLI Foundations is a systematic, step-by-step program designed to teach students the foundational skills necessary for proficient reading. Lessons are intentionally sequenced to ensure that students build skills in a logical order and have ample opportunities to practice for accuracy, fluency, and confidence. Park Rapids teachers implement UFLI as part of the core reading instruction in grades K–2.
Sonday System Essentials is an on-grade-level instructional program that provides explicit, systematic support in grade level foundational literacy skills. Students engage in routine-based instruction through daily whole group reading and spelling lessons. These lessons incorporate multisensory techniques to reinforce common English language patterns. Park Rapids teachers implement Sonday as part of the core foundational reading instruction in grades 3-5.
LaPrea decodable books are carefully designed to align with systematic foundational phonics scope and sequences. These engaging texts reinforce the specific skills students are learning in reading and help support continued growth in foundational literacy. In Park Rapids, grades 1–2 have these LaPrea decodable books which align with the UFLI program.
Just Right Readers are decodable books that provide structured phonics practice through authentic, engaging texts. This approach helps accelerate reading achievement year after year. In Park Rapids, Just Right Readers are used in Kindergarten and align with the UFLI program.
Open Court Reading is the core curriculum used in grades K–5 for comprehension, writing, and grammar instruction. The goal of comprehension instruction is to help students understand what they read by applying learned comprehension strategies. Open Court lessons use a balance of narrative and informational texts to build background knowledge and strengthen vocabulary, concept development, grammar and writing throughout each unit. In Park Rapids, the Open Court curriculum is used in grades K–5 to support student growth in reading, writing, and grammar.
Amplify ELA is a comprehensive literacy curriculum designed for students in grades 6–8, with the text at the heart of every lesson. This program helps teachers guide students in developing the skills needed to read closely, think critically, and build deep understanding. With Amplify ELA, students learn to approach complex texts with confidence—making observations, exploring new ideas, and finding personal connections to their reading. In Park Rapids, Amplify ELA is used in grades 6–7.
District Literacy Assessments
FastBridge is a computer-adaptive, comprehensive assessment system, approved by MDE that helps educators measure and monitor student progress. Using FastBridge’s valid and reliable assessments, teachers can quickly identify students’ academic and social-emotional needs, provide timely interventions, and track growth—all within one platform. In Park Rapids, students in grades K–6 take the adaptive FastBridge screener three times per year.
Capti ReadBasix is an MDE-approved diagnostic reading assessment designed for secondary students to quickly identify the root causes of reading difficulties. Developed specifically for adolescent readers, Capti ReadBasix features age-appropriate content, thoughtfully designed questions, and a modern, user-friendly interface. The assessment provides a comprehensive measure of all essential foundational reading skills. In Park Rapids, students in grades 4–12 take the Capti ReadBasix assessment.
District Literacy Plan
Click on plan to view in new tab:
