Success for All (SFA)

Success for All (SFA) is a comprehensive whole-school reform model designed to improve reading skills for elementary school students, particularly those from low-income families. The program serves students in kindergarten through grade 6 and includes multiple components: a structured reading curriculum emphasizing phonics for beginning readers and comprehension for all students; scripted, briskly paced lessons using extensive cooperative learning in pairs and small groups; cross-grade ability grouping for reading with quarterly regrouping; frequent assessments of student learning; computerized small-group tutoring and individual tutoring for struggling students; Solutions Teams to address academic, behavioral, and attendance issues and promote parent/community involvement; schoolwide and classroom programs for social-emotional and conflict resolution skills; and initial and ongoing professional development for teachers with data monitoring. Schools must vote to adopt the program (requiring 75% teacher approval) and provide a full-time program facilitator. SFAF provides essential training, curriculum materials, a data system (Member Center) for monitoring progress, and a computerized tutoring system (Team Alphie).