Oklahoma State Department of Education Approves Heinemann's Saxon Reading Foundations

PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Heinemann today announced that Saxon Reading Foundations has been recognized by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) as meeting the state's mandatory requirements for high-quality literacy intervention materials.

Saxon Reading Foundations is a research-based, structured, sequential foundational program for K-2 students, designed to explicitly teach phonemic awareness, phonics and fluency. This recognition confirms alignment with Oklahoma's Strong Readers for Schools initiative and places the program in state guidance for districts seeking approved literacy intervention resources.

Authored by special education teacher Lorna Simmons, Saxon Reading Foundations is aligned to the latest Science of Reading research and provides evidence-based foundational skills instruction alongside engaging content designed to support diverse learning needs. Simmons' years of formal training and classroom experience combined with her personal struggles to guide her own dyslexic son to reading success provide a unique foundation for this immersive program that has been found to be consistently effective for children of varying ability levels and socioeconomic backgrounds.

"Over the course of its nearly 40-year history, Saxon Reading Foundations has been incredibly popular among classrooms teachers for a simple reason: it is extremely effective at helping children master the foundational skills they need to become confident and joyful readers," said Roderick Spelman, SVP of Content Development for Heinemann. "Heinemann is delighted that the OSDE has approved Saxon Reading Foundations as a literacy intervention resource, making this proven program more accessible to teachers and students across Oklahoma."

For more information about Saxon Reading Foundations, please visit:  https://www.heinemann.com/saxon-reading-foundations/.

About Heinemann

Heinemann is a leading provider of professional resources and educational services for educators, kindergarten through college. Heinemann supports the professionalism of teachers as they help children become literate, compassionate, engaged citizens of the world. Heinemann authors are exemplary educators eager to support the practice of other teachers through professional books and explicit teaching materials, streaming videos, podcasts and blogs, as well as professional learning experiences, both live and online. Heinemann is dedicated to teachers and the modernization of the teaching profession. Visit Heinemann.com to learn more.

Media Contact:
Erika McCaffrey
Director, Communications
Heinemann Publishing
[email protected]

SOURCE Heinemann