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Reading For Excellence Services

Comprehensive Learning Evaluations

A Comprehensive Learning Evaluation is a formal process used to rule in or rule out the presence of an underlying learning disability that may be hindering the student’s acquisition of academic skills appropriate to his/her age and grade level.  Two equally important goals are to develop a learning profile of learning strengths and challenges synthesized from formal and functional data and to determine the educational implications for the student. The evaluation is comprised of the following:

  • Parent/Student Interview
  • Review of student’s current functioning in the classroom as reported by teachers and parents.
  • Review of academic records and reports provided by parent.
  • Administration of formal assessments that may include the Woodcock Johnson-IV (WJ-IV, the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing 2 (CTOPP-2), The Gray Oral Reading Test-5 (GORT-5), The Test of Word Reading Efficiency, 2nd (TOWRE-2), The Nelson-Denny and Key Math. All of the evaluation tools are standardized, reliable, and administered by professionals, who utilize best assessment practices.
  • Producing a comprehensive written report and most importantly drawing connections between the results and the student’s current levels of academic functioning in the classroom.
  • Discussion of educational implications with parent/guardian and recommendations to teachers, parents and the student.

The type and number of assessments are selected based on the nature of evaluation;  the duration of the evaluation process varies from child to child based on age, ability, stamina and number of assessments. The report typically takes several weeks to complete and then review with parent/guardian.

Structured Literacy Instruction (Reading and Writing) for Students with Dyslexia

Structured Literacy is an instructional approach that prepares students to decode words in an explicit and systematic manner.  This approach is highly effective for students with dyslexia, and there is substantial evidence that it is an effective approach for all readers to learn to read and write.

Structured Literacy Instruction includes the following critical elements, which are explicitly and systematically taught along a scope and sequence:

  • Phonology is the study of the sound structure of spoken words. Phonological awareness is the awareness of rhyme, words in a sentence, whole words, and syllables. Phonemic awareness is the ability to segment words into their individual sounds or phonemes.
  • The Sound-Symbol Association is the mapping of phonemes (sounds) to printed symbols (letters).
  • Syllable Instruction is instruction in the six basic syllable types in the English language. This knowledge is essential for accurately reading vowels sounds in a syllable and accurately reading and spelling longer, multisyllabic words.
  • Morphology is the study of base words, roots, prefixes and suffixes to unlock meaning and understanding.
  • Syntax is the understanding of the sequence and function of words in a sentence in order to convey meaning.
  • Semantics is the aspect of language concerned with meaning and therefore all instruction must include instruction in the comprehension of written language.
 

In Structured Literacy the above critical elements are taught guided by the following principles:

  • Systematic, Sequential and Cumulative– the instruction is systematic in that the material taught is presented in the logical order of the language; the instruction is sequential in that the material is presented from easiest and most basic and progresses methodically to more difficult concepts and elements; and, it is cumulative in that each step is built upon previously learned concepts and elements.
  • Diagnostic teaching is individualized instruction based on the student’s needs with continuous assessments to determine retention and mastery.

The number and duration of the instructional sessions vary from student to student and are based on the age, stamina and needs of the student as well as the severity of the student’s challenges.

**Remote Learning Available**

Instructional Interventions for Struggling Learners or Students with Learning Disabilities

Students may require individualized instruction for the following reasons:

  • When students struggle with the acquisition of reading, writing or math skills in the early grades, or hit an unexpected “road block” in subsequent grades
  • When students struggle academically due to attention and focus challenges
  • When students struggle with remembering skills, content and concepts

To address one or all of the above concerns, an individualized program is developed for the student and the instructional approach is determined by the learning needs of the student. The method, approach and duration of the instructional intervention is based on the student’s needs and the severity of the difficulty.

**Remote Learning Available**