Connie Willsey and Kristen Swanson working with students
Connie Willsey and Kristen Swanson working with students

Research shows 3rd grade is the year when students jump from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” According to a 2009 NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) study, 55% of moderate to high-income students test below proficient in reading at the beginning of 4th grade.

Dyslexia, dysgraphia, Auditory Processing Disorder, phonetic awareness, reading comprehension and fluency are all challenges that make learning to read more difficult. The U.S. Department of Education estimates there are roughly 3 million students ages 3–21 with these learning disabilities.

Our goal is to catch those students (through DIBELS testing) who are having these difficulties as early as kindergarten and give them the extra support they need to perform at grade level.

We’re currently working with 54 students at Prairie. Our groups vary from one to four students and concentrate on letter identification, letter sounds, reading aloud and comprehension. DIBELS testing help us monitor progress to determine whether or not we need to adjust curriculum.

If you have questions about your student’s progress or would like more information please contact us:  [email protected][email protected]