Volume 4, Issue 4
No Child Left Behind requires accountability. The pressure on educators to achieve positive results in the classroom is mounting. You must make the most of every dollar that you have to spend on curriculum. No Child Left Behind requires that you spend federal money on "research based" products that meet well-defined standards. We hope that our qualification as a research-based program has been apparent as you have reviewed our marketing materials. As a result of No Child Left Behind legislation, many states have recently revisited their reading standards to integrate more phonics instruction.
We have an exciting announcement to make that relates to the standards that you are expected to teach to in your individual states. We recently partnered with Pro-Cert Labs, a third party reviewer of education curriculum, to create correlations to Kindergarten - Third grade standards for the following states: AZ, CA, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, MI, MN, MO, NC, OH, SC, TX, UT, VA, and WA (we are currently working on KY, WV, and PA).
Our program is designed to teach individuals to read, regardless of their age or ability level. It is equally effective when used with mainstream students or in a special education setting. These correlations map our program to standards for mainstream students (with the exception of Arizona, the only state in the nation that has a standard for secondary special education students. You will find a correlation for those standards as well as K-3).
Please note: Pro-Cert is not affiliated with Reading Horizons. They specialize in reviewing curriculum and helping publishers to improve their products with the intent of meeting standards. As you read the "Summary" and "Evaluation" sections of the report you will see that they found little to correct. Discover Intensive Phonics DOES what it is designed to do…teach low level reading skills to all types of students in a fast and effective manner. Hopefully these correlations will help you to see how our program can help you meet the standards in your state.
You can view the correlations by visiting our website at www.readinghorizons.com and clicking on the button that says "Meeting state standards". As you peruse our correlations you will see which states still have some work to do as it relates to phonics and phonemic awareness instruction. How is your state doing?
In an attempt to better serve our customers we have invested a considerable amount of time and money over the past two years developing an "on-line workshop". Many of you have participated in the seven-hour direct instruction workshop. Attendance at a workshop is integral where chalkboard instruction is the primary method used to teach the Discover Intensive Phonics system. Oft times a teacher will purchase materials but not have the money necessary to get trained. Other times teachers will go through a training and then forget key concepts before they have a chance to put them to use. We have heard over and over again from current users of a need for an online alternative to our training. Such training would address the aforementioned needs as well as:
Internet training will NOT be a replacement for the one-day Discover Intensive Phonics teacher workshop…but rather a supplement to the workshop. It can be accessed for a nominal fee on an individual or school-wide basis. Internet training will be offered free of charge to sites (teachers) that have purchased a new Discover Intensive Phonics teachers kit.
We do require that you have a login name and password to access the online training. At this time they are available upon request. Please contact us to receive your login name and password. We look forward to offering this service to our users.
“Six years ago our Elementary School purchased Discover Intensive Phonics for kindergarten through fourth grade. This program superceded our highest expectations. Intensive Phonics is structured in such a way that learning is systematic and natural. Having students writing at the board all at the same time gives the teacher immediate feedback. The sequence of teaching is wonderful - it makes sense to the students and they retain what they have learned.
“Discover Intensive Phonics not only improves reading scores but it has also had a major impact on our spelling and language art scores. Handwriting improves because the teacher is right there to recognize a problem and is able to immediately help the student make the necessary changes.
“I really love teaching Intensive Phonics. My students are eager for the instruction every day. The reason they like it is because they experience the joy of success. My only regret is that I did not have this program earlier in my teaching career. My wish is that every teacher could be taught to effectively use the program. I really believe it would make a major improvement in education.”
LaRae Hatch North Gem Elementary Bancroft, ID
“One of the most amazing things is that my students were not warn out, overworked, or bored with the program. They look forward to the daily lessons. Most of the participants were somewhat lost in the “regular” classes and became much more expressive and outgoing when in the reading class. They particularly looked forward to the Interim Test to see how much they had improved and progressed and also to be able to share their accomplishments with their peers and teachers.
“The average growth per month has been 0.8 grade levels as measured by the pretest/posttest included in the software. I feel this is outstanding! One particular young man came to us with a reading grade level of K.8, behavioral problems, and very low self-confidence. He participated in the program for 8 months. Just prior to his dismissal, a posttest score of 4.9 was achieved. He was simply overjoyed!”
Bruce Taylor Riverbend Treatment Center St. Joseph, MO
“In our program, there were several Russian students who spoke no English, and several Spanish-speaking students. They just loved HEC! In a matter of weeks, they progressed way beyond the norm. They were also able to use their new skills with their own children, which was the purpose of initiating the family literacy program.
“Many of our ABE students were dyslexic and/or had very poor de-coding skills. HEC addressed all learning styles because it helped the visual learner, the auditory learner, and the kinesthetic. It also gave them privacy to learn on their own time and at their own pace.”
Patricia Duffley TN Technology Access Center Knoxville, TN
What are the benefits of Discover Intensive Phonics for Yourself Teacher Training?
First, I must clarify that there are now TWO types of training available.
The first is a seven hour, hands on instruction requiring active participation on the part of those attending. It involves them entirely in the learning process. The training gives teachers a complete overview of the course and integrates the use of the curriculum materials, games, parent involvement pack, mastery checks, etc. Each are simultaneous with the methodology instruction.
The second is the newly released on-line workshop announced in this newsletter. It too guides teachers through the Discover Intensive Phonics for Yourself curriculum with interactive participation and is an excellent alternative to hands on training where funds are limited. It also provides a commendable resource for new teachers hired after the majority of the staff have already been trained, or a brush-up for those who may have been trained previously.
Either type of training is far better than no training at all for several reasons:
If you haven’t had a teacher training at your location, consider the idea of having one. Up to 25 participants may attend, so if you only have eight or ten teachers, invite another school to join you and share the costs. The workshop is active, stimulating, and lots of fun. Best of all, however, are the end results – students who learn Discover Intensive Phonics for Yourself show marked improvement in reading, spelling, handwriting, and as a result show improvement in all subject areas. Give it a try! Discover Intensive Phonics is making a difference!
*HEC recommends that users plan to conduct annual workshops. We want to keep teachers up to date with the latest techniques.
Following are comments offered by attendees at a recent workshop that was conducted in Preston, ID:
Linda Eversole Certified Trainer
“I like using Intensive Phonics because I can keep better track of where my students are, what they have grasped, and what their needs are.”
Once again we have the opportunity to spotlight one of our advisory council members. Sharon Vallandingham is a teacher at Ft. Stevens Elementary School in Yelm, Washington. The following describes her experience with Discover Intensive Phonics.
“I have only used the program for two years, but love what it has done for my first grade students. The program was introduced to our school by our new principal, Tom Churchill, who had seen it used in his former school. A few of us were interested in trying the program so he arranged for us to be trained by Becky Marks of Snohomish (she is a wonderful instructor and believer in the program). Actually I have taken several classes from Becky and have observed other teachers in her school using the program.
“I like using Intensive Phonics because I can keep better track of where my students are, what they have grasped, and what their needs are. I like being able to give immediate feedback on their work and watch them as they work. The materials I was using before used the guess and check method, naming pictures and such. There were lots of papers to correct and students didn’t know until much later if they were right or not. I have my students now do about one lesson a week on paper so I have a written record of their progress. This works very nicely for me. My teaching style for teaching phonics is now more interactive and the kids really enjoy being at the board and working. I teach phonics every morning right after our opening calendar activities. I do a little mini lesson with a group as they sit on the floor then they go to their spots at the board and we practice what has been taught. I like that every day I can design my own lesson teaching or re-teaching what my class needs. We end each lesson writing a nonsense word and then they get to draw a picture of what they think the nonsense word means.
“The strengths of the program include the hands on, interactive approach, the consistent way it is taught, and the students’ enjoyment of learning in this method. I like that it teaches the rules and gives children the tools to use to figure out new words and why and how these rules work.
“It has helped my students by making them better listeners, write better formed letters, and has given them skills and rules to make them independent learners. The first year I used the program 13 of my 24 students were mixing b an d. By the end of the year all of them had mastered b and d and had fun doing it.
“I really love using this program.”
On behalf of all of my associates here at Reading Horizons I would like to wish you a happy holiday season. The majority of the recipients of this newsletter are educators. In fact, most of you are working in the trenches as teachers of our children - our future - and the underprivileged adults in our country. It is our great opportunity to work with each of you in the fight against illiteracy. I would like to, in the true spirit of thanksgiving, praise you for the marvelous work that you are doing. Being a teacher requires many admirable qualities, including love, patience, and sacrifice. Thank you for your willingness to share your qualities with your students. I recently had the opportunity to participate in a parent teacher conference for one of my children. The dedication of my sons' teacher was readily apparent. She knows him well. Her interest in his well-being was very touching. Please know that your contributions to the upbringing of our children are noticed and appreciated. The abundance that we all enjoy as citizens of this great nation is, in part, the result of the efforts of educators past. Your influence and efforts are what continue to make this nation great and ensure a prosperous future. THANK YOU!
Tyson Smith President Reading Horizons