Worried parents see their child struggling
It was the fall of 2nd grade, and Ben was falling behind. Ben’s school in Maine reported that he was not reading on grade level, but they couldn’t explain what he needed to reach grade level. Ben’s parents knew they needed to seek additional services, especially since the school’s Tier 2 was not supporting Ben’s growth. To make matters worse, Ben’s school was hesitant to provide testing for Special Education.
Ben’s parents took action and reached out to Sharpen for consultation. A remote assessment with a Sharpen reading specialist identified that Ben was missing foundational literacy skills such as phonic decoding, and was reading at mid-kindergarten level, despite being in second grade.
By taking action, Ben’s parents give their son skills that will last a lifetime
Sharpen Tutoring lessons began shortly thereafter in Sharpen Level Accelerated A. Over the next seven months Ben received 47.5 hours of 1-on-1 Sharpen Tutoring, and, by May of second grade Ben was reading at grade level! He had made the shift from Learning To Read, to Reading to Learn!
Ben improves his reading skills 2.5 grade levels in 47.5 tutoring hours in 7 months
Ben’s parents were astounded by Ben’s quick growth - an amount that would typically take at least two years to cover in a traditional school setting. Today, they attribute all of his reading gains this year to Sharpen Tutoring.
During the IEP meeting the Special Education Director literally gasped after reviewing his progress. They had never seen progress like that before!
Measuring Success by the Numbers
Ben’s word reading score demonstrated a 2.5x growth. This dramatic growth indicates significantly enhanced word decoding skills
Ben’s decoding skills improved greatly, and his oral reading fluency grew significantly.
He increased his Words Correct Per Minutes by:
- 44 words on the Kindergarten texts
- 37 words on the 1st - 2nd grade texts
This growth shows that Ben became much better at recognizing and decoding words. He is reading more quickly and more accurately. This data, along with tutor observations, further indicates Ben is experiencing better comprehension and overall engagement with the text. Reading skill growth of this nature is typically transformational for elementary school success.
