Homeschool World Forum

My son is in the 4th grade and reads on a 2nd grade level. He has had an IEP for the past 2 years but he is showing little improvement in my eyes. Please recommend a good intensive reading intervention program we can use this summer and next school year. I plan on homeschooling him for the 5th grade. I have searched on the Web and it is all just a blur of info. I hesitate to get any recommendations from his teachers, because, you know,...they are not going to like my plan. Thank you so much.
allison

Hi-

My son was in the same boat last year. Just finished second grade and had a first grade reading level. This year for third grade we used
Saxon Phonics Intervention. Major, major improvement. At least two grade level improvement. Well worth the money. Very little teacher preparation. Everything you are supposed to say is in bold type, what they're supposed to say is in red.

Cheryl

Well, if your ds's foundation is poor, I don't believe just doing lots of reading will do all that much.

IMHO, the most comprehensive reading/spelling method is Spalding; the manual for the Spalding Method is the Writing Road to Reading. Here's the Web site:

http://www.spalding.org

I think I agree that if the foundation isn't there, or if there are other factors such as dislexia or vision problems, no amount of reading is going to help them improve.

We accidentially discovered that our daughter had vision problems. She could see close up fine & distance fine. When it came to reading a sentence the words would blend together or fade to black. She said it was like trying to read as you go into a black tunnel. This is something our eye dr. caught. It's not something that would show up in a school screening. My daughter didn't know anything was wrong because that is how she had always seen the world.

Since then she has improved tremendously through eye therapy. Her grades have gone up. However, the school still wants her to have an IEP next year. We've refused it. So, I'm in the same boat as you. I'm looking for a program that fits my daughters needs.

So, I guess the point that I started out to make is not to wait too long if his reading ability isn't moving forward. There could be so many reasons why, none of which is his intelligence. Unfortunately, that is often what kids believe.

I will be HS'ing DS next year, but will be taking him to our PS 1 hr a day so his current IEP/ Spec. Ed teacher can continue with the Wilson Reading Program. I really love this teacher and she is very supportive of my decision to homeschool. Even the principal is bending over backwards to accommodate my needs.
I am so excited about all that DS will learn now that I am in control. We took the day off of school yesterday to hear one of the presidential candidates speak. (after the school sent home a note requesting students not miss any more days because they are preparing for End of Grade testing.) DS is doing an oral report in class and probably knows more about the issues and the candidates than any of the other students in his class.