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TUTORING ORGANIZATION URGES SKILLS-BASED APPROACH TO READING
Tutoring Club emphasizes, "reading to learn" - not just "learning to read"
With the advent of National Reading Month in March, educators will, no doubt,
revisit the debate that has gone on for the past two decades over phonics
versus whole-language approaches as the most effective method of teaching
children to read. According to Tutoring Club, a leader in the development and
delivery of K-12 learning enhancement programs, the all-important subtext to
this debate is that reading proficiency is nowhere near what it should be.
"The 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that 38 percent of
4th graders and 28 percent of 8th graders could not demonstrate basic reading
skills for their grade level," notes Larry Schwartz, founder and president of
Tutoring Clubs of America. "While reading tests in the primary grades may
detect problems as children are acquiring initial reading skills, they often
miss the 'fourth grade slump' that can occur when a shift takes place from
'learning to read' to 'reading to learn.' Our organization is taking aim at
this problem through a program that focuses on skills-based instruction,
incorporating the basic building blocks of reading and individualized
instruction."
According to the International Dyslexia Association, nearly one in five
Americans have some language-based learning disability, and about 80 percent of
students receiving special education have problems reading. With changes to the
SAT that will make it more of a knowledge-based assessment, reading
comprehension will increasingly become a measure of effective learning skills.
"Parents often think their children are having problems in specific curriculum
areas when their real problem is simply reading comprehension," Schwartz
observes. "The indicators to pay attention to include slow reading, incorrect
reading of words and frequent spelling errors. These are sure signs that
children lack fundamental reading skills."
For the past 15 years, Tutoring Club has perfected a reading program known as
Rx Reading. The elements of the program, which spans Kindergarten through 12th
grades, breaks reading down into the essential components of decoding
(phonics), vocabulary, comprehension, reading rate and recall. Students are
taken through an initial assessment that identifies any phonics skill gaps and
returns grade level equivalencies for vocabulary and comprehension.
Using a computerized diagnostic system, individualized programs are created
based on each child's abilities, and instruction is based on individualized
tutoring sessions. From this baseline, vocabulary and comprehension skills are
developed by teaching fundamental reading skills until the child is able to
read at or above their actual grade level.
"This is really the ultimate implementation of the 'no child left behind'
philosophy," states Schwartz. "No child is moved into the next skill level
until he or she has demonstrated mastery at their current level."
Tutoring Club learning centers are located in more than 100 cities throughout
the United States. Over the past few years, the company has introduced its
TutorAid programs to improve skills in core academic areas. These include Rx
Reading, Amazing Math, and The Write Way. Through its TutorUp program, Tutoring
Club also provides individualized instruction in science, foreign language,
high school mathematics, and teaches basic learning skills such as note taking,
outlining, time management and test preparation, including the ACT, high school
placement exams, and most other standardized tests, as well as SAT instruction.
For further information, contact:
Chad Schwartz
Tutoring Club
(702) 588-5288
cschwartz@tutoringclub.com
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