Tutoring Organization Urges Skills-based Approach

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: Michael Boss Boss Communications (208) 424-3433 [email protected] Chad Schwartz Tutoring Club (925) 513-7784 [email protected]

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