“The school tested her twice. They can’t believe she doesn’t need special reading help.”  -Mother
The Program

The Academic Associates Reading Program is a complete course in reading and comprehension. It encompasses all the sounds, rules and processes of reading. The program begins with work-attack
skills and progressively includes comprehension, retention, evaluation, application and fluency.
When taught correctly, learning to read is a simple process.
In written English, letters stand for sounds.  (The word “phonics” means sounds.)  When a student is
taught to say the sounds of the letters in a word in order, reading occurs naturally and automatically. 
Sixteen of the twenty-six letters in our alphabet make the same sound almost every time, leaving only
ten letters that normally make more than one sound. Even young children can learn a few sounds for
ten letters, and the rules which govern them. Academic Associates focuses on those few sounds.
After students learn to sound out and pronounce words, they are gently coached to acquire simple, effective techniques for comprehension. Reading becomes a logical, uncomplicated process. If this
sounds simple, it’s because it really is!
By the end of Lesson One, nearly every student, even those with learning differences, will read at
least 300 words. By Lesson 13, most fifth-graders through adults read and spell college-level words!
Students are taught individually by patient, caring Reading Instruction Specialists, and are never made to feel embarrassed or blamed for their reading difficulties. As old barriers and self-imposed limitations crumble, students build upon each success and enjoy renewed self-confidence.

The Five Stages of Reading Development:

Initial Decoding

The majority of students who experience difficulty acquiring decoding skills do so not because of visual perceptual problems, as commonly believed, but because of problems with the phonological aspects of language. We teach students to decode written words by mastering all the sounds of each letter and combination of letters in the alphabet.

Fluency

Fluency of word recognition is emphasized after Lesson 2.  Only after the decoding process becomes automatic, accurate, and rapid, can the attention be set free for higher-level reading
comprehension skills. 

Reading for Meaning

Once the student reads accurately and fluently, the task of reading becomes one of understanding the content. During this stage, students expand their knowledge base.  Reading text for meaning begins
after Lesson 4.  Students read 20-30 minutes per day.  They put their decoding skills to use. They must
never guess at words. 

Relationships and Viewpoints

Students learn to read complex materials from a variety of sources.  Effective reading is critical to
success.  By the end of the course, students have worked with 4-5 thousand words and have read
several books.

Synthesis

This is the type of intellectual pursuit that characterizes higher learning.  The reader synthesizes information from a variety of sources to form hypothesis.  Stage 5 reading results from intensive study in
a content area.
Call today for your free reading assessment: 508-208-9914