Lives YOU Have Touched

Thanks to you, local students are overcoming their reading disabilities.

Update on the Dyslexia Resource Center.

Although there was a setback due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are proud to say that the Dyslexia Resource Center is up and running. Our partners at C.A.S.T. are tutoring students both virtually and in the schools. They plan to increase the number of trained teachers and volunteer tutors in the county, as well as offer parent workshops and a summer camp. C.A.S.T. continues to have very strong partnerships with the three school systems. Also, through the Sustaining Hoosier Communities at the IU Center for Rural Engagement, C.A.S.T. has been “adopted” by a Public Relations class at IU and hopes to have updated marketing materials by this summer.

But does it really work? Below are the assessment results for one student who has completed 60 tutoring sessions. As part of his first lesson he was assessed on his ability to give the correct sounds for letters and letter combinations and ability to read and spell phonetic words and irregular words. 

Pre-Assessment Results:                                                        Post-Assessment Results:

Giving Sounds for Letters: 60/114             53%                         Giving Sounds for Letters: 88/114      78%

Reading:                                                                                          Reading:

       Phonetic Words: 140/190                   74%                                 Phonetic Words: 88/114                89%

       Irregular Words: 18/20                        90%                                 Irregular Words 20/20                  100%

Spelling:                                                                                          Spelling:

       Phonetic Words: 28/65                      43%                                  Phonetic Words: 47/65                  72%

       Irregular Words: 5/10                         50%                                  Irregular Words: 10/10                 100%

As you can see, this student has experienced dramatic improvement. Anecdotally, here is what some of the parents are saying: “Her reading ability has increased drastically. She also has so much more confidence in herself and it shows.” Another parent related, “My son feels much more comfortable reading and deciding words since starting the sessions utilizing the OG strategy. His confidence level has been boosted and he feels like he can finally read on his grade level and beyond.” All of these parents expressed gratitude that this service is being offered locally. Some said they would not be able to travel to Indianapolis or Louisville for tutoring and/or would have trouble affording it.

Thank you for your generosity! You hare helping struggling readers be successful both in the classroom and in life.