Bridging the Gap for Students With Special Needs

Submitted by Judy Hanning on Tue, 2016-12-20 02:00
Progress has been made by narrowing the achievement gap for students with special needs. Hartselle City Schools in Alabama knew something was missing so they started using the online reading intervention program with their students with special needs in 2014–2015. It works from the bottom up to address hidden problems that keep readers from making progress.

The challenge was that, despite our best efforts, many of our students with special needs continued to perform about two or three grade levels behind their peers in general education.

The program is different from regular programs. It starts with cognitive skills such as memory, attention, and processing speed. In one semester, they saw a 25% increase in students’ reading skills. They also use the Barton Reading and Spelling System, which help students connect sounds and letters using color-coded letter tiles.
he challenge was that, despite our best efforts, many of our students with special needs continued to perform about two or three grade levels behind their peers in general education. So our district formed a reading task force for students with special needs.
~ International Literacy Association Daily

Key Takeaways:

1
The Hartselle City school district formed a reading task force for students with special needs.
2
The task force implemented a new reading intervention program to better address underlying difficulties with reading, and took a structured, multisensory approach.
3
The task force has achieved measurable gains in literacy for children with reading difficulties.
Read the full article here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/news/bridging-gap-students-special-needs