Success by 3rd Grade Archives

Avoid Third Grade Retention by Improving Reading Comprehension

April 7, 2016 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Beat Third Grade Retention and Focus on Success by Fourth Grade

Third grade retention in Florida can be avoided, even if your child failed the third grade reading FSA or your child opted out of the third grade reading FSA, but a student must meet one of the good cause exemptions. Some people believe that third grade retention is mandatory if a child gets a Level 1 on the Third Grade Reading FSA.

That is false. In one of Florida’s better moves, they created a series of Good Cause Exemptions from 3rd Grade Retention that include:

Passing a student portfolio that demonstrates a student has mastered the relevant skills
Passing a test that is typically given the last week of school
Passing a test that is given at the end of summer school
Passing a test in the summer
Not allowing a student with an IEP or Individualized Education Plan to be held back twice before 4th grade
Now, a student can only be held back once in 3rd grade

We have seen cases where a student failed the third grade reading FSA, because of an anxiety challenge, but for the majority of students, …

Third Grade Retention Usually Indicates a Reading Comprehension Issue

Jeff Solochek’s blog from the Tampa Bay Tribune, recently had an article on third grade retention titled — “Will My Florida Third Grader Have to Repeat The Grade?” Both his blog post and this one are written before results have been given to schools or parents.

3rd Grade Retention by Improving Reading Comprehension

Beat Third Grade Retention by Improving Reading Comprehension

Three key points to consider:

1- Most students facing third grade retention risks have a reading comprehension issue — on average, students we have tested who failed the third grade reading FSA have a reading comprehension level 1.5 to 3 years below grade level

2- You first want to determine if third grade retention may be right for your child – this is not often the case — but where a child has a combination of a significant reading comprehension issue, attention issues and/or a summer birthday, third grade retention may be right

3- In the majority of cases, the key is to address the relevant issues — that are often causes by the child being a visual learner and processing challenges — that may include attention, visual processing and/or related issues.

Beat Third Grade Retention by Screening for the visual learner and attention and/or eye-teaming issue

If your child failed the third grade reading FSA or just has a reading comprehension issue, we suggest you either:

Take our Success Assessment that screens for the visual learner and attention and visual processing challenges. Take the Success Assessment with your child.
Call us at 56-361-7495 and shift the Focus from Third Grade Retention to Success by Fourth Grade

Parents Make The Difference 4 Success by Third Grade

July 26, 2015 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Why Parents Make The Difference for Success by Third Grade

In this New York Times article titled “Yes, Your Time as a Parent Does Make a Difference“. the author correctly argues that parents make a difference.

In this article we are discussing parents role in helping your child to achieve success by third grade where your child is a smart child who learns differently. Over 60 percent of the students learn differently and an overwhelming percentage of the smart struggling students do, too. We call these students right-brain learners — because their strength is learning best when the student sees and experiences information, and their strength is in the right-brain.

We will also assume that if your child learns differently, your child has either an attention and/or eye-teaming issue — which is true for over 98% of the students we see.

For Success by Third Grade, we change the wording from Parents Make a Difference to Parents Make The Difference for 5 key reasons:

1- Most systems in schools are slow to diagnose students with learning problems. In the last year that Florida reported the data, half the students diagnosed with a disability were not diagnosed until 3rd grade. Parents can initiate a process to have your child evaluated – more on this is available at our page The RTI Trap, that discusses how far too many students are caught in the Response to Intervention or RTI Process that is designed to help students without special education services, but too often delays or denies evaluations.

2- Most school-based programs are logical, sequential and auditory and do not serve the right-brain learner. These right-brain learners often have problems with reading comprehension and standardized tests, in large part because they learn differently and have an attention, eye-teaming or related issue.

3- Eye-teaming issues, where a child skips words and lines when reading, are not often caught my school based testing.

4- Psychological testing, done by either a school-based psychologist or an outside psychologist, often misses the learning difference and eye-teaming issues

5- To achieve Success by Third Grade for your child, parents make the difference by

– Identifying if your child has a problem early on. Research shows that if your child has a word identification problem in 1st grade there is almost a 90% chance that your child will be a poor reader in 4th grade. As a parent, you want to proactively identify how your child learns best and your child’s challenges ASAP.

– Understanding if your child learns differently and whether your child has an attention, eye-teaming and/or related issue

– Finding out what your child’s present level of reading comprehension is. Too often reading tests in the early grades measure reading fluency — how well your child reads out loud and does not measure reading comprehension. Reading fluency is quite important, but the key academic skill your child needs to succeed in school, on standardized tests and in life is reading comprehension.

– Finding the right program to get your child back to grade level- recognizing that right-brain programs often work best for right-brain learners

When a student is identified in 1st or 2nd grade, there is a far greater chance to get back to grade level. Even if the learning difference is identified in 3rd grade, there are some programs that can help your child to achieve success in months not years.

If you would like more information, visit our Success by 3rd Grade page where you will get at no cost:

– A downloadable copy of our book “Success by 3rd Grade”.

– Our Success Assessment that screens for a learning difference, attention, eye-teaming and related issue

– A Success by Third Grade Strategy session

We encourage you to visit Success by Third Grade and to call 561-361-7495 so you can be a Make the Difference Parent.

Boca Raton Parent Coach for Success by Third Grade

July 25, 2015 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Boca Raton Parent Coach Focused on Success by Third Grade for Your Child

As parent coaches, we help local students from the Boca Raton area and parents nationwide via Skype and phone conversations

The Challenge was Third Grade Retention

The parents were concerned. Their third grade son had been in the Gifted Program in Kindergarten and first grade. Then he had been transferred into the regular classes. Now in third grade, he was facing third grade retention.

The parents had invested in tutors, two nationally known learning centers and a phonics-based tutor with some success. Mom was told her son was reading at grade level, but his reading comprehension was below grade level.

Mom had gone to Google and typed in Boca Raton Parent Coach in Parent Coach and her mom, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, had typed in Parent Coach

What they found was a great list of therapists, who could be an excellent parent coach for psychological challenges, but a therapist was not what they needed.

Next, the first went to Understood, a very interesting website that has been put together by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of America and other great organizations.

The grandmother went to a page that represents a joint effort on Third Grade Retention by NCLD and LDA

Both the mother and the grandmother were confused. They agreed third grade retention could and should be a last resort as the NCLD and LDA paper suggested, but nowhere were they given any guidance on how to help their child or grandchild to succeed by third grade.

3D Learner Focuses on Success by Third Grade

We have four children. Two of our children read well at an early age. One struggled for years, until Mira, their mother, developed the 3D Learner Program (R).

Our 4th child was able to succeed in 3rd because we got it right early on.

5 Key Insights:

1- Most smart struggling students learn differently — they learn best when they see and experience information. We call these students right-brain learners

2- Almost every right-brain learner we have met has either an attention and/or eye teaming issue – over half of the right-brain learners we have tested have both an attention and eye-teaming issue

3- These issues can be identified as early as 1st of 2nd grade, but are often missed, sometimes forever

4- With help, most right-brain learners can achieve Success by Third Grade

5- A Parent Coach who can help you to identify whether your child is a right-brain learner and whether your child has an attention and/or eye-teaming issue can be invaluable

To help your child to achieve Success by Third Grade, we would like to offer you at no cost:

– Additional information at our Success by Third Grade Page

– A copy of our book Success by 3rd Grade — that you can download at the bottom of that webpage

– A no cost assessment that you can do with your child that screens for learning differences and attention, eye-teaming and related challenges

– A no cost strategy session focused on Success by Third Grade for Your Child

We invite you to go to Success by Third Grade, read the book, do the assessment and call us at 561-361-7495 for your Success by Third Grade Strategy Session — we help students of all ages, but know that Success by Third Grade is the right time to get it right by.

Boca Raton Reading Tutor for Success in Months Not Years

July 1, 2015 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Boca Raton Reading Tutor For Success in Months Not Years

Finding the right Boca Raton Reading Tutor had taken mom 3 years to find. She had been told to work on reading fluency, she had been told daughter needed an Orton-Gillingham Tutor, and she had been told to trust the school.

She had invested in 6 different Boca Raton reading tutors until she read these questions:

– Does your child remember places visited, even from years ago?

– Does your child learn best when he or she sees and experiences information?

– Does your child lose focus when bored or frustrated?

– Does your child skip words and lines when reading?

– Are your child’s reading comprehension and test scores below what you would expect given how smart your child is?

– Would you like a Reading tutor that can lead to significant gains in months not years?

When she called to discuss these questions, there were 5 thoughts that became clearer

1- She recognized her son learned differently. The logical, sequential and auditory approach used by schools and most Boca Raton Tutors did not work for her son — she was interested in a Reading Tutor that would teach to her child’s strengths

2- The attention problem had caused a battle in her family. One parent had thought an attention problem existed, while the other knew he could hyper-focus on that which was interesting – video games. They did not realize that the ability to hyper-focus on that which is interesting and to lose focus on that which was boring was consistent with an attention problem

3- They eye-teaming issue was new to them. They knew their child has good vision, but when they had done our Success Assessment with their son — it became clear a vision issue existed

4- They did not realize that kids who learn differently and who have both attention and eye-teaming issues was very common — over 62% of the students learn differently and over half the students we see who learn differently also have an attention and eye-teaming issue. They also did not realize their son’s reading speed was half of what was expected.

Reading Tutor for Results in Months Not Years

5- That if their child was taught to his strengths, his attention and eye-teaming issues were addressed and he had the learning strategies to succeed, he could accomplish significant gains in months not years.

Mom asked a several excellent questions:

– Why don’t schools test for learning differences and eye-teaming issues?

– How come reading speed has never even been discussed?

– How come you say it is possible for my son to achieve success in months not years and the school tells me either

– Don’t worry, everyone learns to read at their own speed

– It will take 2 to 3 years to get your child back to grade level

Our answers were straightforward:

1- We have the luxury of working with committed parents and too often their children are overlooked, because there are other students with more pressing needs

2- We cannot explain why schools do not focus on learning differences, eye-teaming issues and achieving success in months not years

3- We provide an integrated system that is designed to deliver results in months not years and we work collaboratively with parents, schools and other professionals.

For more information”

If your child is in Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd or 3rd grades go to Success by Third Grade

If your child is in 4th grade or above, go to Success in Months Not Years

Then take our Success Assessment and call us at 561-361-7495

Third Grade Retention Down – Risks Up

June 6, 2015 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Third Grade Retention — Testing Fiasco Masks Reading Comprehension Problems

As Leslie Postal wrote in the Orlando Sentinel Florida is giving school districts a list of the lowest 20% of the students, based on the 3rd Grade Reading Florida Standards Assessment.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-third-graders-reading-retention-20150603-story.html

Schools, with guidance from school districts, decided this year who will be promoted to 4th grade and which studens will be impacted by third grade retention.

The challenge is the standards are higher, the number of students reading far below grade level, but the schools are hesitant to retain 3rd graders.

Testing Fiasco, Fewer Retentions and Reading Comprehension Issues

The Burden to Your Child Falls to You the Parents

According to the Children’s Reading Foundation, half the written curriculum will be incomprehensible to fourth grade student’s reading below grade level”

Based on 2014 students, those retained were often reading 1.5 to 3 years below grade level. With the new and much harder standards, those students who are really struggling but who get promoted, are likely to be 2, 3 or even 3.5 years below grade level.

What can you do as a parent to help your child:

1- The right mindset can make a huge difference. There are programs that can help get your child closer to grade level Our recommendation is that you consider “Reading Success is the Only Option”. That way, you can be committed to that goal and open on the how. That is exactly what Zach’s parents did

2- Then you want to understand whether your child learns differently, and whether your child has an attention, eye-teaming or related issue.

Half the students we see learn differently and have attention and eye-teaming issue. The other factor is that many of these students have average, above average and even gifted IQs.

The last item is to get an accurate reading on your child’s reading comprehension. Often schools use reading fluency or short passage comprehension to assess a child’s reading. The tests use longer passages with more complex questions.

Frequently parents of third graders are told your child is behind, but when the student’s are tested on longer passages, the assessment shows the gap to be 2 or even 3 years below grade level.

Goal setting is a critical next step. Even smart struggling students make less than 1 grade level improvement in a year, and they often fall further and further behind. If you set the goal to get your child back to grade level, you will need to find a different approach.

The last item is to find a system that can accomplish your goals, that capitalizes on how your child learns best and identifies and addresses your child’s attention, eye-teaming and related issues.

The last step is to make it happen.

Getting a student who is entering 4th grade back to grade level who is 2 to 3 years below grade level in reading is a tall order. The good news is that it is often possible. What it takes is the right mindset, understanding your child, setting BOLD Goals, find the right system and then make it happen

If you would like help with this process, go to www.3dlearner.com/success-by-3rd-grade and then give us a call at 561-361-7495.

Alternatives to Grade Retention by Linda Darling-Hammond

May 30, 2015 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Linda Darling Hammond, an education expert from Columbia Teachers College, has written an excellent article on the Alternatives to Grade Retention.

If neither social promotion or grade retention is the answer, what does Linda Darling Hammond recommend:

There are at least four complementary strategies school administrators can employ:

enhancing professional development for teachers to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills they need to teach a wider range of students to meet the standards;
redesigning school structures to support more intensive learning;
ensuring that targeted supports and services are available for students when they are needed; and
employing classroom assessments that better inform teaching.

One challenge is that conservatives favor grade retention. The article discusses this.

In their book The Closing Door: Conservative Policy and Black Opportunity, Gary Orfield and Carole Ashkinaze noted of the grade retention policies of the 1980s accountability era: “Although most of the reforms were popular, the policymakers and educators simply ignored a large body of research showing that they would not produce academic gains and would increase dropout rates. In other words, this was a policy with no probable educational benefits and large costs. The benefits were political and the costs were borne by at-risk students. The damage was psychological as well as educational, increasing the likelihood that at-risk students would drop out before receiving their diplomas; school districts were also hurt by the diversion of resources to repetitive years of education for many students.”

What can a parent do to reduce the risk of grade retention.

First, one should be aware of the ways to have your child be promoted. In Florida, the initial state to introduce mandatory third grade retention for those failing the third grade reading test and not meeting one of the six good cause exemptions, the best options are:

1- Pass the state mandated test — improving reading comprehension is by far the best option

2- Be aware of the good cause exemptions and working with your child’s teacher and school is the next best option. In Florida, here is a paper produced by the Florida Department of Education. These include:

EXEMPTIONS FROM THIRD-GRADE RETENTION

Some third-graders who score Level 1 on the FCAT in reading can be exempted from the retention requirement and be promoted to fourth grade. This is called a “good cause exemption.” Good cause exemptions are given to only the following students:

1. Limited English proficient students who have had less than two years of instruction in an English for Speakers of Other

Languages program.

2. Students with disabilities whose individual educational plan (IEP) shows that it is not appropriate for them to take the FCAT.

3. Students who show an acceptable level of performance on an alternative standardized reading test approved by the

State Board of Education.

4. Students who show through a teacher-developed portfolio that they can read on grade level.*

5. Students with disabilities who take the FCAT and whose IEP or 504 Plan says that they have received intensive remediation in reading for more than two years but who still show a deficiency in reading and who were previously retained in kindergarten through grade 3

6. Students who have received intensive remediation in reading for two or more years but who still has a deficiency in reading and who have already been retained in kindergarten through grade 3 for a total of two years.

Linda Darling-Hammond’s recommendations will take time to implement and the Good Cause exemptions are a good option if your child has failed the 3rd grade reading test. but we suggest shifting the focus to success by third grade

For more on our “Success by 3rd Grade” initiative go to our Success by Third Grade page

Success Early and Beat 1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade Retention

May 25, 2015 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Research shows that “almost 9 of 10 children who were deficient in word recognition skills in first grade were poor readers in fourth grade. This research led to the adoption of Response to Intervention or RTI to identify students early and to avoid the need for special education services.

Unfortunately, the new system has not led to improved reading comprehension, it has led to fewer students being identified with learning disabilities and with the new Common Core Standards, we fear these new policies will result in …

a sharp increase in first grade retention and second grade retention, in an attempt to reduce the failure rate in third grade.

Some experts like WrightsLaw have put forth strategies to avoid grade retention.

We respect this effort, but it ignores three key points:

– We know who these kids are in first grade, and by second and third grade it is far clearer who they are

– We know why many of these students do not succeed — and it is different from what the schools and psychologists focus on. We believe there are five key reasons:

– Most smart struggling students learn differently — that is they learn best when he or she sees and experiences information

– Many of these students lose focus when reading and taking long tests — which drives grade retentiomn

– Many of these students skip words and lines when reading and schools often miss this issue

– Too often schools use indirect measures of reading comprehension on longer passages and parents are not aware of how far behind their child really is

– Most remedial programs do not capitalize on the students strengths nor do they address the attention, eye-teaming or attention challenges

Looking at this from the end in mind, you may want to:

– Find the right program that plays to your child’s strengths, identifies and addresses his or her challenges and allows your child to succeed

– You will need to better understand your child’s learning style and his or her weaknesses

– First, and most important of all, you need to decide that Success Early is the key to avoid First Grade Retention, Second Grade Retention and Third Grade Retention and to be successful in life.

The benefits of this approach include:

– Being committed to success and open on the how

– Really understanding your child’s learning style; your child’s challenges; and your child’s present level of reading comprehension

– Finding the right program that can help your child to succeed in months and not years

– Having that great feeling that you helped your smart struggling child to succeed

To help you, we would like to offer you three things at no cost:

– We have written a book “Success by 3rd Grade” that is designed to help you to help your child

– A Success Assessment that will help you to understand how your child learns best and what is holding your child back

– A Strategy Session designed to help you to answer your key questions

For more information visit Success by Third Grade

10 Strategies to Fight Mandatory Retention Plus An Even More Effective One

May 25, 2015 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Fight Mandatory Retention By Making Success by Third Grade Your Goal

WrightsLaw, a very well respected Special Education Law Practice has written an excellent article on 10 Strategies to Fight Mandatory Retention.

Before commenting on their strategies, we would like to comment on 5 things:

1- Third grade retention is now the law in over 15 states and that is likely to increase. The research does not support this policy but it is an integral part of the conservative agenda — it does drive people to charter and private schools

2- First grade retention and second grade retention are likely to soar as schools proactively hold students back in the hope that earlier grade retention will improve their third grade reading proficiency

3- We believe that Success by Third Grade is the right goal — and recognize that Success by First Grade or Success by Second Grade are even better

4- Many third graders promoted to 4th grade find they do not understand much of what he or she reads

5- By far the best approach is to Fight Mandatory Retention by helping your child to succeed:

– Improve your child’s reading comprehension to grade level as soon as possible

– Do everything possible to instill a love of reading and make sure your child reads at least 30 minutes a day

– Once you get your child to grade level, make sure your child stays at grade level

If first grade retention, second grade retention or third grade retention is a risk, visit our Success by Third Grade webpage, download a copy of our “Success by 3rd Grade Book”, take our no cost Success Assessment, and then if the shoe fits, call us for a no cost Success by Third Grade strategy session

The 10 strategies in the article include:

1- Requesting a copy of your child’s file

2- Get copies of all reading assessments that have been done

3- Find out what intensive reading interventions have been used

4- Meet with the IEP Team

5- Educate others

If your child has an IEP and you are proactive and seeing this in 1st or 2nd grade, then meeting with the IEP Team and make sure all possible actions are taken.

If your child is at risk for grade retention and your child does not have an IEP, an Individualized Education Plan, then initiate the process.

The school may say your child is in Response to Intervention (RTI) or a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and they wait until this process is completed before doing a special education assessment.

Melody Musgrove, the Federal Director of OSEP, the Office of Special Education Programs, has written a very clear letter, that says that RTI cannot be used to delay or deny an evaluation. For a copy of that letter and a sample letter to send to your child’s school go to the RTI Trap.

Fight Mandatory Retention by Making Success by Third Grade is Your Goal

For more information and to join our Success by Third Grade effort:

– Visit our Success by Third Grade Page

– Download a copy of our book “Success by 3rd Grade”

– Call for a no cost strategy session to explore how you can help your child and others to achieve Success by Third Grade at 561-361-7495

Best Way to Beat Third Grade Retention Effective Remediation

May 24, 2015 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Best Way to Beat Third Grade Retention – Effective Remediation

Donna Volpitta wrote an article for Understood titled “The School Says My Child Needs to Repeat Third Grade. What Can I Do?”

Parents in Parkland Florida or Coral Springs may benefit from a Parent Advocate who is familiar with the Broward County Schools, the law and how to help your child improve. A Parkland Parent Advocate may well understand the Parkland Schools and a Coral Springs Parent Advocate may help a Coral Springs parent.

Our 3D Learner Team has looked at 3rd Grade Retention, and we decided to shift the focus to Success by Third Grade.

Our rationale for this shift is based on the following 8 premises:

– The rules for First Grade Retention and Second Grade Retention are clear — third grade retention rules are still evolving — in any case, it significantly increases your options when your child is succeesful

– The chances a child might be faced with third grade retention are likely to be 50% higher in 2016 when the new passing scores are in effect

– Neither the Federal Department of Education nor the Florida Department of Education are focused on Success by Third Grade — in Florida the passing scores for both 4th and 5th grade reading each count 4 times as much as the 3rd grade passing scores — therefore, some schools are shifting resources to 4th and 5th graders

– Many smart struggling students face the risk of third grade retention, because they learn differently (i.e. they are right-brain learners) and they often have attention, eye-teaming and/or related issues

– Success by Third Grade is far more likely for a right-brain learner if he or she is taught with a right-brain program and their attention, eye-teaming and related issues are identified and addressed

– Schools do not tend to look at how a child learns best nor do they identify and address the attention, eye-teaming and/or related issues

– As a parent, you want your child to achieve Success by 3rd Grade and you want to avoid 3rd grade retention

– You want to be the Informed, Empowered and Proactive Parents who make the difference for your child

We have embarked on a Success by Third Grade campaign. We have met with the United States Department of Education and the Florida Department of Education and at present, we must admit their reaction has been a polite nod. They say they will consider it, but they continue to focus on expanding preschool and increasing high school graduation rates.

That leaves the burden to your child’s teacher and you. To find an outside solution, the burden falls squarely on you – the parents.

The good news is the Learning Disabilities Association of Florida, the Florida Advocacy Coalition on Learning Differences and the Learning Disabilities Association of America have adopted Success by Third Grade as a key initiative

To help parents and educators to understand the risks and the opportunities we have:

– Written a short book title “Success by 3rd Grade”

– A webpage devoted to Success by 3rd Grade

– A commitment to continue to provide webinars, articles, and programs on Success by Third Grade

We realize that quality organizations like NCLD and LDA has put out valuable information on Third Grade Retention and Best Practices and we suggest you read them

We then urge you to use Third Grade Retention risks as a catalyst to shift the focus to Success by Third Grade

Visit our Success by 3rd Grade webpage, download our Success by 3rd Grade book and take our Success Assessment

Then consider Effective Remediation as the best way to Beat Third Grade Retention and to achieve Success by Third Grade for your child.

Give us a call at 561-361-7495 for a no cost Strategy Session

Improve Reading Comprehension – Beat Third Grade Retention

May 18, 2015 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Focus on Success by Third Grade to Beat Third Grade Retention

Some research shows that Second Grade Retention is more effective than Third Grade Retention

Other articles present ways to navigate your way around Mandatory Third Grade Retention.

There is a real risk in following either approach. Second grade retention may be better than third grade retention, but it would be far better to improve your child’s reading comprehension to grade level and avoid either second grade retention or third grade retention.

Success by Third Grade Beats Third Grade Retention

Third Grade Retention has a place– for those students not reading at grade level by the end of third grade may not understand half of what he or she reads in 4th grade.

With the move to the Common Core Standards or the Florida State Standards in Florida, there is presently a chaotic system. In Florida, the state has given the districts the role of deciding who should be promoted and who should suffer third grade retention — all this based on a hastily written law that transferred this responsibility to the districts.

For 2016, the percent of third graders facing third grade retention is likely to rise to 25 to 30%

Many parents will consider private schools or homeschooling to avoid third grade retention. The challenge is your child’s reading comprehension many be 2 to 3 years below grade level – and too many private schools do not effectively identify or address this issue.

Home schooling a child with a significant reading comprehension issue can be very difficult, unless you get the help your child needs to bring their reading comprehension up to or at least close to grade level.

Informed, Empowered and Proactive Parents Can Make The Difference

Take Cathy, her second grade son was really in trouble. He avoided reading and his reading proficiency was very low. She had the advantage of a proactive grandparent, who contacted us. Within 7 weeks her son was at grade level, and he easily passed the 3rd grade test.

Jane was in a different position. She was told at the beginning of 3rd grade that 3rd grade retention was a given. No matter what she did, her daughter would be retained. With the right help, her daughter scored above grade level.

Robert’s son failed the 3rd grade reading FCAT– he needed to score at the 45th percentile on the SAT 10 to be promoted and to avoid third grade retention. With the right help, within two months his son was able to improve to the 74th percentile and both avoid 3rd grade retention and he was well prepared for 4th grade.

The Florida Department of Education has declined to endorse the Success by Third Grade Effort supported by the Learning Disabilities Association of Florida and the Florida Advocacy Coalition for Learning Differences.

With the State of Florida focusing on third grade retention and not Success by Third Grade, parents are forced to be more proactive. To help you to understand the landscape and to be an informed, empowered and proactive parent, we would like to provide you with three no cost tools:

1- A downloadable copy of Success by Third Grade — a short book we have authored

2- A Success Assessment that screens for a learning difference and attention, eye-teaming and related issues

3- A Success by Third Grade Strategy Session that focuses on the burning issues impacting your child

Click here to put your child on his or her pathway to Success by Third Grade