There are many reasons why some very bright children do not read as well as they should. Large classes certainly make it more difficult for students to concentrate and more difficult for teachers to correct. But at Balboa City School we have found that sometimes it is as simple as correcting poor instructional strategies, introducing scientifically based academic strategies or providing more individual time in smaller classrooms. But in other cases, children may have a neurological challenge such as dyslexia which prevent them from acquiring this very important skill without specialized instruction. The good news is that students can learn to read at any age with the proper interventions.
At Balboa City School, we have a three-tiered approach to reading instruction, assessment and intervention. First, our small classrooms with low student-teacher ratio and research-based direct instruction methods can help struggling readers master necessary skills. The direction instruction methodology is progressive, consistent, and the most efficient reading program available. In our classes, in addition to proper decoding and phonemic-based lessons, all students are given lots of opportunities to practice their reading skills in order to improve their fluency and reading comprehension. Used and tested in classrooms across the United States, most of our struggling readers do quite well with this program of instruction.
Second, students who continue to struggle may require additional help, or scaffolding support, including working individually or exposure to word attack programs such as Fast For Word or other support strategies. Often, Fast For Word is recommended by reading specialist. We can provide it to our students on a daily basis at a significant cost savings to parents.
And finally, in some cases through continual monitoring and assessment, we may find that a student requires a more intensive intervention for dyslexia. Balboa City School is a member of and supports the International Dyslexia Association of San Diego. We have adopted their recommended approach to reading interventions for our dyslexic students. This includes an Orton-Gillingham based program that is multisensory, structured, sequential and cumulative with each student working at their own pace to master essential reading skills. This approach teaches the basics of word formation and phonological awareness and engages students in the three ways in which people learn – visual, auditory and kinesthetic. We offer parents options for small group programs as well as one-on-one intensive intervention under the supervision of a doctor of reading/dyslexia expert.
We fully understand that when a child struggles to read this not only affects their academic success, it affects their self-esteem and overall school experience. At Balboa City School, we offer families support in each of these areas. In fact, we make the promise, at our initial interview that if your child is suffering from low self esteem due to lack of progress in school or reading, that they should look for a “different” child within just a few days. Being a private school, we have the advantage of much smaller classes, and the capacity to craft a personal education program rather quickly. Almost all graduates of our school attend four-year colleges. One of the most important tenets of the Balboa City School philosophy is that just as many dyslexics are gifted as in any other group and so modifying down their curriculum, or lowering expectations actually can create more problems in school than they resolve.