A teacher at a Texas elementary school used the Reading Upgrade online course to help 3rd graders facing retention to improve their TAKS test scores. Each at-risk student received one-on-one intensive instruction with Reading Upgrade in a one-month session in June 2007. After the session, students repeated the TAKS test to avoid repeating 3rd grade. Here is a letter from the teacher:
We are completing our program this week, and I want to take this special time to let you know that without you, we didn’t have a possible chance to pass our TAKS test. We took the test on Wednesday, the 27th of June, and I feel our students did a fantastic job in taking the test.
The Mean Median and Mode song video excerpt from our Math Upgrade online course has crossed 5,000 views on YouTube. Students are using the video to learn statistics basics through music. School teachers and college professors have used the video in math class lectures. Comments from students indicate the videos “brighten up” their math classes. Play the video below or follow the link to the YouTube page.
Homeschool Parent Kristin C from Marysville Washinton reports that her 15-year old son diagnosed with reading difficulties made the leap from 5th/6th grade level reading to 9th grade level reading within 6 months after completing Comprehension Upgrade. Here is her letter:
I am writing to let you know what a tremendous difference your Comprehension Upgrade has made in our family’s life, particularly for my 15-year-old son, Devon.
Devon has historically had difficulties with reading comprehension. He was first tested in 3rd grade for learning disabilities, and was identified with difficulties processing written and spoken language. He had a hard time understanding the “main point” of paragraphs and stories, and couldn’t follow complex instructions. For the next two years, he was pulled out of class twice
weekly for special help. He consistently missed class time, which put him further behind, and his self-esteem dwindled as the years went on. He was terrified of asking “stupid questions,” and was convinced that he was, in fact, “stupid.”
This downward spiral caused me to begin homeschooling both of my sons after Devon completed 5th grade. I realized he is very much a visual learner, and I’ve tried to cater more to that learning style, while still helping him to exercise his comprehension and listening “muscles” with a variety of books and programs. He regained self-confidence and proficiency in most subject areas other than Reading Comprehension. He continued to test low in this
area. In May 2006, on his 8th grade annual assessment, Devon scored a 5-6th grade Reading Comprehension level.
In frustration, I came home and searched on the Internet for something new. Most of the “reading comprehension programs” are really just stories with questions. Finally, I found Comprehension Upgrade. The program appeared to teach verbal skills visually, which I hadn’t seen before. You claimed to be able to bring him up two letter grades. “Yeah, right,” I thought to myself, but figured we should at least try. We enrolled in the Free Trial, and even though
Devon thought the speaker sounded “kinda goofy” with his over- pronunciation, he enjoyed the trial lessons and agreed to give it a shot.
Teachers from Arizona schools can now view an alignment of the Reading Upgrade, Comprehension Upgrade, and Math Upgrade courses to the Arizona Academic Standards. The correlation shows the 160 lessons in the three courses listed with each matching standard.
Our courses contain material from a number of different grade levels to provide review and intervention for struggling students. Thus you will notice a wide range of grade level standards for each course. Click “View Context” next to each standard to see it within the larger context of the standards.
We also have alignments for other states including California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Texas: see our Alignment Index for a complete list.
We’ve entered a new age, where grandparents go online to help grandchildren struggling in school. Today, grandparents often live far away from their grandkids. Parents may be too busy to provide one-on-one tutoring, or to search online for solutions. So, the ‘net-savvy grandparents tap their favorite search engine.
Many end up at learningupgrade.com, trying out the free trials of Reading Upgrade or Math Upgrade. They can sign up for a free trial, and email or phone their grandkids with the username/password. Then, the fun begins! Grandkids sign in each day at home to complete lessons, while grandparents sign in and view the detailed reports with attendance, levels completed, and areas of strength and weakness. If the grandkids are progressing, the grandparents or parents can sign in and purchase the full one-year course access.
Grandparents have shared with us the advantages of this long-distance tutoring: they can help struggling grandkids catch up, and it gives them an opportunity to interact with their grandkids.
Please share any “grand” experiences with us in the comments!
