Learning Upgrade News

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.

(more after the jump)

We started in the fall. Devon worked slowly but surely, completing 1-2 lessons per day, three times per week. He would sit down at the computer and use headphones, so he could focus totally. He worked for probably 30 minutes per day, as he had a lower tolerance than the suggested hour per day. Some days, he’d get frustrated because he’d get wrong answers time and again, so I’d tell him to just take a break. But despite some frustration, he enjoyed the
program itself with its flashy animations and funny “hip” songs. After a couple of months, he earned the Bronze Award. He was so proud! Over the next months, he earned the Silver and finally, the Gold Award, bringing up all of his lesson scores to 95% or higher!

I am happy to report that in May, 2007 on his assessment to complete 9th grade, Devon tested at a 9th grade level on Reading Comprehension! He has brought up his scores by 3-4 letter grades with Comprehension Upgrade in six months, and is now at grade level for the first time in his life! I can’t tell you what that test score meant for Devon, and for me. He was so proud to earn that. And I know for a fact that your program is what helped him achieve
that grade.

He understands how to approach research now. He has a plan for understanding what he’s reading. He now knows exactly what reference books he needs for what situation. He knows how to map out a variety of information in a meaningful way. Most importantly, he can retain
information now. It’s like a miracle for him.

As a parent, I want you to know how much we appreciated the reports and the awards. It meant so much to him to be able to print out those awards, because it gave him tangible evidence of his success. And since I could print out the reports, I could see EXACTLY where he was doing well or struggling. The program itself gives students so many tools to use in school, and the tools are presented in a totally visual/interactive way.

As I mentioned, Devon is a visual learner, and I don’t think visual or kinesthetic learners get as much attention in the public education system. Our schools tend to be geared for verbal learners, maybe because many verbal learners grow up to teach. But Comprehension Upgrade brings concepts to life with their “hip” Flash animations, songs, and loud, slow
speaking. These concepts have been behind a locked door for Devon up to this point, and now they are suddenly opened up to him.

We honestly can’t thank you enough for developing this program. It has far-exceeded my hopes and was worth every penny of its cost. I ended up buying it for my other son, as well. We also hope to try out your new Math Upgrade as soon as we can. Your programs are gifts from heaven for children who have had difficulties with any sort of language processing difficulties. It is made for the visual and kinesthetic learners of the world, who mistakenly often believe they are “not good at school.” You give them a chance to succeed.

Thank you so much for your fantastic work!
Blessings,
Kristin C
Homeschooling Parent
Marysville, WA

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 at 10:28 am and is filed under Parents. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.