Students show progress with dyslexia, reading services
When Dubuque resident Kate S. saw her daughter struggling to read, she knew support was needed. Fortunately, she learned that new reading services had recently expanded to the Dubuque region thanks to a partnership between the Community Foundation and Aspire Academy. After a quick and easy screening process, Aspire paired Kate’s daughter with a local tutor for two one-hour sessions per week.
“My daughter improved her iReady reading score by 32 points after just a couple of months and now reads for fun,” Kate says. “It brings us so much joy to see how she has thrived!”
Aspire Academy and the Community Foundation are celebrating two years of reading and dyslexia screening services in the Dubuque region, and Kate’s daughter is just one of dozens of children who have benefitted. Since the services began, 62 students have been screened for dyslexia, and 47 are receiving twice-weekly tutoring.
“We want everyone in the Dubuque region to know that these services are now available in their community,” says Katie Redington, administrator for Aspire Academy Northeast. “We welcome any family with concerns about their child’s reading to contact us to set up a screening and get the support they need.”
Meeting a community need
For some children, reading comes easily, and for others, it can be a challenge. In some cases, dyslexia is the cause. The Community Foundation is working to change their experiences for the better. With support from many donors, the Foundation partnered with Aspire Academy, which trains community members to be dyslexia tutors and provide services.
The Dubuque region has historically lacked resources for people with this learning disability. The closest dyslexia tutoring centers are 90 minutes away and can have waitlists of up to two years, meaning children who need services now will be at further risk of learning loss as they await availability. Plus, tutoring can be cost-prohibitive for many families.
Tutoring and screening services are now available for children in kindergarten through high school in Dubuque, Allamakee and Jones counties. Tutors are trained in the Wilson Reading System, an Orton-Gillingham method, and work one-on-one in person with students. The Community Foundation also offers scholarships for students based on family income.
“We are proud to partner with Aspire Academy and grateful to the generous donors who have made these services possible in our region,” says Josie Manternach, the Community Foundation program officer who oversees the partnership.
How it works
Tutors work to identify the root causes of each student’s reading, writing, and spelling challenges and tailor lessons to their specific needs. The Orton-Gillingham philosophy, which is the basis for the training tutors receive, helps teach children to methodically break the reading code based on their individual skill set and at their own pace.
Every one-on-one session is led by the same local tutor to create a personalized, consistent learning experience that builds confidence and competencies for success in the classroom and beyond.
Community sites serve as comfortable, familiar locations for children to receive services. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dubuque, Northeast Iowa Community College, local libraries, Bread of Life First Presbyterian Church and Dubuque Community School District locations currently serve as tutoring sites. Furthermore, staff at the Dubuque Dream Academy have completed the tutor training and have the capacity to serve students independently. Tutoring also has expanded into surrounding counties, including Jones and Allamakee.
Real improvements
Students receiving tutoring have made measurable progress in the first two years services have been available. Using the Word Identification and Spelling Test (WIST) as scoring tool, most students begin well below the national average, scoring in the bottom 30% of readers their age.
While typical school programs improve reading scores by just 3 to 5 points annually, students receiving services from Aspire see even greater improvement.
Average word recognition scores improved by 18.3 points, 3 to 5 times better than national averages for typical programs.
Average spelling scores improved by 7.1 points, meaning students moved from “struggling” to “grade-level.”
Average phonemic awareness scores improved by 21 points, which helps build a foundation for lifelong reading success.
“The data shows that, with tutoring, students go from the bottom of their class to confidently tackling grade-level material,” says Heidi Stoffel, founder and executive director of Aspire Academy. “That’s the difference between barely reading and thriving academically.”
Next steps
Families interested in services can contact Katie Redington at kredington@aspireiowa.com or 515-249-8286.
Community members interested in becoming tutors can contact Josie Manternach at josie@dbqfoundation.org or 563-588-2700.
Donors can make gifts that support scholarships by visiting dbqfoundation.org/EndowECR.