What The Provider Says:

We believe that the ability to read opens up a world of possibilities to the individual. Reading is a door to personal, spiritual and intellectual growth as well as a necessity for a secure future in today's job market. We also believe that literacy is a cornerstone of freedom and democracy.

We at Wilson recognize that teachers are desperate for a solution to the current reading crisis. We understand their frustration. Our goal is to provide teachers with the skills and materials they need to help their students become fluent, independent readers, ready to explore the endless possibilities the world of reading has to offer.

According to the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress report (NAEP), millions of students in middle and high schools across the nation struggle to read in school every day. The number of students scoring below basic level in overall reading skill is astounding:

• 36 percent of 4th grade students;
• 25 percent of 8th grade students; and
• 26 percent of 12th grade students.

And while students from elementary school through college lack basic literacy skills, this problem does not just affect our children; some 27 million adults are functionally illiterate as well.

Although it's easy to blame the educational system, overcrowded classrooms and dwindling budgets for this problem, the fact is that many people, regardless of their age, have not been able to acquire reading and writing skills because their learning needs have never been properly assessed. The majority of these people are subject to a core deficit at the most basic level of language skill: that of phonologic coding. They have never acquired what so many of us take for granted - an internalized ability to analyze the structure of words in English and apply their understanding of that structure when reading and spelling.

Whether caused by dyslexia or some other language-based learning difficulty, a late introduction to English or over-reliance on whole language programs, this deficit must be corrected by direct, multisensory, structured language teaching.

Wilson’s mission is to provide teachers with the skills and tools they need to help their students become fluent, independent readers. We prepare teachers to use our multisensory, structured language programs and strategies to successfully teach reading and spelling.

The incorporation of Wilson Reading System principles in K-3 classes has proven so effective that Fundations was published in 2002 to provide a prevention and early intervention program for younger children. Fundations provides teachers with the tools and skills they need to bring more multisensory techniques to their instruction. It incorporates the systematic and explicit method that research indicates as the most effective approach to teaching reading and spelling.

Fundations lessons focus on carefully sequenced skills that include print knowledge, alphabet awareness, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, handwriting and vocabulary development. Critical thinking, speaking and listening skills are practiced during storytime activities. Fundations lessons consist of fifteen different activities targeting difference skills that are rotated throughout the week. When students complete the program they have automatic control over the fundamental components of literacy. These components provide a foundation in literacy on which they can build for the remainder of their educations.

Fundations is designed to supplement existing literature-based reading programs in general education classes for 25-30 minute daily lessons. It is also highly appropriate for the lowest 30 percent of the children who may be at risk for reading or writing difficulties. In this case, students should receive additional instruction 3-5 times per week.

In schools where Fundations is not used in the general education classrooms, a small group early intervention model is appropriate. In this model, students should receive Fundations instruction for 40-60 minutes each day.

Homepage: http://www.wilsonlanguage.com/index.htm

THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM, SIMPLY ENOUGH INFORMATION TO PROVIDE CONTEXT TO USER/REVIEWER COMMENTS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PROGRAMS, VISIT THE PROVIDER’S WEBSITE.


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