Recently, we caught up with Lori Lewis, Special Education Director at our Spring Grove campus, who pioneered a reading program that is active on several River Rock campuses. We asked Lori about the program, how it was started, and the impact it is making. Read on to learn more. 

What is your background in reading? 

Reading is near and dear to my heart. Another hat I wear outside of River Rock is that I work at the Children’s Dyslexia Center in Harrisburg, PA. I was a tutor there for many years before I became a director for several years. After becoming the Special Education Director at the Spring Grove campus, I stepped down from that position to a role as a principal trainer.  

How did the reading program get started? 

When I came to River Rock, I found that students needed more targeted support in achieving their reading goals on their Individualized Education Plans (IEP). In certain instances, there were students reading at a fourth-grade level who were expected to read high school level texts and were unable to. A lot of districts approached us saying that the students needed support. Some of the districts began supporting their middle and high school students with reading classes, with one class even requiring reading for graduation.  

At the time, our campus English teacher was encouraged to also teach the students reading. This was a challenge, as the skills needed to understand English and the skills needed to read are very different, so not much progress was being made in the class. After a while, the administration felt it was time for a change and asked us if anyone would be willing to pilot reading programs. Naturally, my hand shot up right away!  

How does the program work? 

We use a program called Achieve 3000, which is what several of our school districts use, making it an easy integration for the students. During the school year, we hired a full-time reading teacher, who, along with me and our Director of Curriculum, created the contents of our reading program. We essentially built the car while it was rolling, but it worked out fabulously! 

Joyce Livingston, our reading teacher, uses this program with our middle and high school students, as well as students who are significantly struggling in reading. She works with students on phonics, phonological awareness, the alphabet, sounds, and similar concepts. For younger elementary students, she works in group settings as they are receiving reading instruction. For older elementary, middle, and high school students, she works with them individually. This helps them feel more comfortable reading out loud and they have seen tremendous growth.  

What does the future look like? 

It has been very fun to report to parents and school districts about how much the students are improving. The direct, explicit instruction from our reading program is helping students advance their reading capabilities, particularly older students. This program was once exclusive to the Spring Grove campus, but due to its success, it is now being implemented in several other campuses. My hope is that one day, this program is in effect at all River Rock Academy locations to give all our students the instruction they deserve.