Academic Associates Hall of Fame
Brett was the first in the family to go through the Academic Associates™ reading program. Brett began the course in May of his
second-grade year of school reading at the sixth month of first-grade level. He finished forty hours later reading at the fifth
month of third- grade. “He really got it,” said his mom. “Now he loves to read. We are so pleased!” Oh, and by the way, Brett
scored 97% in comprehension of third grade material. Way to go, Brett!
After such a great result with Brett, his parents decided to enroll his older sister, Kendall, who was reading about a year behind
her current fourth-grade level. Kendall had struggled with a diagnosed auditory processing deficiency throughout her school years.
In 47 hours of instruction in the Academic Associates™ reading program, Kendall raised her reading ability to mid-seventh-grade. Her
comprehension was 98% at the fourth-grade level. “I cried when I got the STAR testing results,” Kendall’s mom said. “She was
proficient – in everything! She’s never done so well. Your program is just what she needed!”
Sunny earned the highest initial score on the Assessment of Basic Word Attack Skills of any student I have ever tested. She is a
voracious reader, devouring books on her favorite subjects: animals and mythical creatures. Even so, she was still reading slightly
below her mid-fourth-grade school level when she began the program. In a mere 23 hours of instruction, Sunny raised her reading ability
to the second month of ninth-grade! How did she go through the program so quickly? She studied her rules constantly between classes.
“I think the fact that English is a second language for us (her parents) has made it more difficult for Sunny. We don’t use a lot of
different words (synonyms) when we speak English, so Sunny doesn’t have the vocabulary she should, and her work suffered. Her
self-confidence has increased along with her abilities,” mom says proudly. “She can’t wait for class each week!” After completing the
reading course, Sunny stayed on for help with her writing skills and is now enjoying her journalism class in middle school. She sends
me various pieces she writes which I never tire of receiving!
John and Thomas were my first “twin experience.” They came to me with a unique talent: twinspeak. Twinspeak is the term used when twins
develop their own language. As toddlers, John and Thomas had a way of communicating that others could not understand. This “language”
resulted in speech impediments and difficulty in speaking proper English. They were also behind in their reading ability — Thomas a full
six months behind John. Eager to learn, they completed the entire course, a feat not attempted by any other first-graders! It paid off in
a four-year gain in reading ability for each boy. They went from being struggling “early birds” to being the best readers in their classes.
Now they are “late birds” and enjoy sleeping in.
Lauren began the course in the summer following second grade. Although she was decoding at the mid-third-grade level, she didn’t enjoy
reading. After 42 hours of instruction, Lauren was reading at the eighth month of seventh-grade level. Lauren’s mom, Lisa, remarked, “Lauren
is never without a book now. She loves to read to us, and we actually have to tell her to stop reading and go to bed!” Music to my ears!
These are just a few of many success stories created with our reading course. If you would like your child to be a member of the Academic
Associates™ Hall of Fame, call to schedule a free, no obligation assessment. It could be the most important call you ever make for your child!