From Tutorial to Language Focus Area

About five years ago Carroll redesigned its tutorial and language program to reflect the findings of the National Reading Panel and recommendations from the National Institutes of Health. In summary (please find links below for more detail), the National Reading Panel stated that effective reading instruction must follow a five step instructional process: (1) phonemic awareness, (2) structured phonics, (3) fluency, (4) vocabulary, and (5) comprehension. Carroll's response has been to construct a language arts program that moves from phonemic awareness (the beginning of Orton- Gillingham instruction), to structured phonics (initially delivered in O-G tutorial), to fluency (delivered in an LFA- Language Focus Area group), and into vocabulary and comprehension (delivered best in a small class LFA). As such, we expect our students to move through this progression and to experience an evolving set of delivery models from tutorial to Language Focus Areas.

National Reading Panel:
http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org/faq/faq.htm#4

National Institutes of Health:
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/national_reading_panel.cfm