Wichita area public school uses FLC-trained teacher to win at reading remediation

Literacy Intervention Specialist Jill Hodge tells her 30 reading students at Cottonwood Elementary that she has chosen them because they are special.

"You're going to be with me for two years because I love you, and you're going to learn how to read," Hodge tells her students.

Hodge works with students who struggle to learn to read, write and spell. For the last three years, Hodge has been teaching Alphabetic Phonics full time, all day every day.

"We saw the benefits," she said. "We saw how kids were improving, so my principal said, 'OK, do it every day.'"

In small groups, she takes the students through the structured literacy program, which is scientific, sequential, cumulative and multisensory.

"They're excited to be here," Hodge said. "I tell them it is important for them to be at school, if you have an appointment, the doctor or dentist, make it before or after you see me. So their attendance is good."

Hodge works with each small group every day throughout the school year, and she keeps her students for two to three years. Often their reading, writing and spelling skills improve several grade levels.

"We work hard," she said. "We don't have time to get bored."

Hodge credits her training to become at Literacy Intervention Specialist at Fundamental Learning Center to helping the children at her school.

"Once I took Level 1 training, I knew this was the answer to many children's prayers," she said.