I am currently using the Barton Reading & Spelling System at the middle school level with several students who have reading difficulties related to dyslexia. Our school district has been trying hard to find ways to address the needs of our special education and non-special education students with reading delays.

Thankfully, because of the progress our “pilot” students have made, our superintendent has given permission to purchase the program for all of the schools in the district.

The Barton System has changed the lives of all 7 of the students I am currently tutoring. They ask to come more often than 3 times a week.

It is thrilling to hear their successes in school when they had so few successes in the past.

My 7-year-old student got his first ever 100% on his spelling test.

I know it will work for students with dyslexia because I know what doesn’t.

I am a former reading intervention teacher, having worked with students in grades K-3 for 17 years. I taught Title 1 reading groups (14 years), Reading Recovery (8 years), organized word sorting groups across grade levels, taught core reading to the lowest first graders using Open Court, and strengthened phonemic awareness skills of kindergarten and first graders.

I’ve been trained in and administered the following assessments: DIBELS, Reading Recovery Observation Survey, John’s Individual Reading Inventory, and the Qualitative Reading Inventory. Throughout my years of teaching, I have been an essential part of numerous intervention team meetings in many elementary schools.

Recently I became involved with Karen Austen and her after-school tutoring program using the Barton Reading & Spelling System. I have watched your DVDs from the demo through Level 3 and am hooked.

In all of my prior classes and experiences, the term ‘dyslexia’ and training specific to this learning disability, were almost non-existent. Amazing!

Your method of teaching reading encompasses all the areas in a very explicit and systematic format. I love the way it is laid out in an easy-to-follow form, taking guesswork out of the equation.

I know it will work for students with dyslexia — because I know what doesn’t.