Who Can Be a Student?
The Barton System was designed for students of any age who have, or are suspected of having, dyslexia.
Students with dyslexia struggle to easily and accurately decode words when reading (despite being taught phonics), are slow and inaccurate readers (they miss the oral reading fluency benchmarks), and have always struggled with spelling – especially when writing sentences, stories, and compositions.
Watch Susan Barton explain What Kind of Student
For more information on dyslexia, click here.
The Barton System has been used successfully with children as young as 5 who are in kindergarten.
Yet nothing in the Barton System will offend a teenager or an adult.
This is not a “teach yourself” system. A student must work with a tutor.
A Barton student must:
This is not for children with a receptive or expressive language disorder.
This is also not an ESL program.
A non-native English speaker must be able to speak and understand spoken English at a second grade level.
To find out, download our ESL screening.
If someone can already read accurately and rapidly, and spells well, but only has trouble with comprehension, then the Barton System would not be needed or appropriate.
What Students Say
Laura Busby
Adult Student, now Professional Tutor
My son is 11 and for years we were given the … “lazy,” “he will never learn,” or “he is just fine” conversation. Well WRONG on all accounts. He most certainly was not fine, and in no way was he lazy. He had so many signs of dyslexia was ridiculous.
We took it upon ourselves to find a specialist. The Barton System has changed my son’s life!
Amazing program. I cannot say it enough. Best money we ever spent!
I have struggled for nearly 35 years with dyslexia. I was diagnosed at a young age, but my parents felt I “just needed to work harder” because I was so bright. I managed to graduate from high school with a lot of help and luck. But I dropped out of several colleges because I was just too frustrated to continue.
I have been a student in the Barton System for the past six months. I cannot begin to share how many times I have finished a tutoring lesson and said, “Gee, if only it had been explained this way when I was in school, I might not have struggled so much.”
The confidence I have in my reading ability has grown incredibly.
I recently was required to give a speech to a group of over 400 people. Before starting the Barton System, I would have refused because my reading problems were so severe. Instead, I gave the speech — and received a standing ovation. It made my year.
Trish McCauley, adult student
San Jose, CA
High School Student
I’m here to say how much this place changed my life,
and all I can say is thank you.
I can finally be who I want to be.
My name is Michael Warner, and I am the first to fully complete the Barton Reading program at this school.
Before I knew such a program existed, I endured many different types of special education plans and teachings. All, however, failed. After enduring nine years of mental, emotional, and social abuse, I came to House of the Lord Academy.
For the first time, I was not only trying to match my mental capability but to exceed it. I say this with my own choice of words . . . with no help whatsoever.
Although I never thought it was possible, I remember dreaming of the day when it would click and I would get it . . . although it was never coming. Just to give you an idea about how much I have learned from this program, I have in my hand my FCAT scores. For those of you who don’t know, it is the Florida version of the WASL. In reading, I got a one. According to that score, I had the reading level of a third grader. I was in ninth grade when I took this test. Tell me that wasn’t emotionally damaging . . . the reading skill of a third grader. The IQ test told me that in reading and spelling, I was close to mentally retarded.
The public school wouldn’t let me take college prep classes. They tried to control what I learned so I would become a construction worker because they thought I was too stupid to do anything else. Everything around me told me I would never measure up to anything.
Then I came here. This school found out I had dyslexia, and they put me in the Barton Reading program. Halfway through the program, students were clapping in the middle of class because they could see how much I had improved. That shows you the spirit of the students at this school.
After two years here, I finished the Barton System. Since I wanted to become a programmer, I had transfer to Newport High School for the classes I needed. Do you have any idea what if feels like to finally pursue your dreams?
So I went to Newport last fall, and I took the WASL. One try and I passed everything — reading, writing, everything! Some students need three or four tries to pass it, and they take special classes to pass it. I passed it on the first try.
I’m here to say how much this place changed my life, and all I can say is thank you. I can finally be who I want to be.
Michael Warner
former student of House of the Lord Christian Academy
Oldtown, ID
Cynthia Dapello
My Favorite Student
Laura Busby
Is the Barton System Babyish?
Ann Kavanaugh
My Favorite Student
Student Screening
You cannot give or score the Student Screening if you have not passed our Tutor Screening.
If you have not yet taken our Tutor Screening, take it now.
Before you give our student screening:
1Print the Scoring Sheet
Click here to see, and then print, our 2-page scoring sheet.
2Create Colored Squares
The student will need 9 objects, 3 each of 3 different colors.
You can use:
3 red, 3 white and 3 blue poker chips or other game tokens
1 inch by 1 inch squares cut out of colored construction paper
buttons
or any other small objects
The specific colors don’t matter, as long as the student has 3 each of 3 different colors.
3Watch the Student Screening
The Student Passed.
Great. That student is ready for the Barton Reading & Spelling System. So go ahead and start tutoring the student using the Barton System.
To place your order for the Barton System, call (408) 559-3652 or click here.
The Student did NOT Pass. Now What?
What needs to happen next depends upon which part of the screening the student had trouble with.
If the student passed Part C, but had trouble in Part A or B, click here.
If the student failed Part C, click here.
Questions on Scoring?
Call us at 408-559-3652. Or to send it by email, click here , then type in your question, along with a daytime phone number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does a student have to have a formal diagnosis of dyslexia before using the Barton System?
A: No. But you should suspect dyslexia.
It should be extremely hard for that student to master their weekly spelling list from school, they probably cannot retain their spelling words from one week to the next, and their spelling should be pretty bad when they write sentences and stories.
Also, although that student can read, he is probably slow and inaccurate. And when he comes to a word he does not recognize, he cannot easily sound it out — despite years of phonics instruction.
Those are classic warning signs of dyslexia. Dyslexia is the most common reason a child with at least average intelligence will struggle with spelling, reading, or writing. Dyslexia affects 20% of people in the United States, some mildly, others severely.
But not every student with dyslexia is ready for the Barton System. So make sure the student can pass our Barton Student Screening before you start tutoring.
Q: Will it hurt people who are struggling for some other reason to go through the Barton System?
A: No, as long as:
This is not an ESL program. To find out if a student from another country knows enough English to benefit from this system, download and give our simple ESL screening by clicking here.
This system is also not appropriate for a student who has been diagnosed with a receptive or expressive language disorder.
Their IQ is 71, or higher.
They are struggling with reading accuracy and/or speed and/or decoding (sounding out unknown words) and/or phonemic awareness.
If a child can already read accurately and rapidly, but only has trouble with comprehension, the Barton System is NOT going to help.
They can pass our 10-minute Barton Student Screening.
Q: I don’t know the student’s IQ.
If you have reason to suspect a potential student’s IQ is lower than 71, ask their parent if an IQ test has ever been done.
If not, tell the parent that you need an IQ score first – before you can tutor the child – to make sure you’re picking the best system for that child.
Parents can request that their child’s public school give an IQ test, or they can hire a private Educational Therapist or Psychologist or Psychiatrist to give an IQ test.
Do not use the Barton System with a student whose IQ is lower than 71.
Q: My student is not a native English speaker. Can she go through the Barton System?
An easy way to check that student’s spoken English skills is to give them our informal ESL Screening.
If you can’t download files, we’ll mail it to you—free. Just click here, then type in your name and street address.
Q: The student did not pass your screening when he watched the video. But when I gave it to him myself, he passed. Does that count?
Q: How can I get another score sheet?
If you can’t print our scoring sheet, we will mail it to you. To receive It by mail, just click here and give us your name and address.
Q: How often does a student need to be tutored? How long should a tutoring session last?
Intense Intervention
The Barton Reading & Spelling System was designed as intense intervention for students who struggle to easily and accurately decode words when reading (despite being taught phonics), who by second grade are slow and inaccurate readers (are missing the oral reading fluency benchmarks), and who have always struggled with spelling – especially when writing sentences, stories, and compositions.
The Barton System can be used with students as young as kindergarten who meet all 5 of our criteria. But often, their struggles do not become apparent until first, second, or even third grade. Yet there is nothing in the Barton System that would offend older students or adults.
Because the Barton System is intense intervention, our maximum group size is 3. So most public schools with Response to Intervention programs (RTI) use the Barton System as Tier 3 intervention – but only if they can meet with that group of 3 students for an hour and fifteen minutes a day, 5 days a week.
But one-on-one tutoring is the best. That’s because no two students with dyslexia learn at exactly the same pace. When tutoring one-on-one, a tutor can present the material at exactly the right pace for each student.
Also, it is much less embarrassing to make a mistake when only the tutor sees it – not other students.
And if you provide 1-on-1 tutoring, you only have to provide 2 hours of tutoring each week (although more is better). So you can either provide 2 one-hour sessions, 3 45-minute sessions, or 4 30-minute sessions.
You will not save time if you tutor 3 students at once. That is because each student in that group must receive the equivalent intensity of 2 hours of 1-on-1 tutoring per week. The intensity in 3-on-1 tutoring is not the same as 1-on-1 tutoring. To get the same intensity, you must tutor a group of 3 students for 6 hours each week.
Also, the more students in a group, the longer it will take to complete the Barton System. That’s because you have to pace the lesson for the slowest student. And you cannot present new material if any one of the students is absent.
So whenever possible, please provide one-on-one tutoring – even if that means having parapros, aides, or parent and community volunteers provide Barton tutoring.
Fidelity Checklist
The only way that the reading and spelling skills of Barton students will reach (and then exceed) grade level is if the tutor, resource specialist, or reading specialist does the Barton System “with fidelity” – which means does the Barton System exactly as designed.
If you are supervising an Early Intervention program, or if you are a principal, director of special education, or a superintendent, use our Barton Fidelity checklist to find out if your staff or volunteer tutors are doing the Barton System with fidelity.
Early Intervention
An Early Intervention Program is a way to find students at highest risk of reading failure early enough to prevent it.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) state that 95 percent of poor readers can be brought up to grade level if they receive effective help early. The window of opportunity is during kindergarten and first grade.
The longer help is delayed, the harder it is for the child to catch up. If help is provided in fourth grade (instead of in kindergarten), it takes four times as long to improve the same skills by the same amount.
That is why the California State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction stated in their report, Every Child A Reader, that a balanced and comprehensive approach to reading must contain:
a powerful early intervention program that provides individual tutoring for children at risk of reading failure.
The Barton System has been used successfully in many Early Intervention programs at public and private schools.
Click here to learn how to find kindergarten or first-grade children at greatest risk, how to use parents as volunteer tutors, and how to:
- Find At-Risk Students
- Find Volunteer Tutors
- Research on Early Intervention Programs
- Grants
How to Convince Your Principal
Are you a teacher or parent who has experienced success using the Barton Reading & Spelling System with students?
Would you like to introduce the Barton System to your school?
This document contains a step-by-step approach that many people have used to bring the Barton Reading & Spelling System into their schools.
How To Convince Your Principal Guide
Research
Research shows that 95% of reading failure is preventable – by using appropriate reading systems and well-trained teachers.
Dr. Orton and Anna Gillingham developed a unique method and sequence to significantly improve the reading and spelling skills of children and adults with dyslexia way back in the 1930’s.
The Barton Reading & Spelling System is an Orton-Gillingham influenced approach to reading and spelling. It is one of ten well-known Orton-Gillingham based systems.
Adult Literacy
Most children who struggle with reading, spelling, and writing do NOT get the right type of help in school. So they grow into adults who don’t read well.
Without the right type of reading instruction, most adults with dyslexia – no matter how smart they are – can’t read or write above the third-grade level.
But the good news is that it is NEVER too late to greatly improve the reading, spelling and writing skills of adults with dyslexia.
Click here to learn more about:
- Adult Literacy: The Problem
- The Solutions
- What Adult Literacy Program Coordinators & Tutors Say
- Shocking Statistics