Fall 2000 Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 3
Inside This Issue
- $25.5 Million in State Literacy Grants
- Free Software Opportunity
- Learning English was Easy With Phonics
- New Headquarters for HEC Reading Horizons
- Phonemic Awareness
- Schedule an In-Service at Your Facility
- Success in Seattle
- Teacher Certification Scheduled for January
- Texas Student Gains 3 Grade Levels
Please help us keep our records updated by sending current mailing information including email addresses. To update your information now, email HEC.
Schedule an In-Service at Your Facility
- UP TO 25 TEACHERS MAY ATTEND!
- FOR MORE INFO CALL (800-333-0054)
$25.5 Million in State Literacy Grants
The U.S. Department of Education’s adult education state grants fund state and local activities that enable adults to improve their literacy skills and complete high school or receive a high school equivalency diploma. Late last year, Congress approved $25.5 million in funds for state grants through the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). This funding will allow states to award competitive grants to local programs that provide high-quality, integrated English literacy and civics education services to immigrants and other adults with limited English proficiency. The Department recently announced how the FY 2000 funds will be allocated. The following table shows which states and territories will receive an allocation for English Literacy and Civics Education grants. The majority of the allocation must be awarded to local programs through a competitive grant process.
| State | Greatest Need | Recent Growth in Need | State Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $181,998 | $132,382 | $314,380 |
| California | $4,390,183 | $3,205,757 | $7,595,940 |
| Colorado | $103,551 | $127,760 | $231,310 |
| Connecticut | $128,045 | $157,132 | $285,177 |
| D.C. | $50,585 | $53,158 | $103,743 |
| Florida | $931,428 | $1,236,360 | $2,167,788 |
| Georgia | $156,136 | $198,916 | $355,051 |
| Hawaii | $99,067 | $115,794 | $214,861 |
| Illinois | $650,719 | $634,550 | $1,285,269 |
| Indiana | $48,805 | $70,058 | $118,863 |
| Kansas | $45,172 | $57,518 | $102,691 |
| Louisiana | $47,230 | $53,548 | $100,779 |
| Maryland | $215,048 | $308,794 | $523,842 |
| Massachusetts | $282,765 | $313,746 | $596,511 |
| Michigan | $177,926 | $256,049 | $433,975 |
| Minnesota | $94,331 | $134,880 | $229,211 |
| Missouri | $54,333 | $75,092 | $129,426 |
| Nevada | $77,013 | $103,266 | $180,279 |
| New Jersey | $607,224 | $778,234 | $1,385,458 |
| New Mexico | $68,254 | $59,040 | $127,294 |
| New York | $1,874,521 | $2,087,344 | $3,961,865 |
| North Carolina | $91,521 | $107,950 | $199,470 |
| Ohio | $113,002 | $145,652 | $258,654 |
| Oklahoma | $46,976 | $49,852 | $96,828 |
| Oregon | $107,349 | $117,991 | $225,341 |
| Pennsylvania | $199,405 | $242,166 | $441,571 |
| Tennessee | $45,280 | $64,153 | $109,433 |
| Texas | $1,199,535 | $1,035,448 | $2,234,983 |
| Utah | $43,955 | $58,265 | $102,221 |
| Virginia | $233,418 | $314,119 | $547,537 |
| Washington | $236,266 | $303,364 | $539,629 |
| Wisconsin | $58,504 | $58,577 | $117,082 |
| Puerto Rico | $90,454 | $93,085 | $183,539 |
| Total Allocation | $12,750,000 | $12,750,00 | $25,500,000 |
For more information on the English Literacy and Civics Education funding allocation for your state, contact your State Office of Adult Education. For information on whom to contact in your state, please call the NIFL Hotline at 1-800-228-8813 or visit this website: www.nifl.gov/lincs/directories/state_local.html.
Free Software Opportunity
Don’t forget to send us your success stories and teaching tips for publication in our quarterly Reading Horizons Newsletter. If we print your story or suggestions, you’ll receive a complimentary computer courseware package. Articles (and photos or charts of progress) for our Winter 2000 Newsletter must be received at HEC by November 10, 2000. mail to: HEC Reading Horizons Newsletter Dept. PO Box 849 Bountiful, UT 84011 or email to: info@readinghorizons.com.
Learning English was Easy With Phonics
My life has been changed greatly by the Discover Intensive Phonics reading system. By using the program I have enhanced my English and am able to comfortably use English. It has had a positive effect on my life and I’m grateful to have been exposed to such a program. I moved here from Afghanistan and I am now 41. I did not know one word of English. I could neither read, write nor speak English. I was so lost and I felt like I was imprisoned. I couldn’t communicate or understand others. I even had a hard time at the grocery store!
Thanks to Discover Intensive Phonics, these things have changed. I’m no longer lost. In just a couple of months I was able to communicate with others. My grammar and spelling greatly improved. I went from not being able to speak, write or communicate to accurately speak, write and communicate in just a few months! I thought I would never learn English at my age, but surprisingly Discover Intensive Phonics did it for me. Phonics made it easy and efficient to learn English. Thanks to Discover Intensive Phonics that I am writing this letter today.
New Headquarters for HEC Reading Horizons
In the last 16 years, HEC Reading Horizons/HEC Software, Inc. has had a lot of "firsts". We were the first software development company to produce a phonics-based reading system for adults. We were the first to publish an interactive educational course on CD-ROM. And now, for the first time, we have our own building with separate areas for development, marketing, shipping and a large warehouse area for inventory. We at HEC feel very blessed to have the opportunity to make a difference in literacy, and appreciate this great new facility in which to work. We all know, however, that a company is only as good as the people behind it. May we introduce you to our excellent staff. We appreciate each of them tremendously and recognize the great contributions they make. Left to right,
Top Row: Dyon Mills, Administrative Assistant; Christopher Sheffield, Development Team Leader; Marie Christiansen, Bookkeeping; Leonard Eversole, Founder; Linda Eversole, Marketing and Education; Tyson Smith, Executive Vice President; Brooke Clark, Executive Secretary; Kalina Scherbel, Shipping; Seated: LaLine Ray, Educational Technologist; Missy Hunt, Secretary; Betsy Chambers, Development; Sharla Sheffield, Development; Nicole Wall, Development; J. Tom Johnson, Development.
Phonemic Awareness
I recently attended a 4-day training on a phonemic awareness method other than Discover Intensive Phonics. After attending the training, I am convinced that Discover Intensive Phonics For Yourself is the best program for teaching phonemic awareness. First, I would like to define “phonemic awareness” because it is a term becoming more widely used in educational circles. It is the ability of a student to hear and manipulate sounds within words. Students with a phonemic awareness weakness would have a difficult time breaking a word into its individual sounds. I have been teaching students with a weakness in this area for 15 years, including the hearing impaired, by incorporating sign language with Discover Intensive Phonics. One special education student with multiple handicaps gained almost one grade level in reading by using Discover Intensive Phonics. The method I was recently trained in raises some concerns for school districts that may adopt it as its only method to teach phonemic awareness. The other method’s training was lengthy, extremely intense, and highly technical. Without a clinical background, unlicensed school personnel may be overwhelmed. The success of this method is dependent upon the teacher/tutor. Non-licensed personnel would have difficulty implementing this method because an hour of teacher preparation is necessary for each half hour of instruction. After attending the one-day Discover Intensive Phonics training, it is evident that this method is fun, easy to learn and easy to teach anyone. A classroom teacher, clinician, tutor, paraprofessional, or parent can learn it quickly and easily. It is the METHOD that drives the program and makes it a success, not the teacher/tutor.
Cost and record-keeping are concerns in implementing the other method. It is expensive to implement and maintain, where Discover Intensive Phonics is one of the least expensive programs on the market. For $139.00 per Teachers Kit, a district could have a solid phonemic awareness program for the next 20 years. The optional computer software which accompanies the program (separate pricing) is an excellent reinforcement for the skills taught in the manual. My personal favorite is the Optional Management System. It automatically keeps track of lessons completed, the scores for each lesson, and each test. The Optional Management System tells the teacher and student which lessons need to be repeated and reviewed. This record-keeping is done for each student who uses the program. The other method’s Classroom Kit costs $498.00. Its record-keeping is complicated and time consuming. Each student’s progress in the skill areas is kept by handwritten charts. It is my professional opinion that Discover Intensive Phonics for Yourself is the best way to reach a broad range of students. The method may be taught by a broad range of personnel. The teacher/tutor will be able to help students isolate and identify sounds quickly and systematically. The Discover Intensive Phonics approach to phonemic awareness is a simple, no nonsense approach to reading. Student progress is quickly observed and measured. So... Discover Intensive Phonics for Yourself!
Success in Seattle
I am the LAP reading teacher at Lafayette Elementary. I teach remedial reading to bilingual, regular ed., and some special ed. children. I am writing to let you know how much the children have gained by using your program. I did not receive the accelerated version of Intensive Phonics, Reading Horizons, until later in the school year, so I didn't start using it with the 4th and 5th graders until after January. They were very excited with the program. It showed them their areas of weakness in a positive way, while at the same time giving them a way to overcome those areas. After taking the 2nd Interim Test they could each tell me which area they had to work on, and how far they'd come. They were on a roll!
Even with our late start, they made a significant gain in reading, with the 4th graders averaging 1.6 years and the 5th graders averaging 2.0 years growth. I am purchasing two more programs and plan on using the program more extensively next year. Not only does the program help children with their reading, but it also empowers their writing skills, because they can now spell the words they wish to use in their writing. I used the elementary version of Intensive Phonics with the 1st and 2nd graders for two years. During the 1998-1999 school year the 1st graders made an average of 1.8 years growth, and during the 1999-2000 school year they made an average growth of 1.3.
Not only are the 1st grade teachers themselves seeing a difference, but the 2nd grade teachers receiving these students are noticing the difference. During the 1998-1999 school year, the 2nd graders made a growth of 1.1 and in the 1999-2000 school year they made an average growth of 1.3. This year we've had parents become very involved with the program, even coming to watch their child take the Interim Tests. It was evident that the children had made great gains in their decoding skills. This was especially true of the bilingual children. After doing the required skill lessons, the children looked forward to getting to the stories and reading them. They liked the program!
Teacher Certification Scheduled for January
Two-day certifications are held to prepare teachers who are already experienced in the Discover Intensive Phonics approach with the additional skills necessary to train other teachers. The certification takes two full days. The first day is devoted to examination of the method in detail. The second day candidates are asked to instruct two or three previously assigned portions of the course to demonstrate their ability to present the concepts with understanding and clarity. Our next Certification Training will be held on January 19 -20, 2001 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sessions are limited to 6 applicants.
Texas Student Gains 3 Grade Levels
In 1993 the Warton Community College in Warton, Texas purchased a ten station network of Reading Horizons to assist students with reading difficulties and ESL students struggling with English. Jaime Alvarado was one of the students who attended Warton Community College and after using Reading Horizons began to realize his own great potential. Thank you, Jaime, for your inspiring letter. We wish you the very best in all your future endeavors and are so happy that Reading Horizons has made a difference for you!
My name is Jaime Alvarado and I am 24 years old. I quit high school in the 9th grade. Knowing how to read at a 5th grade level and spell at an even lower level made me self-conscious. I vowed I would get my GED and tried on and off taking GED classes. I finally attended a class that was using a program called Reading Horizons Discover Intensive Phonics. After spending 19 hours on this program, I have improved my reading to almost a ninth grade level. The post-evaluation report stated that there was a change of 3 years and 1 month from the pre-evaluation score. This program really works! I feel more confident about myself and I am finally able to feel myself achieving my goals.
Jaime's total time spent on Reading Horizons was 18 hours and 51 minutes. He currently reads at a grade level of 8 years 7 months, an increase of 3 years 1 month from his pre-evaluation score.
