When he first started working with his Augustine Project tutor, Daniel didn’t say much. He was a very sweet second grader; that was clear from his careful actions and his gentle smile. His tutor and I assumed that as his familiarity with English grew, we would hear more from him. Daniel was raised in a very loving Spanish-speaking home.
At the beginning of the school year, Daniel scored at pre-kindergarten to first grade level across all six Augustine Project literacy pre-tests. He could not read words like: the, and, on, to. He was unable to write a sentence. He was unable to complete a reading comprehension assessment because he couldn’t read the lowest level passage.
And then, Daniel began working with his Augustine Project tutor, Jeannie.
Twice a week, Daniel met with his tutor. They worked on phonics, sight words, comprehension, spelling and more. Jeannie was not helping him with his homework or his school assignments but she was following the scope and sequence taught to her during her Augustine Project training. She was helping Daniel to fill in the gaps in his learning so that he could master fundamental literacy skills that were unknown to him. The two were partnered for one school year.
At the end of the school year, Daniel proved Jeannie and me right. As his familiarity with English grew, he did have a lot to say. I learned that he enjoyed science class and that he was working on an experiment to learn about sound. Daniel shared that tuning forks make different pitches of sound depending on their size and they tickle when they vibrate. Daniel loved his school and his teachers. His little sister was going to start coming to school here next year… Daniel spoke of much more and it was wonderful to hear.
The improvement in Daniel’s reading, writing and spelling skills were equally wonderful to see. In just one school year- 9 months- Daniel raised all of his scores dramatically. He now scored above grade level in all but one area. Where he started at kindergarten level, he finished at 3rd grade level. Where he started at 1st grade level, he finished at 4th grade level. Daniel’s transformation was truly remarkable.
Jeannie will continue to work with Daniel on his reading comprehension- the only area that was still below grade level- although significantly improved. She enjoyed her experience with Daniel so much that she will also begin working with his younger sister. What a lucky kindergartener!
