Read3 Newsletter (August 2023)
Greetings everyone 👋
The past two months have flown by... here's what we've been up to.
During July, another 50+ Speech Pathologists enrolled in Read3 training from right across the country plus New Zealand! In response to client feedback we also started offering self-paced training for schools (see details below).
Robyn and Kate hosted a 2-hour session for the Pop Family Virtual Academy. Pop are great supporter of Read3 and it was wonderful to have the chance to provide all staff (not just the inner circle of literacy lovers) with some professional learning around reading challenges.
Our monthly 'Let's Talk' sessions have been very well received with our Working Memory event drawing almost 50 attendees! 'Let's Talk' is a free event held monthly for our Read3 Educators and Speech Pathologists. We recognise that building knowledge around best-practice in literacy intervention is a life-long journey and these free sessions are our way of saying thank you 🙏 and providing ongoing professional learning opportunities for our Read3 community.
Helen took a trip to Mackay for some speechie supervision and hosted a Read3 information evening while she was there. Our thanks to Move & Play Paediatric Therapy for hosting the evening.
It was particularly special to receive this photo of Helen with Rita McTaggart. Rita is based at St Brendan's Catholic Primary School in Mackay which was one of the first schools to take on Read3. Now in their third year, we're always delighted to receive an email or call from Rita updating us on Read3 is going in her school.
Setting your school budget for 2024?
Pre-book your Read3 training and save!
We are fast approaching that time of year when schools are setting budgets. This is an ideal time to audit the current programs in use and make adjustments if necessary.
If you're thinking about getting started with Read3 in 2024, please reach out so we can put together a proposal for inclusion in your next budget.
Early Bird Offer:
Buy-3-Get-1-Free
Book your Read3 training now and we'll train your fourth staff member for free! Training is self-paced and can be undertaken any time up to the end for Term 1, 2024.
Click below to lodge your interest or phone Read3 for details!
Offer ends 30 September 2023.
We're excited to say that Read3 now offers self-paced training for schools. 🎉 Self-paced training provides you with added flexibility and reduces pressure on aide release time. You can complete training components as a group (at a time that suits your team) or individually via a personal login. As part of the self-paced training block you will also receive a free 1-hour consultation with a member of the Read3 team where we'll answer all your questions.
Survey reveals Read3 has helped over 4,700 children so far this year!
In July we conducted a short survey to gather some important data about how Read3 is being used in schools and speech clinics, and levels of satisfaction.
We had a great response rate, so thank you to everyone who participated. A special congratulations to speech pathologist Alicia Terry (QLD) who was the winner of our Module 1 Card Kit giveaway.
So, what did the findings reveal?
Usage Levels
We are delighted to say that the results indicate that approximately 4700 children have benefited from the Read3 program and resources in the past six months.
This includes:
- approximately 1750 children have enrolled in the Read3 program
- an additional 1400 children have used Read3 resources as part of broader intervention
- an additional 1550 children have used the Easy Alphabet in the classroom or private therapy
Client Progress
Satisfaction with client progress received an average rating of 5.31 out of 6. A compilation of open-ended comments from participants identified some key areas of growth with improved confidence top of the list. 🎉
I've seen an increase in confidence as activities allow for small steps of success. My clients are very used to ‘failing’ in school based literacy activities and therefore their confidence is severely impacted. Read3 is changing their view on their abilities and growing their confidence to try!
(Speech Pathologist)
For a number of the students Read3 has been life changing! Our students who have accessed the program for the past 18 months and are now in Year 2 are closing the gap, one is even now reading age appropriate texts!!! The key is to intervene early and hold the course as the change will take time.
(Read3 School)
Professional learning, training and personal support
Satisfaction with level of training and support received a whopping average rating of 5.58 out of 6. At Read3 we pride ourselves on providing support to our professionals well beyond the purchase of the program and is great to see our goal reflected in these scores. 😊
We thank everyone who took part for their considered responses to our open-ended questions. We've read each and every one in detail and will draw on your comments as we continue to shape the program and direction of Read3.
VIEW SURVEY RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Best decodable readers for children with weak RAN
As part of our Read3 daily routine we recommend children practise their skills using decodable readers. However, for children with weak Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) this is easier said than done!
RAN relates to how quickly our brain can retrieve known information. If this processing skill is weak, then it can be very difficult for a child to continually pluck the right sound or word from memory. As a result, reading can be very laboured and frustration levels can be very high!
One resource that we absolutely LOVE here at Read3 is Progressive Phonics. These books enable our children with fluency difficulties to enjoy the experience of reading without the pressure.
In Progressive Phonics books the child only reads part of the text. The decodable words (to be read by the child) are highlighted in red and the remaining text (to be read by the adult) is black. Many of the stories use rhyme which adds to the child's engagement.
While these titles are the perfect choice for children with weak RAN, they also provide excellent word-level decoding practice for any beginner reader. There are even some tricky titles that focus on b and d which is great practice for ironing out those frustrating b/d reversals!
The Progressive Phonics collection is completely FREE. Titles are available in a PDF booklet format or in a read-on-screen format making them a fantastic option for home practice.
To learn more about progressive phonics click below. Kate is busy curating a list of which titles match which steps of the Read3 program, so be sure to sign up for our curated list and we'll email it when it's available.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PROGRESSIVE PHONICS
New SLP training date released
