What Teachers Say About Our Programs

"Great stuff! My only regret is not finding Read Naturally sooner."
Daniel Hale, Weaverville, Calif.

"I like the nonfiction stories and have learned a lot from them myself! The students sometimes use them for reports in their classrooms."
Linda Cothren, Cathlamet, Wash.

"My students find the reading selections interesting and will often come back to the classroom to tell others what they have read about."
Carol Touron, Phoenix, N.Y.

"We are thrilled with the students' improvements. After five months, most students' grade levels rose by two to four grades! Thanks so much!"
Denise Drake, Hilo, Hawaii

"The students love the interesting stories. They talk about them with their parents at home. They like using the timer and are motivated to reach their goals. They can't wait for Read Naturally time to begin!"
Janet Humphress, San Jose, Calif.

"The results have been very encouraging. Olson School has students who speak sixteen different languages, usually four to five in one class-a real challenge for the teachers. Read Naturally has been a welcome development!"
Richard M. Welsmann, Carmel, Calif.

"I'm in a new school district and have already received positive feedback from teachers about the excitement their kids are bringing back to the classroom after spending 45 minutes with me using the Read Naturally program. It's fun."
Iva Botton, resource specialist, San Bernadino, Calif.

"This is my first year using Read Naturally. During my students' third week of reading, one of my fifth grade students commented:

Miss Heinecke, last night I went home and used my computer to find more information on the crocodile. I really like reading now because when I read something in Read Naturally, I check it out on the internet.

"As a special education teacher for three years, this was my first experience of a student's interest being stimulated so much that he followed up at home for more reading!"
Carla Heinecke, resource specialist, Lincoln, Calif.

"Thanks for the Read Naturally strategy. It has been great for our students. Your staff is so helpful and efficient, from processing orders to answering questions on strategy implementation."
Shirley White, Manhattan Beach, Calif.

"My student's comments about Read Naturally range from one student telling another student who was thinking about joining the group: 'You should really try it. It helps you read better' to a student saying to me after she finished her SAT-9 test: 'I think the reading program helped me on the test.'

"I am so grateful to have Read Naturally available to allow students to make real gains in reading ability without one-on-one instruction and where tutors do not have to be reading specialists. It allows us to help many more students than any other method of which I am aware."
Robert Ruth, middle school teacher, San Francisco, Calif.

"I have a student using Read Naturally who has just improved dramatically. Her family is moving to the Atlanta area. Her mom came up to me and asked if there were any school districts in that area that use your program. They have not purchased their house yet, and she stated that they would be willing to look in areas that use Read Naturally."
Marsha Wilson, Overland Park, Kan.

"I observed the Read Naturally program in a 4-6 level SDC class and was impressed with the comprehensiveness of this program, the enthusiasm of the students using this program, and the ease in which the teaching staff implemented this program. I also felt this program could be used to augment the existing reading system presently in place at Alicante.

"This program has further appeal as it can be implemented cost-effectively and can be used partially or in totality according to the needs of the individual student."
Sue Devore, master teacher, Carmichael, Calif. (in proposal to enhance reading program at Alicante school)

"Thank you so much for caring about people learning to read that you took all the time and made all the effort to analyze and create this program. Bless you in your continued life and work. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
Pamela H. Knudson, The Lab School of Washington, American University

"I've been limping along, trying almost anything to improve the reading levels of my students. The Read Naturally program has provided a tried, proven, and systematic way to attack the fluency problem and it includes comprehension checks, too. Thank you! Thank you!"
Lynn Snyder, reading specialist, Portland, Ore.

"What a wonderful way to individualize instruction to a group situation."
Rosaria Camacho, reading recovery teacher, San Diego, Calif.

"All of the students in our after-school pilot of the Read Naturally program made progress. During the two months, three of the students made sixth months growth. One boy made three years growth. The other thirteen students' success measured between six months and three years.

"My colleagues and I were extremely impressed by the enthusiasm of the students. Often they would get to the room before the teacher in charge. They took initiative to set up equipment so they could spend more time reading! After a few days, they began inviting friends to come to see what they were doing. The students obviously felt good about their success.

"Instructors also noted several changes in the students in the classroom. Several teachers reported that students in the program volunteered to read sections during class. In addition to their confidence, teachers noted marked increases in fluency, expression, and comprehension."
Christy Henning, Calif.

"In 15 weeks of instruction my 13 at risk second graders have made remarkable growth. The average fluency gain was 49 words per student, over three words gained per week."
JoAnn Soderlund, reading specialist, Leavenworth, Kan.

"It is hard for me to imagine my program before Read Naturally. I constantly have people coming to observe my program before ordering their own Read Naturally materials. Keep up the good work. There are a lot of children in this world who have become readers because of your program. Implementing Read Naturally is the best thing that has happened to my reading program."

"Read Naturally is the core of my reading program. My success with it increases every year. It is not uncommon for students to make gains like a recent third-grade boy who went from a 1.4 to a 4.3 reading level on the Gates McGinty Reading Test."
Barbara Shulman, reading teacher, Issaquah, Wash.

"The Read Naturally materials you loaned us have proven to be very helpful. Tommy's Dad and I are so happy to see him enjoying reading. We continue to credit you and your reading program for helping him succeed. It was the highlight of our years at Hale School. Again, thank you for your help."
Tina Thomas and David Jendrzjik, parents, Minneapolis, Minn.

"Read Naturally is the best reading discipline I have ever used. The students are amazed at their own successes. A powerful tool in building self-confidence and self-esteem."
Mary Ann Cucchiaro, Danville, Calif.

"I love using your program with my RSP students. I see such improvement in their interest and confidence levels as they watch that blue line move up the graph. Thank you for developing such a positive and teacher-friendly program!"
Donna Dial, RSP teacher, Yorba Linda, Calif.

"I used your materials with two students last year-a very low, unmotivated student and a Hispanic student who only speaks English during school hours. The joy in seeing their faces light up as they saw they could read faster and well is something I'll always remember from this year."
Susan Fox, reading teacher, Wis.

"I feel strongly that Read Naturally is an effective, high-quality program. The members of the Reading Specialists of California are very enthusiastic about it and spread the word to others. I teach reading courses for both the basic reading credential and the reading specialist credential, and I always include your product and methods in my courses. I find it works wonderfully for oral fluency and word rate, and the students enjoy timing and competing with themselves."
Carol Adams, president of the Reading Specialists of California

"I can't tell you how much I enjoy running the Read Naturally program. It is rewarding to watch the students gain an intrinsic motivation for reading after only a few short weeks.

We became a National Blue Ribbon School this year. Your Read Naturally program was written about in the evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education."
Mary Jo Bokshan, Mich.

"Thank you very much for the use of the sample Read Naturally program. I think the program is great. My students were very enthusiastic, especially because the basic premise makes sense to them. They are ninth and 10th graders who read significantly below their grade level. They understand that when you read one word at a time it's very choppy and does not make any sense. The charting of progress appealed to them and they liked the idea of timed reading. The program is not immature, which can be insulting to older readers."
Susan Buckley, Red Hook, N.Y.

"Tuesday of this week we started trying the Read Naturally program. They loved it from the first day. I can't believe their enthusiasm for it. I heard, 'Wow, teacher, that was fun!' , 'Are we going to do reading like yesterday again today?', and 'I like this a lot better than what we were doing.' But the real payoff came when yesterday when one of my little girls came up to me and said, 'You know what? I can read now.' Wow! Moments like that really make life worthwhile. Thanks for helping me make that moment happen."
Judy Scholin, Pine City, Minn.

"Thank you for always responding so quickly to every twitch we have in Mid-Del. Believe me...our teachers and administrators have already taken notice that your company is committed to working WITH us as we work with our children! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Many thanks should also be extended to [the representatives] in tech support. They listen, they explain, and they solve!"
Kathy Dunn, reading coordinator, Midwest City, Okla.

"I just finished reviewing the SE Training Workbook again. First of all, I want to congratulate you on a very thorough, well-done training manual. It is excellent! I like the fact that it not only explains very well how to use the SE program, but it also thoroughly reviews the Read Naturally strategy, the importance of each step, how to carefully monitor progress, etc. [It is] a means for a great review of Read Naturally for all teachers beginning the program or for those teachers switching from ME to SE."
Carol Ann Kane, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

"The self directed nature of the program is most useful for students. When they are not sure what to do, they just need to click the icon and it will tell them what to do. For teachers, I like all the practice the students can do (Wordtastic and practice readings) while they are waiting for the teacher to administer the cold reading or pass activity.

"I noticed an improvement in student’s fluency almost immediately. I liked having to rate them on expression, because it gave me the opportunity to have a discussion with them about reading fluency not being only how fast you read. My students have shown a nice improvement in their expression while reading."
Jackie Donofrio, Cloquet Middle School

"I found Read Live much easier to get up and running as we did NOT have to install the program on multiple computers. Instead, I just linked to it from our web site. I also appreciated that I did not have to manage usernames and passwords. The forgot password link does this for me. Finally, the system requirements for the program were minimal."
Lisa Radden, Instructional Technology Director, Boston Renaissance Charter Public School, Boston, Mass.

"Wordtastic is a great use of time; my students loved playing and would sometimes forget to tell us that they needed a cold read or a hot read. A fabulous learning piece and keeps them busy. I like the fact that the student could not go on to the next part unless they had done all of the listening and practicing. The summary portion is great, we can help them more with how to use that retell step and not let them pass unless we are satisfied. Read Live is definitely a time saver, we do not have to grade the paper portion, graphing is done automatically, and the students see their results instantly."
Kristina Beckett M.ed. Special Education Teacher at Western Sky Middle School, Goodyear, AZ

"As the administrator, I found it easy to enter teachers and classes. It was fast and efficient. Also, the technical support was very helpful and timely."
Daryl Siefert, Instructional Coach, Minnetonka, MN

"From my perspective as a Technology Coordinator I thought the setup of the product was very easy and understandable. From setting up the teachers, to adding licensing, and being able see when people last logged on. I also liked how easy it was to use the filter feature to get exactly the information that I was looking for."
Raymond Rosy, Technology Coordinator, North DuPage Special Education Cooperative, Bloomingdale, IL

"I selected five [struggling] students to participate in [after-school] tutoring sessions using the Group and Tutoring Edition (GATE). Using the GATE program eliminated my concern about the time for planning and preparation required for tutoring. The materials were ready, the lessons were sequential, and my students LOVED it! These students showed amazing growth in reading!"
Bev Wirt, Glendale, Ariz.

"Thanks for producing Read Naturally's GATE edition. I have used it with first and second graders with great success! Students who are not yet ready to work independently become better readers by using Read Naturally's strategies of teacher modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring in a small group. I like the phonics skill lessons embedded in each story and have found that there are significant gains in phonics and fluency in a short amount of time. The students were highly motivated and many parents commented that their children were finally excited about reading and visibly proud of their success!"
Jean Albrightson, Minneapolis, Minn.

"I'm just now in receipt of my order for your GATE 1.3 and .8 material. Your stuff has always been good but this GATE material is fabulous! I couldn't be happier!"
Leslie McPeak, Director of Literacy and School Support, Modesto, Calif.

"I feel Read Naturally is perfect for high school special education students who are still on primary level reading and would feel embarrassed reading to others. This program, I believe, will empower my students to take control of their own reading progress. Thanks so much for developing what I have been looking for."
Becky Griffin, Poetry, Texas

"My students love the program and I love using it. I have two dyslexic children who are finding new confidence through Read Naturally.

"My biggest success is a second grade boy who could not read or write. His IEP was to continue evaluation. They could not differentiate his disabilities from his severe behavioral problems. My timed reading assessment during the first two weeks of school tallied that he could read five words correct per minute in a 2.0 story. After a few weeks in a structured setting, I was able to figure out that he was dyslexic.

"Most of the year has been spent teaching him decoding skills and sight words. At the winter evaluation, he read 20 wcpm from the same story. He has been a fast learner.

"Three weeks ago, I decided to put him in Read Naturally 1.0. His goal is to finish his stories. Three stories later, he is reading over 80 wcpm in a 1.0. After he passes a story, he will read it to anyone who will stop and listen."
Nancy Withers, Leominster, Mass.

"I would like to let you know what a HUGE difference Read Naturally has made at my school and in my class. Our TAAS [the test Texas uses to measure achievement] scores have remained at about 68% passing for years. Last year I was allowed to start my own reading improvement class. I used Read Naturally in conjunction with reading styles and asked for the students with the more severe reading problems to be placed in my class. Last year our score in reading was 79%—a gain of 11 points!

"The program has been so successful with special education and dyslexic students, as well as regular education students who are below grade level, that I had 225 students recommended for my class this year. Since I have room for only 85 students, we are expanding the program."
Sharon Rodriguez, San Antonio, Texas

"The Read Naturally program has significantly improved the concentration and decoding skills of my difficult to teach students. With Read Naturally, I'm finally doing something that works."
Madeline Raymond, Title I teacher, Bellwood, Ill.

"Read Naturally gives my Title I and special education students the practice they need everyday. The greatest side benefit to this program is the self-confidence it gives my students."
Rita Brubaker, Title I teacher, Tacoma, Wash.

"My special education students using Read Naturally increased their reading comprehension scores on the Brigance test an average of 2.7 grade levels from the fall to the spring. One student went from being a non-reader to the fifth grade reading level."
Ginger Rogers, special education teacher, College Station, Texas

"The kids are still so enthusiastic about the Read Naturally program. I'm fully confident that my lowest student will be at grade level by May-if not sooner!"
Barb Pavoni, Title I teacher, Tinley Park, Ill.

"We used this program during 1995-1996 school year and found a significant increase in Dolch word recognition when tested in isolation. We did not teach Dolch words in isolation. They got it all from Read Naturally."
Helen Anderson, ESL and Title I teacher, Puyallup, Wash.

"I applaud your efforts in developing the Read Naturally program, and I appreciate what it has done for my students. Purchasing Read Naturally units have been the best expenditures I have made in my LD program."
Donneen McKay-Special education teacher, Eagan, Minn.

"I really want to compliment you on developing this program. I have taught reading to special education students for the last nine years, and I have never seen progress in fluency like I do with the Read Naturally program. The cold readings, the comprehension and the student confidence level have all improved. My students love it and I do too!"
Susan Hildman-Special education teacher, Anoka, Minn.

"I have used this program with my fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students for three years and have been extremely impressed with their reading improvement. As hard as I have worked in the past, I have never had students achieve such success. It offers them a new way to learn to read and actively engages them with the text. They increase their fluency and expand their reading vocabulary through repeated reading. In addition, the non-fiction content has greatly increased their store of general knowledge."
Madeline Raymond-Title I teacher, Bellwood District 88, Springfield, Ill.