Readable Blog

*We are happy to share the views of our guest writer, Melanie Nelson, MSD of Warren County District Instructional Coach. Her viewpoint after 2 years of Readable English implementation within her district is greatly appreciated. The district data she shares is a testimony to not only the Readable English program, but also to the dedicated and passionate teachers in MSD of Warren County that believe ALL students CAN learn to read on grade level! Thank you Melanie for allowing us to share this!

Imagine living your entire life with the inability to read. How many missed opportunities would arise due to illiteracy? Unfortunately, all of us know family members or friends that struggle with literacy skills; including the ability to read accurately and/or fluently, comprehend what’s been read, or write effectively. 

Ashlea Dunkerly, Bloomfield Middle School ELA teacher, understands the importance of using Readable English to help her middle school students close the reading gap while simultaneously closing the knowledge gap.

Last month, Ashlea joined our Readable English team at the Association of Middle Level Educators (AMLE) Conference to share her perspective on the importance of closing the reading gap for middle school students, and how she was able to begin to attain this by implementing a bold and innovative approach for her students with Readable English.

Kate Barrows, a Readable English Coach, knows that Readable English is what many students need because she has spent her career working to ensure other students aren’t overlooked.

She continued to move through elementary and middle school despite report card notes like:

• "Not paying attention or progressing"
• "We are hoping Kate will buckle down and do what she is capable of by the next grading session."
• "I've never met someone work so hard to be a nonconformist."
• "Caught by teacher for forging grades, AT celebration dinner for improved grades"

Her experiences from middle and high school included consistent academic failure and a narrow escape from juvenile incarceration and dropout status. Thanks to her transition to an alternative high school program, she was able to not only graduate from high school but is now an alternative school educator and advocate of 20 years (and counting). Kate knows the delicate but necessary balance between repairing educational trauma while tackling decoding and comprehension strategies with a sense of urgency in middle and secondary classrooms.

For this reason, she joined the Readable English team so other students did not need to go through the struggles she experienced. When she saw how easy it was for students to read grade-level material after learning the 21 glyphs that represent the letters' nontypical sounds, she wanted to be part of the solution to illiteracy with Readable English.

The results were so positive that ICCS is using the program for all students for the 2022-2023 school year! Listen to what the ICCS teacher has to say about her experience with the program.