In July 2012 (Grade 1) my husband and I were called into the school to see the principal and Jared’s teacher to discuss the difficulties Jared was experiencing in the classroom. The teacher said Jared needed to be taken for an educational assessment as she felt that he needed remedial intervention. She had picked up an auditory processing disorder, amongst other things, causing him to struggle to keep up with the rest of the class. My husband and I wanted to help Jared, but were afraid if we moved him away from his friends, it would break him.
After doing some research I came across Edublox. I immediately sent Marj an email, to which she replied with reassurance. In the same week I took Jared for an assessment with Marj at her clinic in Kloof. The assessment showed that Jared had directionality confusion: all left arrows were read as right and vice versa. He sounded whilst reading, blended words incorrectly and his comprehension was very weak. His reading speed was below average, with Jared reading 23wpm, and at Grade 1 level should have been at approximately 80wpm. The assessment showed that his visual memory, auditory memory, logical thinking and eye span were all weak.
Marj recommended sessions twice a week, however we could only manage once a week, as well as the home kit, which I would do with Jared. Jared started with Marj on the 4th of August 2012.
Within 8 weeks Jared had already showed an improvement in the class room.
At the end of Grade 1 (2012), Jared’s reading and phonics had shown a significant improvement, going from a 3 for phonics to a 5.
In February 2013 (Grade 2) I received a note from the teacher complimenting Jared on his expressive reading. He was constantly being rewarded in the classroom for his reading and received the weekly achiever award.
Jared was one out of a handful of children in Grade 2 to receive a gold certificate, due to the number of merits earned. He is confident when reading, and this has been the source of his confidence boost.
At the end of Grade 2 (2013) Jared got a 7 for phonics as well as expression. He was also awarded at final prize giving for his excellent progress in reading.
Thanks to Edublox, Jared’s confidence has improved significantly, and we are so proud of his achievement. We understand that there is no “quick fix”, and know that Jared needs to continue with lessons to constantly grow and improve, but we are so grateful to Marj, her commitment, and the incredible program that Edublox offers.
Thank you
Joleen & Shane Watkins
Jared’s Grade 1 reports (terms 2 and 4), as well as his Grade 2 reports (terms 2 and 4):
SCALE: 7. Outstanding achievement – 80 – 100% 6. Meritorious achievement – 70 – 79% 5. Substantial achievement – 60 – 69% 4. Adequate achievement – 50 – 59% 3. Moderate achievement – 40 – 49% 2. Elementary achievement – 30 – 39% 1. Not achieved - 0–29%
