Word Detectives Summer Reading Program

1. What are the goals of the Word Detectives Summer Program?

Our aim is to increase participants’ reading and spelling skills. Particularly, we seek to prevent summer regression in academic skills, while fostering feelings of autonomy, belonging, competence, and meaning. We want to increase students’ motivation to engage in challenging tasks, while working collaboratively and having fun!

2. What sets us apart from other summer reading programs?

In addition to the use of evidence-based reading interventions such as the Wilson Reading System and RAVE-O, our program embeds research based motivational strategies, designed to encourage persistence, engagement, tolerance for challenging tasks, and independent learning. Our motivational strategies are centered around four themes – autonomy, belonging, competence, and meaning. Many of the academic activities that reinforce these themes are borrowed from the Responsive Classroom program. To learn more about the motivational strategies we implement, please see this article that Dr. Melissa Orkin and her team published regarding the motivational strategies that we use within our instruction.

3. Is my child a fit for Word Detectives? How does the application process work?

Children attend our program for a variety of reasons. Some are diagnosed with formal learning disabilities, while others are just “behind” compared to their peers. Our application process is designed to ensure that the program is a “good fit” for your child’s learning needs. Applications and supporting material are reviewed by the Program Directors on a rolling basis. Parents and teachers are often contacted to clarify the family’s educational goals, as well as the child’s learning history and developmental profile.

In general, our program is appropriate for students of average or above average intellectual potential that have been diagnosed with a language-based learning disability, reading disorder, or are under- achieving in reading. Our program is not appropriate for students with primary emotional or behavioral difficulties. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis with the first review of applications occurring in mid-March.

4. What is a typical day like?

Please see the above schedule section for basic information about a typical day. The content of instructional blocks will be dictated by the needs of your child’s group. For example, our Foundational Readers will spend more time on phonological awareness, sight words and early phonics skills, while our more advanced readers may spend more time reading trade books and focusing on written expression. All groups will include research-based intervention using an Orton-Gillingham based program, as well as an intervention focused on increasing reading fluency. Children will also participate in an enrichment block, where they will engage in co-curricular activities around a theme. These activities may include science, group games, sports, art, or walking field trips. Read this article published in the Northeastern News during the summer of 2019 to gain a glimpse into our classrooms.

Our camp day runs from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, with early drop off available at 8:00am for an extra fee. Pre- and post-assessment sessions will be scheduled before and at the end of the program.

5. When will I see my child’s assessment results?

Following registration, each student will be scheduled to visit the Center to complete a pre-program assessment. Scores from the pre-assessments are used, along with a review of the student’s application materials, to create well-balanced instructional groupings of students with similar skill profiles. At the end of the program, we will give each child a limited battery of post-assessments. Families will receive their child’s pre/post assessment results following the conclusion of the program. These results will be presented within a progress report detailing the nature of their child’s profile, type of instruction delivered over the course of the program, and some suggested recommendations for the school year.

6. How often will staff communicate with me during the summer program?

Families will receive a weekly newsletter that contains relevant parent resources, photos of the children in action, and classroom-specific information about the content that has been covered.
In addition, during the third week of the program, we will reach out to invite any families who are interested in meeting with the head teachers and staff to discuss their child’s progress. Finally, we encourage you to email the program directors and/or your child’s head teacher if you have any questions during the program.

7. How much progress can I expect my child to make?

We emphasize to families that our program is only 16 days long and we are realistic about the types of gains we can expect students to make in such a short period of time. Our ultimate goal is to prevent regression in skills, while fostering the potential for growth in foundational literacy skills. We measure success in a variety of ways. Students are given a limited number of standardized post-assessments at the end of the program. Most of the students make progress on one or more measures of word reading, fluency, or comprehension.

However, we also encourage families to notice and celebrate other, less measurable areas of growth, such as a greater awareness of environmental print (signs, labels, instructions), increased confidence as a reader, increased willingness to read or write independently, and/or greater flexibility in your child’s approach to challenges and mistake-making. Sometimes families report to us that although their child’s scores did not increase dramatically, their child had an easier transition to the new school year or began to pick up skills with greater speed in the fall. In our opinion, these changes are all important markers of growth.

8. If my child participated in the Word Detectives program in the past, can we reapply?

Yes, if your child continues to fall within the grade ranges indicated for the program and still needs help with reading, we encourage you to re-apply. We’ll review your child’s new application and determine eligibility based on their current reading abilities.