If you are interested in sharing a success story or a helpful tip from your experience in using SRA Reading Labs, we'd love to include your quote and your name on our website with your permission.
"The SRA Reading Labs have been a perfect fit for our after school tutoring program. Many of the tutors I work with have used the labs and are huge fans. The few tutors who are not familiar with the labs are sold quickly on its systematic approach. Our students attend at-risk schools and enter our program with a wide range of abilities. SRA labs help to meet each student's individual needs as well as the labs' short, interesting stories hold their attention after a long day at school. We are limited on the amount of time we are able to spend with our students. With the SRA Reading Labs, every minute counts! With incorporating SRA Reading Labs into our tutoring program, our students average a full year's improvement in vocabulary and comprehension at the completion of our program."
Michele Fleming
Total Learning Center
"The SRA Reading Labs fit the Montessori Elementary Program perfectly allowing each child to progress at their own rate. This year many of our third graders were going through the Labs so rapidly, we added the 3 levels of SRA Science Labs enabling the children to learn science as well as literature and language skills all at the same time. A child unimpeded by limits learns far more than the adult can imagine."
Ann McAlpin Cain
Montessori Elementary Directress and Consultant
"Last year we used the SRA 2B kit with three classes of sixth graders for one quarter. We were amazed at the results. It made it so easy to differentiate to meet the needs of each student at their own level. And the kids were really into it. At the end of the year, when we asked them to reflect upon the year in reading, virtually every student wrote that they learned the most from SRA versus our core reading curriculum or the novels they read."
"My school purchased this item for us two years ago. I used it when I was teaching the second grade. I love using it with higher performing students because they were able to work quietly on that activity and I was able to pull kids and work in small group. It works well to motivate the others in your classroom, all the other students wanted to do what they were doing. I love that they are leveled and the students take ownership in it because they see immediate feedback after reading and answering each story. If you would like to know more you can email me at ajs2971@lausd.net."
Amy Johnson
Rosa Parks Learning Center
LAUSD
"In elementary school back in the 1960's I used my first SRA kit. I liked the color coding, the stories, and the numbered paragraphs to find the vocabulary. When I enrolled in a Reading class in 9th grade, I was elated to see an SRA kit. I looked forward to those weekly lab times. The next time I saw an SRA kit was when I tutored. I went to the local university library and they had all levels of kits. I was surprised that reading levels went into the college level!
A professional, I used the kits. One day during my first year of teaching, the custodian knocked on my door and presented me with a brand new 2b kit! I enthusiastically read through the manuals and for the first time, used the Rate Builders with my fifth grade class. They looked forward to their time with the kit.
I taught 8th grade Language Arts one year in SC. The scores on the basic skills test were so low, the principal told me to order whatever I needed to raise the reading scores. At the top of my list was Reading Lab 3a. The scores picked up with the most significant improvements at the lowest level.
The next year I taught at a residential treatment center. They used SRA also. One day I saw the reading teacher with a 2c kit. She told me she just got a new one and was going to throw the old one away. "No! Don't!" I exclaimed. So that was how I rescued a kit. I brought it home so I could use it for my own kids.
Some time later I taught 7th grade reading in a private school. I got an unused 2b kit from another teacher and started to use the Rate Builders. I integrated this into the reading program. Weekly, students lined up for their cards, read for 3 minutes, traded cards, and after three cards, checked their answers and graphed their progress. I consulted with students individually if their progress necessitated a change of color or if they showed great progress. One boy started off in Red, but he was experiencing difficulty finishing, so I dropped him to Purple. With frequent encouragement, he progressed. Before the end of the year he surpassed his baseline color and graduated to Brown. Another of my students read on third grade level in September. Classmates cheered her on as she moved through the colors. By the time she took the national achievement test in the spring, she was at grade level! I attributed these successes to integrating the Rate Builder program into the reading curriculum.
This past year I worked with struggling readers at the high school level. They were deficient in basic phonics, so I provided them with a program of direct teaching in phonics. Within 3 months, reading levels jumped. I am sure if I had Rate Builders, it would have complemented their achievement."
Gloria Paicopolos, Special Education Teacher
Pembroke Academy
Pembroke, NH
In the mid and late '80s I was teaching fourth grade and loved using the SRA Reading Lab with my students as there was such a wide range of reading abilities. It was a wonderful independent supplement to the basal reading program of the day and the children loved it. One story in particular, the title of which now eludes me, was the true story of a pilgrim boy who came to America with his family on the Mayflower. It was an especially interesting story because he fell overboard and had to be rescued. I'm writing about this because he was my great, great, great grandfather! I would love to have a copy of the story if anyone knows where I can find it, as we just had a grandson named after John Howland!
Carol Darwin
Longden School
Temple City, CA
As a second grader I was blessed to have an SRA Reading Laboratory kit in my classroom. Even though that was a long time ago (about 36 years!) I still remember how much I loved being able to work in the kit. As a child I was a very strong reader, usually performing at or above grade level. The Reading Laboratory allowed me to work at my own pace, which I loved, and let me work at an appropriate instructional level while still allowing my teacher the time to remediate those who needed help. I could remain challenged and it was a point of pride to me to stay ahead of everyone else! I want my students to benefit from all the new and exciting components today SRA's Reading Laboratories offer. Thanks for the chance to share!
Pam Westmoreland
Freedom Elementary
Growing up the TV had been my babysitter. I wasn't read to and books were not encouraged. I did have one talent, for some reason I was able to know where a conversation was going so instead of trading lines in a conversation I would ask the last question in the conversation which would confuse the other person and frustrate me because I would have to go through the entire conversation anyway. I found I could usually short cut and get away with it. Reading was monotonous and I would often fall asleep. In high school I found that my reading level was sub-par so I decided to take a reading class and they used the SRA Reading Lab. Of anything I've ever tried or seen since then I had not had as much progress or success as I had with the SRA Reading Lab. I haven't used the system in about 30 years and my reading hasn't improved since. Whatever it was, it worked.
