Reading Skills, Student Confidence Boosted through Barton Reading Program

Younger students at Roesland Elementary needing additional support in reading skills are benefiting greatly through the Barton Reading and Spelling Program, which began in the 2015-16 school year. Currently, 10 Caring for Kids volunteers from Old Mission United Methodist Church serve as tutors, using the fully scripted Barton lesson plans, which include reading material, spelling lists, extra practice, and games. Tutors receive ongoing training for each new level taught.

Audrey Wiegmann, Old Mission Partnership Coordinator and Barton tutor, noted that their church’s volunteers logged 684 hours last year through the Barton reading program. She said, “I was assured that every student benefited in significant ways, whether it be reading advancement, confidence, or overall sense of belonging in the school system.”

One of the parents of a child in the program can attest to the benefits to her son:

“His worries of the day usually come home with him. However, not on tutoring days!! Those two glorious days each week, I know he will come running with a skip in his step and a happy bounce! He is proud of himself and he LOVES HIS tutor! I can tell his speech and reading have improved, but his self-confidence and self-worth, as well!