Tool Skill Fluency Program, Grades K - 4

Program Description

Tool Skill Fluency

What are tool skills? As the name implies, such skills are literally the "tools" that your child uses to learn new and more challenging things. For example, your child uses his/her ability to name numbers when solving addition problems- without the number naming skill, the computation concept could not develop. However, simply being able to perform tool skills accurately, or without making errors, is not enough to guarantee academic success. Published findings suggest that true mastery of tool skills involves the development of fluency, or a kind of performance that combines both accuracy and speed. Fluency can also be thought of as the automatic processing of information.

Think of each time you drive your car. Are you actively thinking about each action required to drive it? Do you have to look at the gas and brake pedals before using them or pause to think before stepping on the brake? Probably not or you wouldn't get very far without having an accident. Instead, you are so fluent at the tool skills required to operate your car that you automatically perform the skills without having to think. The result is effortless, expert performance- it is this kind of performance that we aim to develop in students enrolled at our center.

Published findings indicate that students with fluent tool skills have a better attention span, memory and ability to apply knowledge in new and complex ways. The broad-scale result of such expert levels of performance is a learner with the confidence and ability to succeed in any academic environment.

Now that we understand how important tool skill fluency is for a child's academic success, we need to tackle the issue of how to produce this kind of mastery. Published findings indicate that the surest way to develop fluency in a learner is through the use of a highly effective teaching process known as Precision Teaching.

Precision Teaching is a systematic method of evaluating learning and ensuring that rapid progress is continually being made. This approach serves as the hallmark of our Tool Skill Fluency Program. Our highly trained Instructors break-down complex skills into learnable components, set-up structured practice opportunities specifically designed for fluency development, and continually monitor progress through the use of a precise measurement system that guarantees your child's success.

Our Tool Skill Fluency Program is a fast-paced, exciting, and highly rewarding learning experience that will build your child's confidence and dramatically increase his/her success in the classroom. Many of your child's initial sessions will involve 1:1 interactions with his/her instructor. However, our aim is to gradually reduce the amount of support given such that your child can take control of his/her learning experience — ultimately leading to a genuine love of learning and strong study skills.

How is Fluency Produced? For More Information on Precision Teaching and Tool Skill Fluency...

Johnson, K. & Street, E. (2004). The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction: What it Means to Leave no Child Behind. Concord, MA: Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.

West, R. & Hamerlynck, L. (1992). Designs for Excellence in Education. Longmont, CO.: Sopris West, Inc.

Basic Skills Assessment

Prior to enrollment, we must conduct a tool skill assessment with your child in order to design a fluency building program that best meets his/her needs. The assessment is a Curriculum-Based Assessment, rather than a standardized test, in that it is designed from grade-level skills your child is required to perform in the classroom. Published findings indicate that Curriculum-Based Assessments lead to the design of more effective intervention programs and allow the more exact identification of deficits when compared with traditional tests. During the assessment, we will evaluate your child's skills with respect to both accuracy and fluency criteria. You will receive an assessment report that highlights your child's weaker areas and describes the plan that will be designed to increase your child's overall tool skill fluency.

For More Information on Curriculum- Based Assessment...

Witt, J. C., Elliot, S. N., & Gresham, F. M. (1988). Handbook of Behavior Therapy in Education. New York: Plenum Press.

Program Structure

Upon enrollment, your child with be assigned a (1) Case Advisor, (2) Case Manager and (3) Instructor(s). Your child's Case Advisor is responsible for overseeing his/her programming and ensuring that rapid progress is continually being made.

Your child's Case Manager is responsible for assisting the Case Advisor by implementing new programs, communicating problems or improvements and keeping your child's charts complete and up-to-date. The Case Manager will also occasionally work with your child as a means of ensuring that records of performance are consistent with actual performance observed during sessions.

Your child's Instructor(s) is responsible for working with your child and monitoring his/her performance during each session. Your child's session will be divided into 1:1 Instructional Time and Group Practice Time.

During 1:1 Instructional Time, your child's Instructor will work with him/her individually in order to (1) conduct instruction over new concepts being introduced, (2) conduct fluency tests to evaluate when a skill has been mastered and (3) troubleshoot problem areas.

During Group Practice Time, your child will practice his/her tool skill programs independently. Your child will be trained to monitor his/her own performance and identify when daily goals have been achieved. Group Practice Time is always monitored by Instructors who will encourage your child to meet goals, work quickly, and stay on task. Instructors are also available to answer questions and help troubleshoot any problems that may arise.

Curriculum Materials

We use a variety of highly tested and researched curriculum materials in our Tool Skill Fluency Program. Some of these materials have been developed by others and some have been developed by our center.

Phonemic Awareness and Reading Fluency

Center for Advanced Learning:
    Phonemic Awareness for Auditory and Visual Processing
Orange County Precision Teaching Project:
    Visual Decoding Materials
DISTAR
Direct Instruction Reading:
    Horizons
    Corrective Reading Strategies

Numeration and Math Fact Fluency

Center for Advanced Learning:
    Concept Building for Place Value
    Concept Building For Multiplication and Division
Haughton Learning Center:
    Basic Skills for Math
Morningside Academy:
    Morningside Math Series
DISTAR MATH and Connecting Math Concepts
Orange County Precision Teaching Project:
    Math Fluency Series

Handwriting

Haughton Learning Center:
    Handwriting: Print
    Handwriting: Cursive

                                                               For Tuition Information: See Tool Skill 5-8 program