Literacy Instruction & Multisensory Reading Tutoring (MSRT)

The College School employs two experienced, full-time multisensory reading instructors as well as two part time instructors. They work throughout the school day with students in individualized reading instruction. The teaching staff also has a wealth of experience and training in a variety of reading intervention techniques. This enables staff members to tailor an individualized program that targets the specific reading needs of each student.

During Multisensory Reading Tutoring (MSRT) sessions, students progress at their own rate through a sequential, systematic program that is primarily based on the Reading ASSIST and/or the Wilson Reading System curricula. In individual and small group sessions, the instructor incorporates a variety of multisensory activities to teach reading decoding (sounding out words) and encoding (spelling).

In keeping with the programs on which it is based, MSRT takes a phonetic approach to reading instruction. What makes the approach unique is its multisensory focus. Letters that represent the single sounds of speech are presented to the students through the three major pathways into the brain: the ears, eyes and muscles. This linking process integrates the mouth position that forms the sound with the ears that hear it, with the eyes that see it, and the muscles that write it. Through this integration, the stronger senses support the weaker ones. Students learn to read, write and spell simultaneously. Immediately the new phonogram is synthesized into words that carry meaning and these words are used in sentences and stories for comprehension. The student is asked to read or spell only what s/he has learned through the linkage procedure, thus ensuring success.

Although the majority of students who require reading assistance demonstrate deficits in the area of reading decoding, some students require reading comprehension and fluency intervention. Literacy teachers are specifically trained to address these special needs. Moreover, The College School’s literacy specialist works in small groups or in 1:1 sessions with students in need of additional intervention. The literacy specialist also oversees the reading and writing instruction of all students by working directly with classroom teachers and reading tutors on instructional best practices, curriculum development, and ongoing progress monitoring assessment.

Parents’ role in the reading process is to ensure that their child reads for pleasure at home. Reading practice at a “comfortable” reading level is essential to reading development.