Cornerstone Academics

Elizabeth Wayne Reading Instructor (760) 660-3636

“I’ve tried everything to increase my daughter’s reading skills.”

I’ve heard this a lot—parents worried their son or daughter might be falling behind with poor reading skills preventing them from making progress.

Perhaps you know they’re behind and you’re afraid it might be too late for them to catch up. You’ve felt like they’ve missed their chance to learn how to read well.

You’ve probably tried to find a tutor but the process can feel overwhelming.

There’s got to be an easier way.

Reading is often taught in a way that promotes memorization.

Short words are memorized on sight. Longer words are guessed, often cutting off the end of the word or guessing the wrong word entirely. Few rules are given with the hope the student will be able to fill in gaps. And for every rule there often follows a list of exceptions.

Most tutors simply review the same thing taught in school. They try to teach through repetition, finding a word the student is stuck on and going over it until they get it. But if your student is already struggling, this approach can be ineffective and often frustrating.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a consistent system of rules without hundreds of “rule-breakers?”

Coordinating with a tutor is a nightmare.

You already have a hundred things on your plate. The last thing you need is to try to fit another thing in your schedule.

You want to give them every chance to succeed but you don’t have time to try out a tutor and hope it works.

What if you had…

Hello, I’m Elizabeth, and I can help your child or the adult in your home to read.

I had the same problem with my own children and know how frustrating it can be. I went searching for a program that could help improve their poor reading skills, trying different methods and finding each one somewhat inadequate until I began using the Academic Associates reading program.

As a reading instructor for the past 19 years, I’ve seen remarkable progress (by young and old alike) in students’ reading abilities.

About Academic Associates

The Academic Associates Reading Program™ is very distinctive from other phonics programs. Based linguistically on the 44 sounds in the English language, this is an actual step-by-step method of teaching reading that changes the way a student approaches every word they encounter and trains their minds to be analytical.

If the student doesn't have a firm base of phonetic tools it's very difficult to unlock complicated words. We prepare a solid foundation and then build on that foundation with more and more complex phonics tools until the student is reading fluently at an independent level. If the student has gone too far in school but hasn't acquired the necessary phonics skills then the gap widens between what he/she can read and what he/she is expected to know. So the older a student is before the reading problem is solved, the more content knowledge that student has missed.

Who I’ve helped:

Most students complete the program in 30-60 hours. In that time, a majority of students raise their reading skills to their current grade level. Students improve an average of 2-4 grade levels.

Students show progress from the very first lesson. We begin by identifying the gaps in their current skill level and build up the weak points. Then they begin by learning to decode words, not guess them, with a consistent set of rules for breaking down a word into its individual parts. They’re taught proper reading habits and how to apply the information to any reading challenge, not just the words they’ve seen before.

Reading lessons online, with a real instructor

You can enjoy the viewing and interaction of the study sessions in the comfort of your own home via the Internet. Using the teleconferencing app Zoom, you will be able to connect with your personal and professional reading instructor by clicking on a link sent to your email. It’s that simple.

Once connected, you will be able to hear and view the material as if you were in the same room. Using a virtual whiteboard, lessons are taught with visualization that will enhance the students understanding of each segment. Printed material for the lesson is mailed to you prior to the actual session.

So avoid those irritating inconveniences, get into those comfy clothes, and grab a cup of tea. Let’s get started.

First session free

I understand. Perhaps you're thinking "How will my child interact with the instructor?", "Is this the best approach for my child's needs?", or "How effective will this be?"

This can all be ascertained during the first session, which will be free of charge should you decide not to continue.

I want you to be comfortable and confident that you've made the right choice for your child's future success.

Let’s get started.

“Phonics didn’t work for my child, why try again?”

The Academic Associates Reading Program is very distinctive from other phonics programs. It is not just your usual phonics program which gives a student a few rules and you then hope they make the rest of the connections but a comprehensive phonics program that changes the way a student approaches every word he/she encounters and trains their minds to be analytical—for example when they see “lob” they automatically think—no e, it's got to be a short o—applying the “special e” rule. They build rule upon rule computing more and more quickly—until they are reading phonetically.

“What about dyslexia and other learning disabilities?”

Our method doesn't cure learning disabilities, but it helps the brain learn to use undamaged areas that bypass those that are defective. Instead of teaching to a student's strength and building those up as some philosophies endorse, we address a student's weak areas and build those weak areas up. The Academic Associates Reading Program complies with current research.

My story is an unusual one, as I had a hard time with anyone willing to take on my problem. I have a 33-year-old husband, who had no clue how to read. He’s dyslexic, has short-term memory loss and was bullied for it most of his life, which caused him to feel fear and anger towards anything involving reading. He was the ultimate example of being pushed forward in school with no grasp of the material. Almost every tutor got sick and tired of trying to help him, and told both of us it was hopeless. That’s when I found Elizabeth. She has been working with him for almost 3 months now, and the improvement is very noticeable. Where he used to jumble letters, he doesn’t anymore. He can name the consonants, the vowels and their sounds with ease, and is able to read at a child’s level fairly easily. This may not seem like much, but it’s an incredible step forward and he’s starting to feel much more confident with himself and around others.

My husband thinks the world of her. She’s a miracle worker, and I would recommend her to anyone who wants to help his or her child or even an adult learn to read!

FANTASTIC!

—Catie C.