The Bridge Program supports second grade students who require intensive, diagnostic, prescriptive reading intervention. Instruction is provided by a trained Reading & Support Specialist and progress is monitored through formal and informal reading assessments. A student’s need for the Bridge Program is established through in-house testing or psychoeducational evaluation.
A support team creates a reading plan for Bridge students, which is personalized for each individual. Reading instruction may be delivered in a small group or one-on-one setting. Orton-Gillingham is the principal program used in Bridge instruction and lessons are tailored specifically to student need.
Progress is monitored throughout the year. Following winter assessments, if a student demonstrates markers for a learning difference in reading, further testing will be recommended. Some students’ needs are met through intensive intervention, and they continue in Friends Academy third grade. Other students may be recommended for the Sally Borden third grade if they would benefit from continued intensive intervention.
This process is coordinated by Kendal Martes, Director of the Sally Borden Program.