For Parents & Students
Supporting families on their reading journey. Find the resources, guidance, and hope you need to help your child succeed with the Barton Reading & Spelling System.
Designed Specifically for Dyslexia
The Barton Reading & Spelling System was designed for people who have — or are suspected of having — dyslexia.
Research shows that 95 percent of poor readers can be brought up to grade level if they receive effective help early. The Barton System provides that effective, structured, multisensory intervention that makes reading success possible.
Designed Specifically for Dyslexia
To ensure the best results, students should meet the following requirements before beginning the Barton System:
Age and Grade
At least 5 years old and in kindergarten or higher
Language Skills
Must speak and comprehend spoken English. If English is a second language, student must understand English at a second-grade level or higher
Cognitive Ability
IQ of 71 or higher (no significant intellectual disability)
Learning Challenges
Struggles with spelling, cannot easily sound out unknown words, or shows classic signs of dyslexia. Must pass the Barton Student Screening
Important Note
The Barton System is not appropriate for students with receptive or expressive language disorders. No formal dyslexia diagnosis is required, but dyslexia should be suspected. All students must pass the Barton Student Screening before beginning the program.
Resources for Parents
Understanding Dyslexia
Comprehensive guides to help you understand your child’s learning differences
Signs and symptoms
Early intervention
Supporting at home
Working with schools
Family Support
Connect with other families and access ongoing support throughout your journey
Parent support groups
Family workshops
Online community
Resource library
Progress Tracking
Tools and strategies to monitor your child’s reading development
Progress reports
Home activities
Milestone tracking
Celebration ideas
Building Confidence
Strategies to help your child develop a positive relationship with reading
Confidence building
Motivation techniques
Success strategies
Emotional support
What Students Can Expect
Personalized Learning
Every lesson is tailored to your unique learning style and pace
Multisensory Approach
Learn through seeing, hearing, and touching for better retention
Build Confidence
Experience success and develop a love for reading and learning
Life Skills
Develop strategies that will help you succeed in school and beyond
Student Success Stories
My daughter has been working with a Barton tutor for 6 months now. The transformation has been incredible! She went from dreading homework to asking when her next tutoring session is. Her self-esteem has soared and she’s confident she can succeed. Emma is now reading at grade level and is being considered for the Gifted program. He walks around with the biggest smile on his face. That is why I love my job!!
Kimberly Sikes
Parent
He is on the right path and everyone is pleased. Last May, when our son was at the end of first grade and the school recommended we retain him, you advised that we negotiate delaying that decision until just before school starts and tutor him during the summer using the Barton System. After 2.5 months of tutoring, the school gave him a reading test and he is at a level 16 — right where he should have been at the end of 1st grade! The reading specialist wants to take a look at your system.
Allison Nucerino
Parent
This year, he received the “Student of the Month” award for attitude and achievement. Prior to Barton tutoring, Dustin struggled in school. Three years ago, at age 10, his teachers said that he could not spell, and his reading was far below grade level. They told me he was “unteachable.” After three years of twice-a-week Barton tutoring, Dustin is about to finish Level 10, and his life has changed. He is happier. School is easier. He is getting A’s and B’s. His GPA is 3.5.
Deanna Baker
Parent
Getting Started is Easy
1
Initial Consultation
Schedule a free consultation to discuss your child’s needs and learn about the Barton System.
2
Assessment
Complete a comprehensive screening to determine your child’s starting level and specific needs.
3
Begin Tutoring
Start working with a certified Barton tutor and begin your child’s journey to reading success.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my child has dyslexia?
Common signs include difficulty with phonics, slow reading, trouble spelling, and avoiding reading tasks. Our screening assessment can help identify specific areas of need.
Does a student have to start at Level 1?
Most students need to start at Level 1 – no matter how old they are. That’s because research proves that a lack of phonemic awareness is what is preventing them from being able to read unknown words by sounding them out – and to spell by sounding out. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate each sound in a word – in your head, without letters. In fact, research shows there are seven essential phonemic awareness skills a student must have before letters will start to make sense. We teach all seven of those skills in Level 1. So if your student has not had recent and intense Orton-Gillingham-based tutoring, start the student in Level 1. If it proves to be too easy, we will exchange it – FREE – for Level 2. But if your student has had recent and intense Orton-Gillingham-based tutoring, let us know. We will then send you the post-tests for our first few levels so you can determine the right starting spot for that student.
Do you have pre- and post-tests so that I can prove progress on an IEP?
Yes. Each level has a post-test that you can use as a pre-test (if necessary) to prove that a student could not before you taught those lessons, but the student can do those same tasks easily and with at least 95% accuracy (which is true mastery) after you have taught the lessons in that level. By the way, if you are a Resource Specialist, let us know if you need IEP goals that exactly match each level in the Barton System.
How long does it take to complete all ten levels?
Since no two people with dyslexia learn at exactly the same pace, we can only provide a range. If a student has classic, or moderate, dyslexia, and is tutored twice a week in a one-on-one setting for an hour each time, it will take from 2 to 3 years to complete the entire Barton System. So in just 2 to 3 years, you can take a struggling student to the mid-ninth-grade level in reading, spelling, and basic writing. Students with mild dyslexia may complete the system a bit faster, while students with more severe dyslexia may need 4 to 5 years. The only way a student can make faster progress is to be tutored more often. If a child can be tutored 3 or 4 times a week, they’ll complete the Barton System much faster.
Why stop at the mid-ninth grade level?
There are no more rules to teach. At that point, the student can read anything – even college textbooks. In our society today, adult reading level is ninth-grade level. Once an adult can read and spell at the ninth-grade level, they can read well enough to attend Adult Basic Education courses to prepare for the G.E.D. or go to college.
My child is only in third grade. Do I need to get all ten levels?
No. But do not stop at Level 3. Our level numbers do NOT equate to grade levels. I recommend taking a student who is in elementary school all the way through the end of Level 8. That’s because teachers in intermediate school (junior high) assume their students can already do everything we teach in Levels 1 through 8. It’s wonderful to see a child progress from being the worst speller in the class in third grade, to being an average speller in fourth grade, to being a superstar in fifth grade – and be able to explain to the teacher exactly why a word is spelled that way. We’ve seen this happen thousands of times. We’ve taken many third graders through Level 8. If they’re being tutored only twice a week, they may be a fifth grader by the time they complete Level 8. By that time, they may have a large enough vocabulary to be able to tackle Levels 9 and 10. If not, work on growing their oral vocabulary and delay those last two levels until seventh grade. Level 9, the Influence of Foreign Languages, and Level 10, Latin Roots and Greek Words, ideally would be taught before a child enters high school. Those two levels will ensure that the student can read and spell all of the sophisticated words they’ll encounter in high school and college science, social studies, and math courses.
Does the Barton System come with any software?
Yes. We have created extra practice games to reinforce the skills taught in Levels 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Barton System. These free games reside on the Internet, so you do not have to purchase software to access them. The link to those games is on our Tutor Support website. We also have free fluency drills that can be used on a computer on that same Tutor Support website. If you have an iPad or a 7″ or 10″ Android tablet, take a look at our Barton Tiles app – which replaces our color-coded wooden letter tiles.
I know the Barton System contains many one-page stories at the end of every lesson. Are there any stand-alone books that my child can read while going through your system?
Yes. Once children with dyslexia realize that they CAN read – without guessing or memorizing words – they’re eager to read books. But until they’ve been taught all of the rules in the first 8 levels, they can’t read most library books – without reverting to guessing. So we’ve hired authors to create stand-alone controlled-text books for every level of the Barton System. We also searched libraries and other sources for controlled-text books. Books written by other authors are listed in the Games section of our tutor manuals.
I am a Reading Specialist, and I can tutor students one-on-one. How many levels will I need for a nine-month school year?
You will need at least Levels 1, 2, and 3. If your budget permits, also get Level 4. Some of your students may be able to complete the first half of Level 4 before the school year ends.
I am a resource specialist. Soon I will be getting a student who completed Level 4 at his previous school. Can I start teaching Level 5 – even though I have never taught any of the prior levels?
Sadly, no. No one – not even someone with a Ph.D. in Reading Instruction – can take over tutoring for a Barton Student in Level 5. That’s because the Barton System is cumulative. In order to teach Level 5 accurately and well, a tutor must have experience teaching levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 – and know the material, rules, and error correction techniques used in those levels “cold.” There is no way that anyone can learn them adequately enough to use them just by watching the hours and hours and hours of tutor training videos. A teacher would have to watch 30 hours of video (6 hours per level times 5 levels) – that’s almost an entire week – retain it all, and internalize it so that she could use every technique, every spelling rule, and every error technique automatically when needed. It is truly impossible to do that just by watching videos. In fact, that’s why the Barton System is designed for a teacher to watch just 6 hours of instruction (just one level), and then stop and go give those lessons to real students for several months (to internalize and master those rules and techniques – and use the error correction techniques) before watching 6 more hours of training (for the next level), etc. A teacher or SLP or parent might be able to take over and do an adequate job if a student is only in Level 3. But they would not be able to take over for a student in Level 5.
If I teach 3 students at the same time, do I need to modify your system or get extra supplies?
Yes. Only one set of color-coded letter tiles is included with each Barton Level. But it helps students stay actively involved with the lesson if they each have their own set. So we recommend you purchase an extra set of tiles for each student. If you purchased your Barton Levels directly from us, and you have a single tutor version, you can order up to 3 extra sets of tiles. If your school has a site license, they can order as many extra sets of tiles as they need. Please be aware you will not save any time tutoring in a group. That is because each student in that group must receive the equivalent intensity of 2 hours of 1-on-1 tutoring per week. The intensity in 3-on-1 tutoring is not the same as 1-on-1 tutoring. To get the same intensity, you must tutor a group of 3 students for 6 hours each week. Also, the more students in a group, the longer it will take to complete the Barton System. That’s because you have to pace the lesson for the slowest student. And you cannot present new material if any one of the students is absent. So if at all possible, please do one-on-one tutoring – even if that means training an aide or a parent or a volunteer to use the Barton System.
