Reid School

Reid School is the first private school to be totally dedicated to the use of Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI) instructional methods.  These methods have been validated by a panel of evaluators at the U.S. Department of Education as being significantly superior to other reading and language arts programs throughout the United States.

Through the required 15 days of intensive training in the ECRI program, Reid School teachers learn to use effective teaching strategies that pre­vent failure.  These strategies include:  eliciting ac­cu­rate and rapid responses during instruction, es­tab­lish­ing high levels of mastery, maintaining on-task behavior, integrating the teaching of language skills, using effective management and monitoring sys­tems, vary­ing schedules and classes so students can invest the time and energy needed to learn, and supervising students’ hands-on ac­tiv­ities and prac­tice.  The strat­e­gies are incorporated into the teach­ing of reading, spelling, grammar, dictation, cre­ative writing, lit­er­a­ture, and pen­man­ship and are ex­treme­ly effective in content instruction such as math­e­mat­ics, science and social studies.

Students’ attention is sustained with the momentum of the instruction and reinforcement offered during practice time.  Overt responses appeal to all preferred modalities of learning.  Reid School’s teachers utilize a scheduling and record keeping system that provides for mastery of all students.

Reid School teachers teach phonemic awareness, word recognition skills, vocabulary through phonics and word structure methods, literal, interpretative, critical and creative comprehension, creative and expository writing, and study skills as they use literature texts, novels, trade and content books.

Reid School students demonstrate mastery through their participation in small-group discussions, writing, locating, organizing, and evaluating information as well as with criterion referenced tests written for the different reading, literature, and content materials.  They also demonstrate competency in their ability to reason, solve problems, apply knowledge, read, write, and communicate.