Reid School's Academic Program

Talented, Skillful, and Responsive Staff

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.

ECRI is a program designed as a practical guide to teach reading and other language skills to students in grades K-12.  ECRI provides elementary and secondary teachers with knowledge of how and what to teach in reading and language arts instruction, how to schedule school/classroom time, and to implement effective teaching strategies that prevent student failure.  ECRI teachers also use integrated instruction to teach literature, science, history, foreign languages, mathematics, etc., so students read, speak, listen, and write well; learn key vocabulary; and use comprehension and study skills.

Effective teaching strategies which prevent failure:

• 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.
• Supervising students’ hands-on activities and practice.

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.

Middle School students practice penmanship.

Students complete an Events Timeline worksheet.

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.