Psychology

Reading Intervention Center

What is the Reading Intervention Center?

The Reading Intervention Center provides assessment and intervention services for children in Kindergarten through 4th grade who may be experiencing difficulties in reading and literacy development. The Center is a service of the graduate program in School Psychology at Central Washington University. Services are provided by graduate and undergraduate students in psychology and education under the supervision of CWU faculty. All services are provided free of charge as a service to the community.

A primary goal of the Reading Intervention Center is to provide families with assessment and tutoring support to help them address their child’s needs during the crucial elementary years. Services are provided both in-person on the CWU campus as well as online over the internet. Students from all corners of Washington are eligible for services through the Center. 

Services Available:

Diagnostic Assessment

A variety of diagnostic assessment services are available through the center. Brief assessments of current skill development in various areas of reading are typically given when a student begins with the Center. These brief assessments provide initial information about skill development in various areas of reading including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. In addition, screenings for other academic skills are also available (writing, mathematics). Children who have been previously identified as having a learning disability or other disability as well as students without special needs are welcome to access services through the center.

Tutoring

Tutoring is also available through the Center both in-person and online in order to provide targeted practice on needed reading skills. Tutoring is provided on a regular schedule by graduate and/or undergraduate students using evidence-based interventions for the particular needs of the student. Many students who are falling behind in reading benefit from additional, targeted practice opportunities on a regular basis to supplement their school learning. Tutors will work directly with students and also provide parents/caregivers with resources for providing additional practice opportunities at home.

Prior to beginning tutoring, a screening will be given to find student strengths and needs. For many students, the Sound Partners intervention program will be an appropriate intervention. In a typical session, tutors will engage with your child in a fun activity and also work through reading lessons from the Sound Partners intervention, which is an evidence-based intervention for struggling readings. Tutors will work with students on phonological awareness (the sounds of language) tasks, blending and segmenting sounds, letter-sound matching, writing, and beginning reading.

Additional information about Sounds Partners and research evidence supporting effectiveness is available here:

Voyagersopris Sound Partners

Home Support

Good learning happens when practice is spaced out over many short learning sessions rather than all at one time. Sound Partners has been carefully designed to provide children with practice opportunities for key skills spaced out over multiple days a week. If families would welcome practicing skills at home, assistance is available to set up a program to supplement the regular tutoring at the center. As a part of the program tutors will provide families with materials for short practice throughout the week. Tutors will also provide training and support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Center located?

The Reading Intervention Center is located on the 2nd floor of the Psychology Building in room 217. The Psychology building is located on the corner of Dean Nicholson Blvd. and Walnut street directly across the street from Nicholson Pavilion and the CWU Football stadium.

When is the Center open?

During the 23-24 Academic year the Center will be open on Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30-6:30 pm. For students receiving tutoring services, a consistent time and day will be scheduled for tutoring. Students can receive 1 to 4 times per week depending on individual needs. Tutoring may also be available outside of these hours from Monday through Thursday

Are there charges for the services?

No, services are offered for free as a service to the community.

How do I sign up for services?

If you would like to sign up for services, please fill out this form:

Reading Intervention Center Sign-up Form 2023 - 2024

What will a student do in a typical tutoring session?

Tutoring session in-person are typically 45 minutes long, while online sessions are about 30 minutes. Sessions are meant to be fun and interactive while also providing practice on important skills. For example, sessions will include a Sound Partners lesson, where a student is introduced to letters and sounds with opportunities to practice various beginning reading skills (letter identification, blending sounds, writing letters). As students progress they move into combining sounds and word and book reading. In addition, tutors will engage in fun activities such as learning games and coloring/drawing. Tutors will help students track their progress, with small rewards for effort and achievement (the treasure box). Tutors will also monitor progress on skill development to track whether adjustments need to be made to intervention activities. 

What does online tutoring look like?

Online tutoring is available for students who can’t attend tutoring sessions at the Center in Ellensburg. We will set up regularly scheduled tutoring sessions online throughout the week. The sessions are conducted through the Microsoft TEAMS platform and can be accessed through a home computer or tablet with internet access. Each session can be accessed through an email link to a student’s caregiver. Young students may need assistance getting on to the session. Once a student is online, a tutor will work with them for approximately 30 minutes each session. Online sessions can be scheduled from one to four sessions a week.

What should I bring to a first session?

Any information about your child’s academic skills and performance would be helpful for assessing your child’s current skills and needs for intervention. Any test results, report cards, teacher reports, or examples of school work they have completed would be helpful.

Are services available for students older than 4^th grade?

If a student is in 5^th or 6^th grade and has very low reading skills, we are able to serve them through the Sound Partners. We are not able to serve students older than 6^th grade at this time, but we are working to expand to serve a wider age range. Please check the website in the future for additional services.

If you have questions about services, please contact  Rodchelle Sykes, Outreach Coordinator for the Reading Intervention Center, at  CWUReadingCenter@cwu.edu or 509-963-2325.

You may also contact Dr. Heath Marrs, Reading Intervention Clinic Faculty Director, and Heath.Marrs@cwu.edu or 509-963-2391.