Pine State Learning · Family Experience
What is it really like at Pine State Learning?
Every family's path to Pine State Learning is different. Some come after a new diagnosis. Some come after years of school-based intervention that did not produce the results they expected. What they share is the experience of watching their child become a reader.
"Before receiving PSL's support, reading was a daily struggle. Words often appeared jumbled or out of order, and sounding them out took an exhausting amount of effort."
"Reading assignments that should have taken minutes stretched into long, emotional sessions filled with frustration and self-doubt. She worked incredibly hard, yet her progress did not reflect her effort."."exhausting amount of effort."
​Parent of a Pine State Learning student
This student arrived at Pine State Learning in the middle of third grade. He had been receiving special education services since second grade under an IEP with an identification of Specific Learning Disability in reading. He had recently received a diagnosis of dyslexia, along with documentation of extremely high cognitive ability.
At school, he was receiving Orton-Gillingham-based instruction (SPIRE) and had completed three books in the curriculum. On paper, he was meeting his IEP goals but parents had big concerns.
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At home, the picture was different. He refused to read. Every morning was a battle to get him out the door. He was getting stomach aches before school. His self-talk about school and about himself as a learner had turned deeply negative. Parents felt like the school's report and what they were seeing at home did not match, so they had PSL do an informal assessment based on grade level standards (our program pretest).
What the Assessment Revealed
PSL's placement assessment showed that his phonemic awareness was at the kindergarten level. He had early decoding skills but could not sound out words quickly. He knew only 40% of kindergarten-level sight words. His oral reading fluency was 30 correct words per minute at a first-grade level with 34% accuracy. There was a tremendous gap that could not be addressed with
Follow His Student's Progress Through a Round of Intensive Intervention
​Pre-test
30 cwpm, 34% accuracy at Grade 1. Kindergarten-level phonemic awareness. 40% of kindergarten sight words. Stomach aches every morning.
After Intervention
A tremendous amount of sacrifice on the part of this family made a huge difference for this student. They had to figure out morning transportation for three months (not east with 2 other kids in the family), they faced pushback from school teachers and administrators about least restrictive environment, social growth, missing morning meeting
But it was worth it. This student was reading confidently in the classroom and in his home and was able to access grade level curriculum. He went back to attending full days at school by November, and was able to reduce reading interventions during his school day. He went on to do a summer program with us and is reading at grade level in grade 5.
Before and After One Round of Intervention
34% → 95%
Reading accuracy at Grade 1
K → Grade 2
Phonemic awareness level
Volunteering
to read at home
One Case Study: Three Months of Intensive Instruction
10 hours per week for 13 weeks· All identifying details changed to protect privacy
The LEAP Experience: Our Summer Intensive
PSL's LEAP summer intensive program provides up to 20 hours of one-on-one instruction per week over up to 8 weeks.
The research shows that this kind of intensity is what produces neural changes in the reading brain. Most student see learning changes of up to 2-3 years growth over our summer program. Intensity makes a difference.
"Our daughter started her journey with Pine State the summer between 3rd and 4th grade with three weeks of the LEAP program, and she continued with weekly tutoring throughout 4th grade. Over the past year, her progress has been remarkable; not only in her reading skills, but also in her confidence. She has gone from avoiding reading whenever possible to playing letter sound games with friends and reading signs that she never could before. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Pine State Learning to those looking for the extra support to help their readers."
Jenny J., parent of a Pine State Learning student
"I've seen tremendous progress, not just in academics but also her confidence and stamina. She genuinely looked forward to her daily lessons and talked excitedly about them, which was wonderful to see."
Patty W., parent of a Pine State Learning LEAP student
Closing the Gap
For many families, the most meaningful number is not a test score but the distance between where their child was reading and where they should be. Closing that gap changes everything: homework, self-esteem, daily life. PSL's assessment data shows an average gain of 1.8 grade levels in sight word recognition; for individual students, the gains can be even larger.
"With intensive, individual tutoring by Pine State Learning, her grade equivalent jumped 2 grades in 4 months. Pine State Learning is solely responsible for my daughter's significant reading advancement, which has given her a big boost to her self-esteem. For that, I am so grateful."
Rebecca, parent of a Pine State Learning student
"My high-schooler cried with joy after independently reading the very first novel of her life during her sophomore year. She no longer requires my assistance to complete non-fiction based reading homework."
Rebecca, parent of a Pine State Learning student
"Her reading level has increased from a second-grade level to a fourth-grade level. This growth represents not only academic improvement but also a significant emotional milestone. She now approaches reading with determination rather than fear."
Parent of a Pine State Learning student
Another Case Study: High Schooler Who Had Been Barely Getting by for Years
100+ hours of intervention · All identifying details changed to protect privacy
What the Assessment Revealed
PSL's assessment uncovered a profile characteristic of a highly intelligent student with an unaddressed decoding deficit. His sight word recognition was at an eighth-grade level, built entirely through memory and exposure. His reading comprehension was at grade level through high school material, because his intelligence allowed him to construct meaning from context even when he could not accurately decode every word. His oral reading fluency was 120 correct words per minute at a fifth-grade level, but with only 80% accuracy. He was fast and inaccurate: reading by the shape of the word rather than decoding it.
Underneath that performance, his sound-to-symbol knowledge was minimal. His decoding and encoding skills were at an elementary school level. This is a student whose intelligence and work ethic had masked a fundamental skills gap for nearly a decade. The Waldorf model's emphasis on oral learning and experiential education may have further delayed identification.
The Intervention
PSL designed a plan focused on building accuracy and fluency with phoneme-grapheme correspondence from the ground up, using extensive nonsense word practice to prevent the student from relying on his well-developed sight word bank and contextual guessing strategies. The plan moved through single-syllable patterns to three-syllable words as quickly as his mastery allowed, with the deliberate decision to hold off on oral reading practice until the decoding foundation was solid enough to support it.
Pre-test
Elementary-level decoding and encoding. 120 cwpm at Grade 5, only 80% accuracy. Minimal sound-to-symbol knowledge. Straight A's through effort alone.
Because he was an older student, instruction also addressed the difference between scanning and deep reading: when to skim for information and when to slow down for full comprehension. This metacognitive work gave him tools to manage the volume of reading required in high school coursework.
+5
grade levels in decoding
+4
grade levels in encoding
Grade level
reading by 12th grade
A Different Kind of Instruction
What makes PSL different from what most students experience in school? Families describe instruction that is individualized, explicit, and designed around how their child's brain actually learns. The research supports this approach.
"Everything began to change when she started attending Pine State Learning. From the beginning, the environment felt different. Instruction was structured, supportive, and tailored specifically to the needs of students with dyslexia. For the first time, reading instruction focused on how her brain learns."
Parent of a Pine State Learning student
"Working with Pine State Learning has been an incredibly positive experience thanks to the highly individualized 1:1 approach that adapts instruction to meet the student's academic and emotional needs. The tutor thoughtfully incorporates movement breaks and my daughter's interests to keep lessons engaging and meaningful."
Patty W., parent of a Pine State Learning student
"She was taught explicit, systematic phonics and given tools to decode words in a way that finally made sense to her."
Parent of a Pine State Learning student
Confidence and Self-Belief
For many families, the most important outcome is not a test score. It is watching their child begin to believe they can learn. The data tells one story; these families tell the rest.
"I've seen remarkable growth in her confidence in reading and math, as well as her ability to take risks and feel proud of her accomplishments."
Patty W., parent of a Pine State Learning student
"She is beginning to see herself as a capable learner. She celebrates her successes and understands that her dyslexia does not define her limitations, but rather explains her learning process."
Parent of a Pine State Learning student
"Most importantly, she now believes in herself, and that belief will continue to carry her forward."
Parent of a Pine State Learning student
"Beyond the measurable gains, the most meaningful change has been in her mindset. She takes pride in her progress and is more willing to try, even when something feels difficult."
Parent of a Pine State Learning student
Support Beyond the Lesson
Families working with Pine State Learning receive more than tutoring sessions. Lisa provides ongoing guidance, helps families understand their child's neurocognitive profile, and works with schools to ensure appropriate accommodations and support. Learn about PSL's process.
You have been flexible in trying to accommodate various plans and helped educate me greatly in the world of dyslexia and my daughter's profile in specific."
Darcy B., parent of a Pine State Learning student
"Pine State Learning has given her the foundation she needed to grow academically while also restoring her confidence and love of learning."
Candi P., Parent of a Pine State Learning student
"Knowing we have your support, wisdom, guidance and clinical perspective during times that we feel overwhelmed and unsure is beyond comforting and appreciated so deeply."
Sarah J., parent of a Pine State Learning student
One Family's Full Story
"My child has dyslexia, a learning difference that has shaped both her academic journey and her sense of self. Before receiving specialized support, reading was a daily struggle. She worked incredibly hard, yet her progress did not reflect her effort, which affected her confidence and made school feel overwhelming. Everything began to change when she started attending Pine State Learning. Instruction was structured, supportive, and tailored specifically to the needs of students with dyslexia. For the first time, reading instruction focused on how her brain learns. With consistent, specialized instruction, she has steadily built her reading skills and confidence. Her reading level has increased from a second-grade level to a fourth-grade level. She now approaches reading with determination rather than fear. She is beginning to see herself as a capable learner, and that belief will continue to carry her forward."
Carl M., Parent of a Pine State Learning student
