Pen Argyl Area School District in the Lehigh Valley with seven other school districts, including two in northwest Pennsylvania taking part in a three-year pilot program to test evidence based literacy programs using the Orton-Gillingham methods.
Part of the program’s goal is to reduce the number of children who need special education services. Students gained reading and comprehension skills throughout the year. As a bonus, Pen Argyl observed an increase in knowledge retention over the summer so students were ready to start learning new material sooner in the school year.