Literacy Academy

When reading is hard, the right instruction matters.

Literacy Academy provides individualized, evidence-based reading intervention for students who need more than additional practice or a one-size-fits-all approach.

We begin by identifying what a student already understands, where the breakdowns are occurring, and which skills need to be strengthened. From there, our experienced interventionists provide explicit, systematic instruction designed around the needs of each learner.

But our goal goes beyond helping students become better readers.

We want students to understand how language works—to recognize patterns, make connections, develop strategies, and become increasingly confident and independent as readers, spellers, and thinkers.

The First Step: A Reading Skills Assessment

Every student begins with a comprehensive Reading Skills Assessment. This allows us to look closely at the skills involved in reading and spelling, identify areas of strength and need, and determine whether Literacy Academy is the right fit for your child.

Schedule a Reading Skills Assessment

Have Questions?

Choosing reading intervention can feel like a big decision—especially when you have already watched your child struggle or tried other approaches without seeing the progress you hoped for.

We want you to understand not only what we do, but why we do it.

Below, you'll find answers to common questions about our assessments, intervention options, instructional approach, scheduling, and what families can expect from Literacy Academy.

Literacy Academy FAQs

What does the Reading Skills Assessment tell us?

Parents often tell us, “My child can read the words, but they don't understand what they read.”

Reading comprehension, however, is a big umbrella. When a student struggles to understand text, the challenge may not begin with comprehension itself.

That's why our Reading Skills Assessment looks beneath the surface.

Using a combination of established literacy assessment tools and measures, we examine the individual skills and processes that work together to support successful reading. Depending on the student's age and needs, this may include areas such as:

phonological and phonemic awareness
decoding and word recognition
reading accuracy and fluency
spelling and encoding
vocabulary and language knowledge
comprehension at the sentence and passage level

Looking at these skills together helps us identify not simply that a student is struggling, but where the breakdown is occurring and what may be contributing to it.

For example, a student may appear to have a comprehension problem when the real barrier is slow, effortful word reading. Another student may read a passage accurately and fluently but lack the vocabulary or background knowledge needed to understand it deeply.

Those students may have the same complaint—“They read it, but they don't understand it”—but they don't need the same intervention.

That distinction matters.

Our assessment process helps us build a clearer picture of each student's reading profile so we can determine what needs attention—and begin addressing those needs right away.

What does the assessment include, and what does it cost?

The Reading Skills Assessment is $150 and includes an individualized, in-person assessment session with your child, followed by a parent conference to review the results and discuss next steps.

Rather than administering the same set of tests to every student, we use a combination of established literacy assessment tools and measures selected according to your child's age, current skill level, and areas of concern.

The goal is not simply to generate scores.

We are looking for patterns.

We want to understand what your child can already do successfully, where reading begins to break down, and what may be contributing to the difficulty. Results from multiple measures are considered together to develop a clearer picture of your child's strengths and instructional needs.

During the follow-up conference, we'll walk through what we found in parent-friendly language, answer your questions, and discuss recommendations for moving forward. If intervention is recommended, we'll also talk about what that could look like for your child.

A detailed written report summarizing assessment results and recommendations is available for an additional $50.

Is this a dyslexia evaluation?

No. The Reading Skills Assessment is an instructional assessment, not a formal diagnostic evaluation for dyslexia.

As a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, Carva King is trained to recognize the characteristics commonly associated with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. When assessment results and a student's history indicate that a formal evaluation may be appropriate, we can help families understand those concerns and refer them to the appropriate professionals for further evaluation.

But families do not have to wait for a diagnosis before a child can begin receiving appropriate reading intervention.

Formal evaluations can be extremely valuable, particularly when a student needs a diagnosis or documentation for services and accommodations. But while families navigate that process, valuable instructional time can be lost.

A struggling reader needs support now.

One of the primary purposes of our Reading Skills Assessment is to identify a student's current strengths and needs so that appropriate intervention can begin immediately.

From Assessment to Action

A formal evaluation can provide valuable answers. It may identify a learning difference such as dyslexia, document the need for accommodations or services, and provide important recommendations.

But identifying the problem is only part of the process.

The next question is: What do we do about it?

That is where skilled intervention becomes essential.

As a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, Carva specializes in translating what we know about a student's reading difficulties into targeted instruction. When a formal evaluation is available, its findings and recommendations become an important part of that process. When an evaluation has not yet been completed, our Reading Skills Assessment gives us the information we need to identify areas of concern, determine appropriate next steps, and begin addressing instructional needs.

We do not believe a student should spend months struggling while waiting for the evaluation process to be completed.

When we know a child needs help, we can begin helping.

If further evaluation is warranted, we will help families understand why and guide them toward the appropriate professionals. Intervention can continue while that process moves forward, and any additional findings can be incorporated into the student's plan as they become available.

Assessment gives us a place to start. Ongoing instruction, observation, and progress monitoring help us determine where to go next.

What is reading intervention, and how is it different from tutoring?

Literacy Academy is not a traditional tutoring program.

Tutoring typically helps a student with the academic demands in front of them—completing assignments, understanding current classroom material, preparing for a test, or improving a grade.

Reading intervention has a different goal.

Instead of focusing primarily on today's assignment, we work to identify and strengthen the underlying skills that are making reading, spelling, and written language difficult in the first place.

That means intervention is not a quick fix or a temporary bandage. It is intentional, targeted instruction designed to give students the knowledge, skills, and strategies they need for long-term success and greater independence.

And that kind of growth does not happen overnight.

Parents may begin to notice changes in a child's reading accuracy, fluency, spelling, confidence, vocabulary, or ability to tackle unfamiliar words before those changes are reflected in a report-card grade. Academic performance is influenced by many factors, so grades alone do not always provide an immediate or complete picture of a student's progress.

We look closely at growth over time, adjust instruction as needs change, and continually work toward greater independence.

Carva often tells parents, “I know I've done my job when I've worked my way out of a job.”

That's the goal.

We don't want students to depend on us indefinitely. We want to equip them with the tools and understanding they need to approach increasingly complex reading and language demands without us.

Intervention isn't about getting a child through Friday's test. It's about preparing them for what they'll need long after Friday's test is over.

What reading intervention program do you use with emergent and developing early readers?

In our Literacy Academy program, we believe that effective reading intervention is built on strong instructional principles—not a one-size-fits-all program.

Our team includes licensed reading specialists, dyslexia therapists, and experienced interventionists with more than 130 combined years of teaching experience. We hold advanced degrees, certifications, and specialized training grounded in the body of research commonly known as the Science of Reading.

But we also recognize that reading is more than phonics.

Strong readers don't simply learn to decode words. They learn how words work.

That's why our instruction intentionally integrates the many interconnected components of literacy, including:

Phonics and decoding
Phonemic awareness
Orthographic mapping
Morphology
Vocabulary
Syntax
Comprehension
Written language

Rather than following a scripted curriculum, our educators draw from a carefully curated collection of high-quality instructional resources and research-based practices. This allows us to tailor instruction to each student's strengths, needs, and rate of progress while maintaining a structured, explicit, and systematic approach.

As students develop beyond foundational decoding, many transition into our Power Words Layered Literacy Framework approach—a word inquiry model that teaches students to investigate how words are built through morphology, etymology, orthography, and vocabulary. Instead of simply “sounding out” words, students learn to analyze them, make meaningful connections, and apply that understanding to increasingly complex reading and writing.

Our goal has never been to teach students one reading program.

Our goal is to help students become confident, curious readers who understand the remarkable structure of the English language.

What reading intervention program do you use with emergent and developing early readers?

In our Literacy Academy program, we believe that effective reading intervention is built on strong instructional principles—not a one-size-fits-all program.

But we also recognize that reading is more than phonics.

Strong readers don't simply learn to decode words. They learn how words work.

That's why our instruction intentionally integrates the many interconnected components of literacy, including:

Phonics and decoding
Phonemic awareness
Orthographic mapping
Morphology
Vocabulary
Syntax
Comprehension
Written language

Our goal has never been to teach students one reading program.

Our goal is to help students become confident, curious readers who understand the remarkable structure of the English language.

What reading program do you use with older readers?

As students grow, the demands of reading change dramatically.

In the early grades, students are learning how to read. Instruction understandably emphasizes foundational skills such as phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding.

By upper elementary school and middle school, however, students must also learn how words work.

Academic success increasingly depends on understanding the structure, history, and meaning of the sophisticated vocabulary found in textbooks, literature, science, history, and college-preparatory coursework.

This is where my Power Words Layered Literacy Framework approach begins.

Power Words is a word inquiry approach to literacy that teaches students to investigate words rather than simply memorize them.

Students learn to ask questions such as:

How was this word built?
What does the base mean?
Which prefixes and suffixes contribute meaning?
Where did this word come from?
How does its history explain its spelling?

To answer these questions, students explore the interconnected systems that make English such a rich and logical language, including:

Morphology (structure through meaningful word parts)
Etymology (word origins and history)
Orthography (spelling patterns)
Phonology (speech sounds)
Vocabulary (meaning and usage)
Syntax (sentence structure)
Fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody)

Instead of seeing a word like misinterpretation as one long, intimidating string of letters, students learn to analyze it as: mis + inter+ pret + ate/ + ion

Suddenly, the word becomes understandable—not only in its pronunciation, but also in its meaning.

This investigative approach strengthens far more than vocabulary. Research has shown that morphological awareness supports word recognition, spelling, reading fluency, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension—all of which become increasingly important as students encounter more complex academic texts.

In our Literacy Academy program, we believe that words are the building blocks of language.

When students understand how words are built, they gain the confidence and strategies to unlock thousands of unfamiliar words independently.

That is the ultimate goal of Word Detectives—not simply to teach today's words, but to equip students to investigate tomorrow's.

What does Literacy Academy cost?

Because intervention is individualized, there is not one schedule or price that is appropriate for every student.

Recommendations are based on the student's specific needs and may include differences in session frequency, duration, and type of intervention. Following the Reading Skills Assessment, we will discuss our recommendations with you, explain the available options, and review the associated costs before you make any decisions about enrollment.

Our goal is to recommend the level of support that makes sense for your child—not to place every student into the same intervention schedule.

Still Have Questions?

We know every child's story is different. If you've read through the information above and still aren't sure whether Literacy Academy is the right next step, please get in touch.

If your child is struggling with reading and you're ready to better understand why, the Reading Skills Assessment is the best place to begin.

Schedule a Reading Skills Assessment