Overview
Learning how to read proficiently requires students to build certain skills, sort of like building a skill scaffold or framework. Ideally students enter kindergarten possessing foundational skills which empower learning to read and then learn new skills appropriate for each grade in K-2. By 3rd grade they should be proficient in reading. Reading will then be a tool to learn greater subject-matter knowledge in fourth grade on while continuing to improve reading skills.


Students who struggle with reading entered kindergarten behind in certain foundational reading skills. This skill gap makes it hard for them to learn the current grade-level materials well and they fall further behind. By 3rd grade, they have an incomplete skill set, they are likely frustrated, and they fail the state 3rd grade reading proficiency assessment and never catch up.


Our Program is designed to help teachers assess and identify missing or weak skills for each student and strengthen those skills via intensive individualized training to enable reading success. Most students who are behind require intensive individualized training to close the skill gap. This is challenging for teachers to do in a one-on-many classroom setting. Our program helps to provide the needed individualized training and feedback. Program success assumes the school is providing adequate reading instruction while our Program can help to close the Skill Gap; it supplements any reasonable reading curriculum. Ideally, our Program will be implemented incrementally in grades K-2 in sync with the Common Core State Standards. However, older students can go through the Program and strengthen their reading skill set.


The standard protocol requires kindergarten students to train approximately 15-20 minutes per day, 4-5 days a week, all school year. First grade will train approximately 20-25 minutes per day, 4-5 days per week all school year. Second grade will train approximately 25-30 minutes per day, 4-5 days a week all school year. Students will advance at their own pace. Some students will need more time than others based upon their skill gap and how effectively and consistently they train. Students who don’t start in kindergarten will need to train as much as needed to catch up.


There are four levels of integrated character development and reading/learning skills training: 1) PrePASS for pre-K and kindergarten, 2) PASS for 1st grade, 3) PASS+ for 2nd grade and 4) PASS Accel for 3rd grade and older. The Program provides incremental training designed to build the reading skill scaffold and supporting cognitive skills. A second grade student or older who starts the program may need to go back and work on the materials presented in kindergarten and 1st grade to catch up. A kindergarten student may be able to work up on material normally presented in 1st grade. Each student can train at the pace needed to catch up and excel.


Students must first be registered in the system. (Tutorial)


The proper products have to be allocated to each student.


Teachers and coaches should review the articles in this knowledge base and should complete the assessments and training sufficiently to understand the system.


Character development
Three key character development principles are imparted to students through all levels of the training:

  1. Intelligence can be developed (summary)
  2. Emotions and attitude play a key role in reading and learning achievement
  3. Obstacles to learning can be overcome by cultivating attention, persistence, and self confidence
    • How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough
    • The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle
  4. Motivating students can be challenging. We recommend reviewing the TED video by Daniel Pink for insights.


PrePASS (Kindergarten)

This program is intended to ensure that children have developed the basic skills needed to meet the common core standard for reading by 1st grade and are prepared to do the PASS training program. The program consists of a checklist of the needed skills, guidelines on activities teachers and parents can use to help students achieve these skills, online tutorials, and access to the online exercises as appropriate. Skills include an understanding of the following concepts:

  1. Shape matching–the ability to identify and match shapes
  2. The concept of sounds and how words are made up of sounds
  3. The 26 letters of the alphabet and the associated basic sounds. This does not include complex codes, only simple codes.
  4. Basic positional relationships such as up, down, left and right. This skill can be extended to include a broader range of positional relationships as appropriate.
  5. Ordinal relationships: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.
  6. Basic concepts of phonemic awareness: drop, select, and blend sounds
  7. Introduction to stories
  8. Introduction to basic sight word vocabulary
  9. Introduction to sequencing
  10. Introduction to rapid automatic naming
  11. Ensure students are receiving adequate and proper handwriting instruction


These concepts can be taught at any time during pre-K and kindergarten as appropriate to fit a school’s existing curriculum and schedule. Many classrooms have several computers in the classroom. Students can rotate using these computers to work on the online materials as appropriate. Students can also train in the computer lab, after school, and at home when internet access is available. There are also materials in the Parent Kit that parents can use at home to train foundational reading skills when Internet access is not available.


The Common Core State Standards in reading are available at the following link, Foundational Skills.

Training options include:

  1. ShapeMatch–Students can practice matching letters and number using the processing speed exercise available at the following link. (Exercise) Materials that parents can use at home are available in the Parent Kit.
  2. Letter Sound Tutorial, available under Resources Tab when logged into the training. Students can click on any letter to hear the sound and sample words.
  3. Letter Sound Evaluation. Register student, allocate product, student logs in at http://cogread.com, clicks on evaluation link, then selects link to take the assessment. It should only take about ten minutes for the student to complete the assessment. It is not timed, so the student could take longer. Headphones recommended.
  4. Letter Sound Exercise. Very similar to the assessment, but in exercise format. Click training on login page and login as a student. Select Letter Sound icon, hit start button. Eleven levels. Plays sounds in each group and student must select correct letter. Must get 100% correct to move to next level.
  5. Students can review the stories that are part of the exercise Vocabulary Sentence, which is available under the Reading Module when logged into the training.
  6. Advanced students could begin Fry Sight Word training or Sound Analysis. Could also work over summer on these two exercises to be better prepared for 1st grade.
  7. Introduce students to simple exercises to build sequencing skills.
  8. Introduce students to rapid automatic naming exercise.
  9. Teachers should read the materials available on mindset and performance character development and utilize this information as appropriate.


PASS (1st grade)
This program provides intensive basic training in phonemic awareness skills. Every 1st grade student should complete this training as part of any reading curriculum.

The Common Core State Standards for Foundational Skills.

Training options include:

  1. Letter Sound Tutorial, evaluation and exercise as needed. Sometimes students transfer in and missed this is kindergarten. They can catch up anytime.
  2. Sound Analysis 1 and 2 (RCS26).
  3. Fry Sight Word training, Vocabulary Read, Vocabulary Spell and Vocabulary Sentence.
  4. Sequencing training.
  5. Rapid automatic naming training.
  6. Processing speed exercise as needed.
  7. Advanced students can try the full training demo, link available on the student training homepage, and see if they can do any of these exercises. Once students have a good start on the Sound Analysis training, students can be allowed to do one or a few of the core training exercises as appropriate to expand the training.
  8. Teachers should read the materials available on mindset and performance character development and utilize this information as appropriate.
  9. Ensure students are receiving adequate and proper handwriting instruction.

We recommend taking a regular reading period, split the class in half, send half of the class to the lab for online training while half of the students stay with the reading teacher. Halfway through the period, have the two groups switch. The reading teacher sees all students during the reading period and works with a smaller group. All students receive intensive online training in the lab to help them meet the common core standard for reading. Student typically train 15-20 minutes daily, 4-5 days per week both semesters.

In the lab, each school usually has a lab instructor. We recommend adding one or two trainers to help provide the proper supervision, coaching, and mentoring. Depending upon the need and local resources, the additional trainers can be professional personnel or trained volunteers as appropriate. The online training programs provide the needed training, but the supervisors provide help to get the students started properly, answer questions as needed, and help to coach and nurture the children to keep them motivated and on track.


Students progress at their own pace. Student move to higher levels as they improve skills and move on to the next program in the series. The first week is typically devoted to the character training noted above and introduction to the program.

To begin the training, have the students use the demo initially. Start with Sound Analysis and walk the group through how to do each of the five levels. Make sure they understand the instructions. Let them play with the demo until they are comfortable with the training process. Then allow them to play each of the other nine exercises. Walk them through how to do each. Ask each student to identify one or two exercises they can do and like. These will be used as bonus exercises later on to break up the training. Then instruct them on how to login to their accounts and begin the formal training. Focus initially on Sound Analysis. After several weeks, allow students to occasionally do one of the bonus exercises for part of the period. After students have completed at least level 20 in Sound Analysis, allow them to occasionally work on RCS26, but continue with the main focus on Sound Analysis until completed.


PASS+ (2nd grade)
This program continues the format described above for PASS but advances into additional skill training modules. Second grade students pick up where they left off in 1st grade. New 2nd grade students who did not complete the PASS Program begin with that module and work to catch up. Ideally students will train 20-30 minutes per day for both semesters.

  1. As needed have students catch up on the Letter Sound Program and Sound Analysis.
  2. Review student introduction in this knowledge base
  3. Review demo. Have student do each exercise. Provide sufficient instruction as needed.
  4. Ask student to identify 3-5 exercises they like and can do. Start training with these exercises. Disable the other exercises in the admin system.
  5. If a student really struggles, start with only the ones they can do at first. The goal is for each student to have an initial positive training experience and to gain confidence. All exercises train multiple skills so any successful experience will help to improve mindset and skills.
  6. After 1-2 weeks, ask students to choose another exercise, perhaps two, to add. Do this weekly until students can do all of the exercises and are making progress in all. Drop some exercises and rotate weekly to keep the training fresh. Involve students in the decision within reason to make them feel part of the process.
  7. Provide coaching and supervision as needed.
  8. Meet with each student weekly to review progress and to continue to build a positive mindset. Students need to know that their training progress is being monitored to establish accountability.


The Common Core State Standards for Foundational Skills.


PASS Accel (an accelerated program for 3rd grade and above)
Any student in the third grade or older who struggles with reading or learning can still benefit from completing the programs described above. They start at the appropriate level based upon their Gibson Test scores and other assessment as appropriate. Preferably they would train 30-45 minutes per day, 4-5 days per week, to catch up. Students would train as long as needed and can also train at home where internet access is available.

Summary of the full training protocols