Coast Episcopal School (CES) in Long Beach is one of only sixteen schools in the United States that will be implementing LanguageScreen, a language program developed by Oxford University professors Maggie Snowling and Charles Hulme, who also developed an earlier program, the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) Program.
LanguageScreen is an assessment tool to track the progress of students’ oral language skills and identify those who would benefit from interventions or specialist support. NELI is an evidence-based intervention to improve young children’s oral language and reading comprehension skills.
CES Head of School Jake Winter says that the implementation of both of these programs stems from the attendance of the independent school’s learning strategist and dyslexia therapist Brittany Brewer at the Big Sky Literacy Summit, held earlier this year in Montana. There, Brewer had the opportunity to reconnect with professional mentor Dr. Danielle Thompson CCC-SLP, and to meet Oxford University’s Emeritus Professor of Psychology in Education, Dr. Charles Hulme. Brewer also is participating in Thompson’s Literacy Leadership Mentorship series this year. She has continued to learn from Hulme and other mentors during weekly classes over Zoom.
Thompson has been instrumental in introducing innovative educational programs developed by Drs. Snowling and Hulme to the United States, and she will lead a professional day of development for the CES faculty. The CES faculty, responsible for educating students ages eighteen months through sixth grade, will be instructed on what the subtypes of reading difficulties are and why educators need to know not only how to teach word reading, but also language comprehension.
“In addition to bringing her own unique skill sets to our school, Mrs. Brewer’s professional connections have resulted in our school’s being able to enhance its strong tradition of academic excellence with cutting edge tools developed by international education experts. Being the only school in Mississippi currently implementing these programs is an outstanding continuing education opportunity for our teachers, as well as a unique academic opportunity for our students,” concludes Winter.
For information about Coast Episcopal School, call 228-452-9442.
