FAQs

What is EBLI?

EBLI is the acronym for Evidence Based Literacy Instruction, grounded in the research of Diane McGuinness, who wrote Why Our Children Can’t Read and What We Can Do About It. It is a speech to print, or linguistic phonics, approach that utilizes what children learn naturally (speech) and applies it to the English written code, which must be taught. After decades of teaching thousands of students and educators, EBLI’s scope and sequence is refined to make it:

Structured and Systematic - EBLI uses a framework that teaches these principles:

English sounds can be represented by 1, 2, 3, or 4 letter spellings.
English sounds can be represented by different spellings, like the /ai/ in stay, they, weigh, train, and gate.
English spellings can represent different sounds, like the <ch> in school, chase, and chute.

It also teaches simple strategies for decoding and spelling multisyllabic words. Handwriting is a crucial component of reading fluency and is integrated if needed as well.

Adaptable - The EBLI approach can be used for early childhood through adulthood. In addition to the texts provided, EBLI educators can teach the basic principles and fundamental strategies with any authentic text that is at a student’s instructional level and of interest to them. Decodable texts are used briefly for the youngest readers before moving in to real books that catch their interest.

Engaging - EBLI has an enjoyable cadence to it that keeps students moving along quickly without fancy gimmicks. Activities and routines are varied enough to keep students interested, but consistent enough to create comfort and familiarity. If ever a brain is getting tired, we give it a quick break with some type of movement to strengthen the brain/body connection.

Rooted in the Science of Reading and Learning - There is a very intentional interleaving of skills that allow a student to move on to other concepts before others are “mastered”. This is a big reason why students get to authentic texts faster than other approaches that rely on memorization of rules. EBLI also functions in a way to reduce cognitive load, which can be such a relief for individuals already emotionally exhausted by literacy struggles.

For the most thorough explanation of EBLI, please check out their website here.

How long have you been tutoring with EBLI?

I began using EBLI in January of 2025 - it has been such a pleasure using it to advance students along their literacy journey.

Why should I choose Take Root Learning?

There are many private tutoring options available in our Northern Colorado community and I encourage anyone seeking extra help to do their research. I did mine - lots of it, and I decided to train in EBLI instead of any of the more well-known Orton-Gillingham-based approaches like Barton, Wilson, or Take Flight because I read countless stories from parents, students, and teachers who were frustrated by the slow progress with those programs. When those same individuals found linguistic phonics approaches like EBLI, they regretted the years of time and money they had wasted doing it that “gold standard” way.

Ultimately, what really convinced me was a conversation I had with Shari Most, the executive director of the nonprofit, ColoREADo. As an educator with decades of experience as a reading specialist, she described herself as a poster child of Orton-Gillingham literacy instruction. Despite all of her training in structured literacy, she felt she was failing her students who were still stuck reading below their potential. She found EBLI, began using it, and told me it was her opinion that going back to the other approach would be professional malpractice. This is a common sentiment among seasoned educators who have switched to Linguistic Phonics programs like EBLI.

If you don’t have time to research the benefits of EBLI, please read some of my Testimonials.

Where does tutoring take place?

I tutor out of a private office attached to our home on the southeast side of Fort Collins. It has its own entrance, so no one has to walk through a messy kitchen to get to the cozy, light-filled space where we do our learning.

If you think your school would be open to a private tutor coming in to work during the school day, we should talk about making that happen.

How long does it take to reach grade level in reading and writing?

This, of course, depends very much on the student. There are many variables at play when it comes to reading - I can teach a student the basics pretty quickly, but there is more to the puzzle than just learning the English code. Executive functioning, vision, language development, and cross-lateral coordination all play a role in a person’s literacy journey. I keep an eye on all of that, do what I can during tutoring sessions, and consult with families accordingly.

With that said, there is a scope and sequence with EBLI that takes an average of 25 - 35 hours, depending on the student. Some will not need to go through the entire series of activities while some students will need additional support for longer.

I have found the best balance to be two sessions a week.

You can trust that my goal will be to get a student to their "escape velocity" as quickly as possible. I empathize with the time and money a family invests in this type of remedial support. We paid for support to help my daughter with speech - I’m grateful we were able to find someone to help with the issue, but certainly didn’t want to pay for or drive her to sessions for any longer than was necessary.

In many cases, the student may get all of the skills and knowledge they need from me, but the speed of progress will depend very much on how much practice occurs at home. We experienced the same with private speech - our daughter learned what she needed from her therapist, but it was up to her (and us) to make sure she practiced at home.

How much does tutoring cost?

I currently charge $50 for a 55 minute in-person session. Younger kiddos (K - 1st) sometimes need to start with 45 minute sessions for $45. If we were to schedule on-site training at a school, an additional charge would be added to cover travel time, depending on distance.

Is there any visibility for a parent to see what’s being done during tutoring sessions?

Absolutely. I record notes about what was completed during each session on my TutorBird platform, which parents have access to via a private login. Parents are also more than welcome to sit in during any session if they don’t think it will be a distraction for the child.

Do you have testimonials from other students?

Yes, you can read those here.

What if I know or suspect dyslexia is the source of the reading struggle?

EBLI is a systematic, phonics-based approach to literacy instruction that is exactly what students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia need. One of my first EBLI tutees was a 3rd grader diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Within just a few months of EBLI tutoring (after a couple years of Barton), she went from Below Grade Level to Above Grade Level on her school’s Dibels assessments.