My granddaughter is 13, she can read, but she has a 3rd grade reading level and her math is also at the 3rd grade level. I just need to know how I can get her up to her reading level and her math level up to the 7th grade level. Is there a phonics program for her age and grade level in both classes?

Bless your Heart! What a great grandmother you are to care so much about her progress. Unfortunately, most Phonics programs only go up to about a 2nd grade reading level, so the actual program might not be the best resource for you right now.

Some important questions that you need to ask and get some answers to are: Why is she only reading at this level? What about the reading process is slowing her down? Does she fully understand the connection between the sounds of the letters and how they apply to a word? Was she taught phonics in her early reading education or was her instruction mainly sight-based? That might help you answer a lot of questions. Is there a learning disability that needs to be diagnosed and remedied? Is there an eye problem? Does she learn better by hearing things, or seeing things? Has she been in resource-type classes before? Did they help her progress?

Answering these and other questions about her language development will help you formulate a plan as to how to go about helping her read better. Visiting with her teachers is key to understanding what they are seeing in the classroom. School resource teachers are a vital part of helping her catch up and should be helping you to formulate a plan for her progress.

An outside source that you might want to investigate is an adult/young adult literacy program. Check with your local library to see what is available in your area. Many universities offer extra diagnostic help in discovering developmental issues in children of all ages. Call their Child Development department and see if they offer anything in the way of diagnostic testing and evaluation.

It’s very possible to discover what is holding her up with the reading process, starting to fix it, and then seeing the progress. It probably won’t happen overnight, but getting answers to these questions and then helping her solve them will be a life long blessing for both of you. Good luck in your search.