ILLUMINA LEARNING CENTER

Recognized as leaders in the field of intensive academic intervention, Illumina Learning Center combines research in brain science and proven methods of instruction to support student learning in core academic areas.

Our goal is to bridge the learning gap, improve school performance, and help students become confident, independent learners.

We work with the best educators in the field and offer continuous training in evidence-based practices for student success.

Studies show the natural pathways of the brain are stimulated when our senses are engaged — visual, kinesthetic-motor, verbal, and auditory.

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The ILLUMINA METHOD combines explicit, sequential, and systematic, multisensory instruction as well as cognitive strategies essential for academic development. Students typically make a 1-2 year gain after six to twelve months of instruction.

Our prescriptive approach utilizes diagnostic screenings and checkpoint assessments to pinpoint problem areas and ensure ongoing progress monitoring. Expert tutors formulate a tailored learning plan to support weaknesses and/or rebuild foundation gaps from the ground up. 
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Study skills and other essential tools and strategies are embedded in the program to help students become efficient learners. 

Michael had difficulty understanding numeration concepts and place value. He frequently missed carrying and regrouping.

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After just six sessions of intensive one-on-one instruction using the multisensory place value material, Michael assimilated the quantity to symbol relationship (i.e., two hundreds or 100 + 100 = 200). Furthermore, he was able to apply this concept when adding and subtracting large numerals in the proper order from units to thousands.

Claudia has aphasia, a disorder that affects the way you speak, write and understand language. When she attempted to decode (read) and encode (spell), words got mixed up, and she couldn't articulate the correct sounds. As a result, she developed a habit of guessing to compensate for her reading challenges. She often avoided reading aloud in class. 
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Claudia worked 3x per week in our Spell, Read and Write program. In less than three months, Claudia began to identify 75% of the basic alphabet sounds. At the six-month mark, Claudia was decoding three and four-letter words. She was able to read 82% of high-frequency (non-phonetic) vocabulary. Claudia had made a one-year gain in reading level and was catching up to her classroom peers. 

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Research indicates that students with significant language processing difficulties should learn to identify letters by sound (not by letter name). We find this is one of the most common misconceptions in school. For instance, Claudia recognized the sound of /t/ as the letter name "tee." Each time she read the word "tap," she said, tee-ap. 

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Using an intensive phonics-based approach, we could correct this confusion. Once Claudia became successful in recognizing alphabetic code sounds, we introduced  letter names.  

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