Our June Star of the Month is Essien, an eighth grader at Akiva Academy in Youngstown, OH, who has made incredible progress with Read Naturally! Here is what his teacher, Ms. Korom, wrote about him:

"Essien began using Read Naturally in 6th grade. At the end of 5th grade, he was considered reading at the "basic" level on the Ohio State Tests. When he started the program, Essien was reading at the 4.5 grade level. Not only was Essien struggling with comprehension, but he also had a severe stutter when speaking. Over the past 3 years, Essien consistently worked on Read Naturally, often sharing with his classmates interesting facts he learned along the way. Now at the end of 8th grade, Essien is reading at the 8.0 grade level and scored "accomplished" on the Ohio State Tests—a 53 point increase! An added bonus is that Essien is also a more confident speaker because his stutter has drastically lessened thanks to the read aloud practice!"

Keep up the great work, Essien! 

Do you have a student like Essien? Nominating them to be a Read Naturally Star of the Month only takes a few minutes! Just share why they deserve special recognition for their hard work. 

Winners receive:

  • $50 Barnes & Noble gift card (student)
  • $50 Amazon gift card (teacher)
  • $200 Read Naturally gift card (school)