Self-Paced Publishers
Self-paced publishers differ from the classroom approach in that the books, or, as is often the case,
the booklets, are designed for the student to work through them more independently. The student reads the
material, answers the questions, checks those answers himself, and asks for help when he doesn’t understand
or cannot find the answer independently. We call this “self-paced with teacher assistance.” This is
followed by check-up quizzes and a practice test. Then, at the end of each booklet (usually 3 weeks), a final
exam is given that is used for grades. Self-paced materials demand the least time from parents and
work very well with good readers and self-motivated students. No waiting for mom to get out all of those
books and figure out what we are supposed to do today! With proper testing and placement, you can pickup
and master specific areas or gaps that your student may have. An example would be an 8th grader who
is fine in reading, i.e., science and history, but needs review on verbs. Simply add the 43 page booklet
from the 6th grade set that covered verbs in detail, rather than the entire 6th grade textbook. We have
found that even students who score low in reading can progress well in self-paced material because it allows
them time to read at their own pace if necessary. (The bell doesn’t have a set time to ring at home.)
And the material forces them to read or re-read for comprehension.