Preventing Academic Failure

Preventing Academic Failure, now sold as the PAF Reading Program, is a structured, multisensory reading, spelling, and handwriting program based on Orton-Gillingham techniques. It is written for teachers and schools and is used as a beginning reading program and as an intervention program.

Last updated: 2026-10-03 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Subject-specialist / Orton-Gillingham-based / multisensory / structured literacy
Worldview	Secular
Grades	Beginning reading program for all children, typically kindergarten through third grade; also an intervention program for grades 1-6
Formats	Print teacher handbook, skills books, decodable chapter books, and card packs; a subscription assessment tool
Cost tier	Standard
Parent intensity	5 (teacher-directed; the publisher's materials are written for teachers)
ESA-common	Varies by state; confirm with your program
Accredited	No (a curriculum, not a school)
Website	pafprogram.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	5	Sequence of 200 levels from phonemic awareness through decodable chapter books
Ease of teaching	2	Written for teachers; the publisher offers a 16.5-hour teacher course
Content quality	4	Reviewed in 2024 by The Reading League as a comprehensive K-2 beginning reading program; ESSA Tier 4 status
Flexibility	3	Placement test for non-beginners; lessons follow a set sequence
Value for money	3	Handbook and student books are separate purchases, and training adds cost
Worldview scope	5	Secular reading program
Visual/design	3	Illustrated decodable chapter books; skills books are workbook-style
Support resources	4	Training, an assessment tool, videos, and a teacher resource center

Who the publisher is

The PAF Reading Program is published by PAF Reading Program, whose team page names Phyllis Bertin and Eileen Perlman as co-authors. Both are described there as Fellows of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. Bertin is described as a former senior faculty member of the Windward Teacher Training Institute and former Director of Education for the Windward School in White Plains, New York, and Perlman as a former Clinical Director of the Reading Initiative at the Churchill Center in Manhattan.

The program's research page states that PAF holds ESSA Tier 4 status by demonstrating a rationale for the effectiveness of its interventions, and that The Reading League's 2024 Curriculum Navigation Report reviewed it as a comprehensive beginning reading program for K-2 that integrates reading, spelling, and handwriting. The same page states that PAF is not a writing program and is a component of the Windward Institute's teacher certification program, which is accredited by IMSLEC.

The publisher's pages are written for teachers, districts, and schools, with sections for Districts & Schools and Teachers. Individual products can be bought through its online shop. The publisher also offers a Spanish reading program, Aprendo Leyendo.

The core pedagogy

The program overview describes PAF as a comprehensive structured language program for teaching reading, spelling, and handwriting using multisensory techniques. It states that PAF is an effective beginning reading program for all children (Tier 1), that it prevents reading failure in at-risk children when begun in kindergarten or first grade, and that it can be used as an intervention (Tiers 2 and 3). It describes oral language, vocabulary, syntax, and comprehension as part of the curriculum, and says its design is based on Orton-Gillingham techniques adapted for the classroom and coordinated with a series of decodable chapter books.

The instructional sequence runs from Level 1 through Level 200. The shop page shows the Teacher Handbook in two volumes: Volume 1 covers the first three readers (Levels 1-74), and Volume 2 covers the last four readers (Levels 75-184) and the Final Steps (Levels 185-200). It also maps levels to grades: kindergarten and first grade are typically Levels 1-96, second grade Levels 75-160, and third grade Levels 130-184. The FAQ says to start beginning readers at Level 1 and to use the PAF Test of Single Word Reading to place students who are not beginners.

Signature mechanics: (1) Decodable chapter books. The PAF Reading Series is seven beginning readers that follow the instructional sequence and contain only sounds that have been taught. (2) Skills books. Each reader has a matching skills book for fluency and comprehension, per the FAQ. (3) Daily oral reading under supervision. The FAQ says students read aloud daily under the direct supervision of a teacher. (4) Curriculum-based assessments. The program includes assessments to monitor progress, per the FAQ, and a subscription Assessment Management Tool.

How a lesson runs

The publisher's pages do not publish a daily time. Per the Teacher Handbook description, the handbook gives step-by-step instructions for teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, word recognition, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting, and comprehension, with spelling dictation words and sentences and assessments. The FAQ states that any lesson can be done in one session or over several sessions, and that the program can be used alongside another reading program.

What they do exceptionally well

A published research basis. The publisher states that PAF has ESSA Tier 4 status and was reviewed by The Reading League in 2024, per its research page. Those are the publisher's own statements about third-party reviews.

Decodable text coordinated with the sequence. The FAQ states that many Orton-Gillingham programs provide only short reading passages and are designed for one-to-one settings, while PAF provides seven decodable chapter books with corresponding skills books and can be used in all educational settings.

Training from the program's trainers. The publisher offers a 16.5-hour synchronous course for individual teachers, taught by Master Teachers with experience teaching PAF in public and independent schools.

What they do poorly

Written for teachers, not parents. The publisher's teacher page and FAQ address teachers and schools, and the publisher's own pages describe the handbook as designed for teachers. A parent without a reading-instruction background will need to be comfortable teaching from a teacher handbook or arrange training or tutoring.

Primary-grade scope. The Reading League review the publisher cites covers K-2, the shop page maps the levels to kindergarten through third grade, and the program page says PAF is not a writing program. Families whose child needs support beyond early reading will need additional programs.

Training and materials add up. Materials are sold in separate pieces, and the course is priced separately (see the cost section).

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick PAF if: your child is a beginning reader or needs intervention in early reading, spelling, and handwriting; you want an Orton-Gillingham-based structured literacy program with decodable chapter books; you have access to a PAF-trained tutor, a co-op, or are willing to take the training; you want a secular program.

• Skip PAF if: you want an open-and-go program written for parents; you want a program past third grade; you want digital delivery of lessons; your child would do better with a parent-oriented program such as Barton or All About Reading.

Cost honest assessment

As of October 2026, the Teacher Handbook is $117.83. The teacher card items the FAQ lists for starting at Level 1 are the Alphabet Picture Cards ($34.24), the Pocket Chart Alphabet ($23.72), and Review Pack I ($58.33). For each student, the FAQ lists the Step by Step Skills Book ($25.36), the Pals Reader ($32.88), and the Pals Skills Book ($25.36). The handbook and teacher cards total $234.12, and the three student items total $83.60 per student at the single-copy prices. The Assessment Management Tool subscription is $60.00.

The publisher's teacher course is listed at $600 per person including the Teacher Handbook, and the page states that session recordings cannot be viewed after the scheduled session.

For comparison, Barton states that its levels each come with 3-5 hours of streaming tutor training, lesson plans, and materials and that students should receive at least two hours of one-on-one tutoring each week.

ESA eligibility notes

Eligibility depends on the state program, its approved-vendor list, and whether the program covers dyslexia or special-education services. This review has not verified PAF's listing on any state marketplace. Confirm with the program administrator before purchasing materials or training.

Alternatives

• Barton Reading and Spelling, a family would choose Barton over PAF because Barton states that you do not need to be a professional educator to tutor with it, that each level includes streaming tutor training, complete lesson plans, and all required materials, and that a formal diagnosis is not required.
• Wilson Language Training, a family would choose Wilson over PAF when they want a school-oriented structured literacy provider that describes itself as in the field since 1985 and offers accredited courses and workshops for teachers.
• All About Reading, a family would choose All About Reading over PAF for a homeschool program the publisher describes as open-and-go with scripted lessons and multisensory Orton-Gillingham instruction.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed the PAF Reading Program program overview, team, research, FAQ, teacher, and shop pages and the product pages cited above in October 2026, along with the homepages of Barton, Wilson, and All About Reading. Prices and program details verified October 2026.