Barton - does anyone else have an issue with cost?

[Sunshine Mama]

I really love the program but wow it's expensive! Especially when I just flew through level 3 in a month. $300 for a months worth of curriculum. Thoughts? Anyone else change to something else because of cost? I mean, why does it have to be so expensive?

[OneStepAtATime]

Are you using this program with a dyslexic child?  I ask because going through Level 3 in that short a period of time with a dyslexic child is fairly unusual as far as I can tell.  We certainly needed a lot more time than that and most parents (but I admit not all) I have seen posting regarding Barton seem to need more time than a month, sometimes a LOT more time than just one month for a dyslexic child to truly master the material in Level 3.  And this program, while usable with a neurotypical child, would be, as you point out, very expensive.

 

If my child were blowing through the curriculum in a month or less for Level 3, and passed the post test with flying colors, I would probably question whether my child actually needed a program this detailed and intense.  Do you have an official diagnosis of a learning issue?

[PeterPan]

Ditto what OneStep said.  Also, if you want something terribly funny (a boner only I could do, lol): I spent the last couple years thinking Barton was $1250 a level.  I don't know how I got that in my head, but I did!  When I found out it's only $250-300 a level, I felt so relieved at the bargain!   :lol: 

 

But seriously, you might not need it.  There are plenty of other programs that cover this stuff.  I see you're doing AAS.  Is that not clicking?  What child is this for?  It's possible to have serious phonemic awareness and reading issues and NOT get a dyslexia label.  It's a good idea to do full psych evals when you're at this point, so you can target better.  Might be better than spending so much money on curriculum.

[Sunshine Mama]

He has not been officially diagnosed (testing would cost us $1800) and if he even has it I think it's mild. We had been using AAS but Barton seems to sink in better. I really like the way it's laid out. It's clearly working. Ugh. I just hate knowing each level is $300!

[OneStepAtATime]

He has not been officially diagnosed (testing would cost us $1800) and if he even has it I think it's mild. We had been using AAS but Barton seems to sink in better. I really like the way it's laid out. It's clearly working. Ugh. I just hate knowing each level is $300!

Well, if you can use another program that is cheaper and your child does well with it, then Barton really may be overkill and an unnecessary expenditure.  

 

We are using it because:

1.  Specialized tutoring was exorbitant and was not helping either child,

2. There were no other options locally for effective outsourcing other than the tutors we had already tried,

3. and this was the only OG based system that seemed to go slowly enough, break things down enough and provide enough training through DVDs and a really thorough TM that could be fairly easily implemented by an untrained parent.  

 

And it is working, so we keep using it.  There are times when I have doubted, but not because of cost necessarily.  The main issue is that it takes a lot of effort and sometimes the kids seem to take steps back after lots of steps forward.  It has, on a few occasions, been a bit discouraging.  But I feel this would probably be true with any system we use since both have other issues besides just dyslexia.  Still, we are definitely progressing (with DD significantly so) and are in a much better place than we were a year ago.  But after using the system over a year we are only mid-Level 4. Both of my kids have been diagnosed as pretty strongly dyslexic, with other issues, too, so I know we will probably be doing Barton for at least another year and a half, probably two years, if we go all the way through Level 10 (which is actually my plan at this point since the last two levels are supposed to be great prep for High School and college material).  It takes time for us to make it through each lesson with mastery, but I am willing to take that time.

 

It seems that you are progressing much faster through this program, though, and may not even need something this detailed (although as TxMama mentioned in the other thread, Level 4 can cause some difficulties and usually takes more effort to get through than any of the others).  And your child may not have the learning issues that most kids do that use Barton.  

 

My suggestion would be to reevaluate your situation carefully.  If money is an issue, you may want to look at other options that are not as costly.  If, however, the cost is an annoyance but not a real issue, and you are really happy with this program, even if he is progressing extremely quickly, consider sticking with it, but reselling the used Levels to pay for additional Levels,   There is definitely a market for reselling, and usually at fairly near full price.  If you get the I-Pad app you can use virtual tiles for the lessons and resell the levels with the physical tiles included so you don't reduce the re-sale value.

 

Hope that helps some.  Good luck.

[TxMama]

Anytime I think that it cost too much, I price out the cost of O-G tutors for two kids, and Barton seems like a bargain in comparison!

 

My older child working through Barton went through level 3 rather quickly. Maybe not 1 month, but certainly much less than 2. He bogged down in Level 4 almost to the point of wanting to quit. There is a lot of information in Level 4 which is explained far more explicitly than in AAS. Previously, he had made it through level 4 in AAS, but Level 4 in Barton helped his reading, spelling, and confidence far more than AAS. Happily, he is sailing through Level 5 without difficulty.

 

 

Resale. Resale. Resale. It helps me get through the sticker shock. LOL.

[Little Women]

My sister bought these used online, kept them in good condition, and then resold them.  

[merry gardens]

Ditto what OneStep said.  Also, if you want something terribly funny (a boner only I could do, lol): I spent the last couple years thinking Barton was $1250 a level.  I don't know how I got that in my head, but I did!  When I found out it's only $250-300 a level, I felt so relieved at the bargain!   :lol: ...

 

:lol: No wonder you thought it was expensive! I always wondered why Oh E thought it was so expensive when she seemed to use and promote a lot of other expensive materials and evaluations and therapies.

 

No, I don't have an issue with the cost.  For whatever it's worth to the original poster, the levels get longer as you go through the program. Level 4 took my son basically a full school year and even with his very bright non-dyslexic sister it took her at least a few months. 

 

We've been using Barton since my most dyslexic son was in 3rd grade.  He's in 7th now and on level 8. So what is that? Something like $2300 for five years of school or $460 per year for very high quality remedial material with phone consultation from a dyslexia expert included.  I've re-used it since then with others, both dyslexic and non dyslexic alike.  Right now it costs me basically nothing to do Barton with my 8 year old. 

 

After using it with several children, if I needed to sell it, it's still worth a fair amount of money on the re-sale market.  I could probably get at least enough from what I have to pay for one level at the original OhE's price! 

[Terabith]

If you're willing to resell it, you could sell it at about cost.....

[Heathermomster]

I hate that the cost of remediation programs are so much.  Pile on the additional costs on evaluations and therapies and things do add up.  For what it's worth, one level's worth of Barton is less than one month of tuition at a private school for middlers.  My local dyslexia school charges around $18k per year, which I understand is cheap compared to other places.

[OneStepAtATime]

I hate that the cost of remediation programs are so much.  Pile on the additional costs on evaluations and therapies and things do add up.  For what it's worth, one level's worth of Barton is less than one month of tuition at a private school for middlers.  My local dyslexia school charges around $18k per year, which I understand is cheap compared to other places.

Yep.  Me too.  Evaluations were cheaper for us than for many, but still costly.  And specialized tutoring was horribly expensive.  And we looked at specialized schools.  There are absolutely none even anywhere near us so we would have had to relocate.  And the cost ranged from $20,000 to $60,000 A YEAR....PER KID!!!!  Uhhhh, nope.  Not an option.

 

Honestly, that was why we ended up having to go with Barton.  We just couldn't come up with the money for thousands of dollars of continued private tutoring or an extended stay at a specialized school without driving our family into financial ruin.  At least with Barton I can resell or even use it for income to tutor others.  But the initial cost is still prohibitive and makes it out of reach for many.  Very unfortunate.  For some, the remediation they really need will never happen because of cost.   :(

[imagine.more]

I agree, it is extremely costly. We have had to stretch ourselves a lot just to purchase it at all and that is with re-selling each level as we finish (we are halfway through level 2 currently and we sold level 1 for $208 when I bought it for $250 so not a bad re-sale at all!) Anyway, re-selling is the only way we're able to keep afloat with this program, and I use it because I know that DD needs it. Everyone else is right that tutoring for dyslexia would cost far more, so I keep reminding myself that in the end this is saving us money compared to private tutoring. We also just don't have tutors close enough to use so Barton was our only chance to get started on O-G until I can take the official course and learn it myself this summer (a friend got me in to the class at no cost to me). After I've taken the class I'll likely sell my last Barton level and move on from there independently. 

 

And yes, to move through the program in just one month is pretty fast. It took us 1 month to get through level 1 but it's looking like it should take 2 months to get through level 2 and I've heard each level takes slightly longer, with 4 and 5 taking about 6-9 months, so a full school year.  Maybe using All About Reading with some extra O-G exercises would be sufficient in your case? 

[SandyKC]

We couldn't afford it when we needed it.  I used the Language Tool Kit (EPS publishing) but it has NO scripting, and little direction.  It's really a figure-it-out-as-you-go kind of program.  I had had Orton-Gillingham training to use with the program, so that helped a LOT.

[Julie of KY]

I think it is expensive, but I acknowledge that oftentimes I pay for all the resources that went into creating a good product. It has helped tremendously at our home.