We started using Barton a few months ago, and we LOVE it! We are seeing huge progress~ however, like someone else mentioned, it is very difficult to do more than 30-40 minutes a day. This is a reason to do it yourself, in my opinion. Tutors want to do an hour, and my dd cannot handle that. It's like isolating an untrained muscle for her, and it wears her out fast. There is no prep at all other than the videos (or dvd's in my case). We love, love, love it. I am even beginning to incorporate elements of it into my teaching with my little girls' language arts class that i also teach. It's that good. I feel that it makes clear what is unclear in all the other curriculums I have ever used. After watching the videos it is super easy and clear. No need to be intimidated!

Math U See Alpha has a wonderful way to teach place value. Best I have ever seen in homeschooling 11years. I love it. Uses manipulatives, word pictures, etc. You could try that. :)

My youngest of four (who is adopted) has dyslexia, which I didn't catch until she was 8. If I were you, I would watch the free videos on Susan Barton's websites which tell you so much! Even if it's not dyslexia, I am loving her curriculum, which is so very specific, multisensory, and systematic. I would highly recommend that you try the level one, which is phonemic awareness, broken into very manageable, specific pieces. It can only help, and can't possibly hurt. We finished it within 3 weeks. It provides a phenomenal foundation for "not-so-natural" readers. Try buying it used to save $$.

Who did the WJ testing for you? Was it a teacher, psychologist, or "Lay-person"?