Arkansas Chapter

Holly has been an ALTA member since 2018. She received her training through the Shelton School under Nancy Coffman. Her journey with dyslexia began early in her career as a classroom teacher. She had a young man in her 5th-grade literacy class who was an exceptionally bright student but could only read at a second-grade level at best. When he was assessed, it was discovered he was dyslexic. She began researching to learn as much as possible about dyslexia. Fifteen years later, Arkansas passed dyslexia legislation and her district posted a dyslexia teacher position. She jumped at the opportunity to change her career path and to attend Take Flight training. She currently works at Greene County Tech Elementary and also provides private tutoring. 

Jacquelyn Scalf has been a member of ALTA since 2018. Her training was in Alphabetic Phonics by Kelly Brown and Kay Peterson. Jacquelyn also completed the retraining in Take Flight at the Scottish Rite Hospital.

Currently, she is training in Dallas, Texas, under Kay Peterson for her Qualified Instructor Certification. She will complete the requirements in May 2023. 

Jacquelyn Scalf also works full-time for Fayetteville Public School and supports special education teachers in the science of reading. In addition, she does adjunct teaching for the University of Arkansas and instructs preservice teachers in the science of reading and Dyslexia.

Jacquelyn is proud to be a member of ALTA and continues to collaborate with other members and learn from those who share their passion for reading.

Courtney has been an ALTA member since 2018. She received her training in Texas from Neuhaus in Basic Language Skills. She will begin training with David Hanson this summer in the program, Take Flight. She currently works at Bald Knob Public Schools. She loves that ALTA is a community of lifelong learners that have a plethora of knowledge to share with each other. ALTA members are passionate about their profession and the programs used to remediate and teach students with dyslexia. As a community, ALTA provides resources and a networking capability of support that ensures success for both the CALTs and the students. 

Stephanie Hicks is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist and Certified Academic Language Therapist. Stephanie has worked in a variety of settings, including early childhood, adult inpatient and pediatric outpatient settings, private clinics, and school-based settings.  She has had experience working with children with learning differences, with training in Take Flight, The Association Method, and SEE (Sequential English Education). Stephanie moved to the Fayetteville area after working at the Shelton School in Dallas for 16 years. She received her training through the Shelton School. Stephanie is currently employed at the University of Arkansas, where she is a Clinical Instructor for undergraduate students and also provides private therapy for speech/language and reading.

Brenda has been a member of ALTA since 2013. She was trained in Arkansas by Vicki King in the Take Flight curriculum. Later, she went on to get trained in Alphabetic Phonics in Fayetteville, AR by Kelly Brown and Kay Peterson. She also attended LEAD in Dallas for her QI training through Kay Peterson and attended the Take Flight Retraining at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. She currently works as a Reading Specialist at Preston & Florence Mattison Elementary (public school) in Conway, Arkansas. She is always excited and proud to say she is a member of ALTA due to its high standards and its professional code of ethics. ALTA gives her the opportunity to learn and collaborate with those who share her passion for teaching and learning.