Every school might have their own preference or guidelines related to how they teach reading and what programs they used to help guide the literacy journey of students. Public school districts abide by education guidelines in the state, and private schools might have their own focused methodologies.Computer-based reading programs are commonly used in many public schools. What are the most common US school reading programs? Parents might recognize these programs from their child’s classroom:
- Raz-Kids
- Accelerated Reader
However, Edweek reports that there are five programs used in schools to teach reading and they aren’t backed by any science-based evidence. These programs are:
- The Units of Study for Teaching Reading (by the Teachers College)
- Reading and Writing Project Journeys (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
- Into Reading (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
- Fountas & Pinnell’s Leveled Literacy Intervention (this is for early intervention)
- Reading Recovery (also for early intervention)
While sites for these programs might state that they focus on a science-based approach to reading, Edweek posits differently. According to a 2019 article in Edweek, “…frequently, these programs are teaching students to approach words in ways that could undermine the phonics instruction they are receiving.”One of the concerns is related to the idea that students can use other clues and clues to aid reading. This is aligned with the notion of using pictures to help decode words. Unfortunately, guessing or not focusing solely on the letters of the word could lead to poor reading or reading a word inaccurately.As Edweek notes “…The problem is that it trains kids to believe that they don’t always need to look at all of the letters that make up words in order to read them.”
How is the District Teaching Reading?
Parents might zero in on the reading program their child’s school is using. If a child is struggling with reading, parents might wonder why their child is struggling.A child could have difficulty related to sounding out words or even comprehending what they read. A child also could be guessing words instead of reading them.This isn’t to say that the programs used by a school are bad or even ineffective. Many children use the above programs and are fluent readers. Other children, though, could focus less on decoding and more on guessing and this could, perhaps, exacerbate their reading struggles.Parents might need to dig deeper to understand why their child might be struggling to read at grade-level expectations. Are they guessing words instead of reading them instead of decoding?If children are simply guessing and using clues to try and read, parents might need to implement and integrate at-home reading programs to help children become fluent readers and improve their decoding skills.
Computer or App-Based Programs at School
Schools can use specific reading programs as the basis for teaching literacy in the classroom. In addition to the lesson-based programs by companies like Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, teachers and schools could utilize app-based or online reading programs that also help to guide the reading journey for children.These programs might be used to help children practice reading or even to help teachers understand a child’s proficiency related to comprehension. The most common online classroom reading programs include Raz-Kids and Accelerated Reader (AR)Raz-Kids is a leveled reading program. Children read books and take quizzes at each level. When they finish all the work at this level (and show proficiency), they move to a higher reading level. With Raz-Kids, the reading levels correlate to the alphabet; “Z” is the highest reading level in the program.Raz-Kids includes features that help keep children engaged. The program also is designed to move at the pace that is best for each child. Some teachers provide password information to children to allow them to access this program at home.Accelerated Reader works a bit differently, and it might be used in higher elementary grade levels (third grade and up). Children log in to Accelerated Reader and can access quizzes for books that they have read at home or in school. There are thousands of book titles that are included in AR.Children earn points via AR when they receive certain scores (based on percentages) on their comprehension quizzes. In some classrooms, AR points can be associated with prizes or rewards. For example, a child with 100 AR points might be able to receive a free bookmark or maybe a special privilege.Since AR points often correlate to prizes in the classroom, children might feel more motivated to read and pass their quizzes. However, for some children, the AR program could be a negative factor in their reading; some children might read books below their reading level to earn easy AR points.Parents and children can use the AR Bookfinder tool to find out if a title is available via the program. The Bookfinder tool also lets parents view a book’s reading level and understand how many AR points children can receive via the quiz. Longer books or higher-level books correlate to more AR points.There is another caveat that some parents might note related to AR. Book levels relate more to the difficulty of the text rather than the subject matter of the material. Some books could be at a child’s reading level but be beyond their maturity level. For this reason, parents might want to research the book title to ensure that their child will understand it or that the book is age-appropriate.
What is the Best Reading Program to Help Children at Home?
If parents realize that their child is guessing to decipher words in a book, they might research reading programs to use at home to help their child learn better decoding skills. Readability is a leveled lesson-based reading program that is designed for children in kindergarten through sixth grade.Parents can set their child’s baseline reading level for the program or the program can determine the best reading level for the child. At each reading level, children have access to a library of books; children read these books aloud via the program.To ensure that readers get the help they need with decoding, Readability is designed with a built-in AI tutor that helps to guide lessons; the reading tutor includes voice-recognition software and it learns each child’s voice. As a child reads aloud, the tutor understands that the child is stumbling on a word and needs more guidance. The tutor also is measuring the child’s reading fluency (words read per minute) as they engage in lessons.At the end of each book, the tutor focuses on understanding a child’s comprehension of what they read. Every book has a reading comprehension quiz; the tutor reads the questions aloud.However, Readability is designed to teach children how to overcome struggles by adopting habits that help them as they read. For example, if a child answers a question incorrectly, the tutor shows them the passage in the story that provides clues about the answer. The tutor also reads this aloud, and the child is given another opportunity to answer the question.In this way, the program helps children understand that it’s ok to reread parts of a story to gain understanding. Re-reading is an important technique and reading strategy that can help struggling readers better understand what they have read.Books in Readability also are compatible with Accelerated Reader. After children read stories in Readability, they can take the AR quiz at school and earn points.While every school district might use a different program for reading instruction in the classroom, parents who are concerned that their child is reading below grade level and struggling with decoding or other literacy skills can use lesson-based reading programs like Readability at home. Parents can sign up for a free seven-day trial of Readability to explore the program with their child and understand all the benefits and features. Try Readability today and help children move forward on their reading journey.
