Readability has recently partnered with Step Up for Students to be a part of the program’s New Worlds Reading Scholarship program. Through this program, eligible Florida students in kindergarten through fifth grade can access the Readability program through their Step Up for Student’s login. How does this work?

Children can qualify for $500 in an education savings account that they can use towards reading tutoring services, literacy programs or other materials that help them gain proficiency. Eligible students can access Readability using these funds and via their Step Up for Students login.

Who is Eligible for the New Worlds Reading Scholarship?

However, eligibility for these scholarship funds is based on scores from the ELA section of the previous year’s standardized statewide test (lower than a Level 3) or by scores from the FAST ELA Reading for Progress Monitoring 1 (PM1), PM2 or PM3 in 2022-2023 (for students in third through fifth grade). Younger students are eligible if they “…are identified with a substantial reading deficiency per Rule 6A-6.053 F.A.C.”

In addition, only students living in Florida who meet these eligibility requirements can qualify. Those who receive the scholarship funds can use this funding to pay for a subscription of Readability.

How a Step Up for Students Login Provides Access to Readability

Using Readability is easy when children qualify for funding through the New Worlds Reading Scholarship. Children can choose a Readability subscription to assist their reading journey and help them gain proficiency.

Children need to log into their Step Up for Students account. Then they should visit the My Scholar Shop and choose Readability. That’s it! Students can now access the Readability program.

How Does Readability Help Children Who Struggle with Reading?

Readability is designed for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. The program helps children who need help with decoding, fluency and/or comprehension. Readability includes a built-in AI tutor that guides lessons; this tutor is programmed with voice-recognition software that learns the voice of each student that uses Readability. This is a crucial component of the program, since books in Readability are read aloud. 

As children read, the tutor understands if the child is struggling with sounding out a word, if they mispronounce it, etc. Like an in-person tutor, the AI tutor provides feedback, assistance and encouragement throughout lessons.

Readability’s books are leveled by reading ability. Readability recommends that children start the program one level below their current reading level. This guideline helps children feel confident as they begin to use the program and work with the tutor.

At each reading level, children read books from their bookshelf. Every book includes a list of vocabulary words to help children grow their word knowledge. After reading the book, the AI tutor gives children a quiz to test their comprehension knowledge related to the book. If the child answers a question incorrectly, the tutor shows them a section from the book with a clue about the answer; the tutor also reads the section aloud and the child is provided with another opportunity to answer the question.

Children advance to a more difficult reading level when they demonstrate mastery related to fluency and comprehension. Fluency is measured in words read per minute; the tutor gauges this as the child reads.

What Type of Books are Offered Via Readability?

Children who struggle to read don’t want to read books written for younger children. They want to read stories that interest them; books should be written for interest as well as ability.

Readability’s books are designed to be high-low books. This means that they are written to interest the child’s age and their ability; the ‘high’ correlates to interest, while the low relates to the reading level or the difficulty of the text. Books in Readability include stories about famous sports heroes and new characters, too. Children read a variety of fiction and nonfiction books.

Readability Offers a Built-In Dictionary Function

When reading a book, children may come across a word they don’t recognize. Readability includes a list of vocabulary words for each book in a child’s library, but children also are encouraged to explore any word that is new to them.

Children can tap any word in a story to hear its definition or to hear it used in a sentence. The list of vocabulary words for each book plus the new words children tap and discover are all included in a comprehensive vocabulary list that children can revisit to review their words and the definitions of those words.

If a child doesn’t understand a word, they can lose the meaning of the text. This loss of understanding can impact their comprehension. Readability helps children discover new words and master their meaning.

Listen to Stories Anywhere

Younger children who are working on their reading skills also might enjoy listening to stories read aloud to them. Readability includes a Storytime feature that lets children hear their favorite Readability books professionally narrated; children can follow along as they listen to stories.

Storytime is available for children to enjoy in the car, at home or anywhere. This feature offers the read-aloud experience even if parents are too busy to read to their child.

Measurable Progress

Parents are never left wondering if their child is progressing in their reading ability. Readability offers a private dashboard that is only available to parents. This dashboard displays a child’s reading data; parents can see their child’s current reading level, their comprehension and their reading fluency (words read per minute). In addition, the dashboard shows parents how long their child used Readability.

Parents can pull all this reading data into a report that can be emailed to the child’s teacher; this report can help facilitate communication between the school and home. Using the report, teachers can assess if the child’s reading progress at home matches the progress they are seeing in the classroom.

How Much Does a Readability Subscription Cost?

Only children in Florida are eligible for scholarship programs through Step Up for Students, and Florida students also must meet certain eligibility requirements, too. For children outside of the panhandle state or those who don’t qualify, a Readability subscription is available for children to use at home.

To explore Readability and its features, parents can sign up for a free seven-day trial period. Children will have access to all the program’s features including the AI tutor. If parents feel that the program is beneficial for their child, they can begin a monthly Readability subscription.

A Readability subscription costs $19.99 per month. However, one subscription can be used by up to three children. Each child will have their own separate account; parents also will be able to view each child’s reading data separately.

Readability also offers a free reading assessment online that parents can use before they begin a Readability subscription for their child. This assessment is simple and takes only about one minute for the child to complete. Parents need to select their child’s current grade level; children also will need to use a device that is equipped with a microphone. The assessment requires children to read a short section of text.

After the child reads this aloud, parents will receive a report that denotes their child’s current reading level and provides tips on how to provide reading help. Parents can use this assessment to understand their child’s current reading level and how it correlates to grade-level expectations.

Parents who are interested in exploring Readability can sign up for a free week-long trial period today.