Published:
West Virginia's Largest School District Selects Reading Assistant Software to Provide Reading Intervention Support
OAKLAND, Calif. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Kanawha County Schools, the largest public school district in West
Virginia and the district serving the state capital of Charleston, has
selected Reading
Assistant from Scientific
Learning (NASDAQ:SCIL) to help boost the performance of struggling
fourth and fifth grade readers in the district's 26 Title I elementary
schools. The Reading Assistant reading intervention software combines
advanced speech recognition technology with scientifically-based
interventions to help students strengthen their reading fluency,
vocabulary and comprehension.
According to Jane Roberts, assistant superintendent of elementary
education at Kanawha, Reading Assistant will be a key component of the
district's Response to Intervention (RtI) program, which is being
expanded this year to serve students in kindergarten through fifth
grade. A committee consisting of Superintendent Dr. Ron Duerring,
reading specialists, principals and other administrators reviewed
several programs and selected Reading Assistant to be used with Tier 2
students in the RtI program.
Through its research-validated speech recognition technology, Reading
Assistant "listens" as students read aloud, and provides assistance and
feedback whenever students are challenged by a word. "Some schools don't
have the staff for intensive small-group intervention lessons,"
explained Roberts. "Reading Assistant makes oral reading practice
possible even when their teacher cannot be nearby."
Roberts also stated that the software's capacity for saying unfamiliar
words aloud at students' request, as well as its ability to provide
contextual sentences and picture representations, are among the features
that she and the review committee believe will be of special benefit to
struggling readers. Other features the committee cited as particularly
beneficial for Kanawha students are the software's abilities to model
selected reading so pupils can hear the correct pronunciation and
inflection beforehand; record oral reading so users can privately play
back and assess their own efforts; and display quiz scores, fluency
scores and more so students can take ownership of their own advancement
while teachers are updated on their development.
The district purchased the software licenses in the second quarter 2009
and plans to implement Reading Assistant in Kanawha County's 26 Title I
elementary schools during the 2009-10 school year.
About Scientific Learning Corp.
Scientific Learning creates educational software that accelerates
learning by improving the processing efficiency of the brain. Based on
more than 30 years of neuroscience and cognitive research, the Fast
ForWord family of products provides struggling readers with
computer-delivered exercises that build the cognitive skills required to
read and learn effectively. Scientific Learning Reading Assistant
combines advanced speech recognition technology with
scientifically-based courseware to help students strengthen fluency,
vocabulary and comprehension to become proficient, life-long readers.
The efficacy of the products has been established by more than 550
research studies and publications. For more information, visit www.scientificlearning.com
or call toll-free 888-358-0212.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject
to the safe harbor created by the federal securities laws. Such
statements include, among others, statements relating to the future
implementation of and benefits to be derived from the software. Such
statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual
events or results may differ materially as a result of many factors,
including but not limited to: the resources available to and other
factors impacting the school district, the manner in which the district
implements the software, and other risks detailed in Scientific
Learning's SEC reports, including but not limited to the Report on
Form10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009 (Part II, Item 1A, Risk
Factors), filed August 15, 2009.
Scientific Learning Corporation
Media Contact:
Jessica
Lindl
Sr. Vice Pres., Marketing & Product Management
510-625-6784
jlindl@scilearn.com
or
Investor
Contact:
Bob Feller
Chief Financial Officer
510-625-2281
investorrelations@scilearn.com
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Daily News
Tags: High Tech, Education and schools, Business wire, california, westvirginia, Consumer Electronics, Software