Teachers who specialize in remedial reading help have many software options available. However, many of these programs are expensive and some of them don’t deliver the desired outcomes. How can you chose the right program for your students? The right reading software for teachers helps to address the main reasons for failure in reading success and include the main qualities of effective reading programs.
Why Reading Programs Fail
According to The Reading Foundation, reading programs often fail because of large class size, the program isn’t suited to the students’ reading development and becaus
e the pace of instruction is too fast and the students are unable to keep up. Not all children need to have a special setting for reading instruction. Many students may be able to master the necessary skills in a standard classroom setting with additional support. It is important to understand each student’s stage of reading development. Then you need to compare it with grade level standards to help correctly place each student.
Effective Reading Software for Teachers
When a school district is looking at potential reading software, they should consider how it would complement the district’s reading program. A study completed by Best Evidence showed that:
- Teachers who offer tutoring for poor readers is beneficial and more effective than tutoring offered by volunteers or even paraprofessionals
- Phonetics tutoring provided beyond the first grade benefits students more than one-on-one tutoring for first graders only
- Cooperative learning and structured phonetic models help all students in the classroom, including those who have reading problems
- Small group learning can be productive but one-to-one teaching is better
If the reading software being considered by the district can assist with providing additional support or aid with individualized instruction, then it will be effective. When reviewing potential reading software, it is important to understand how the software was developed and tested. Make sure that development is driven by research, and tested in actual classrooms to determine its effectiveness.
It is also important to make sure that the remedial reading help offered by the software is direct, intensive and can be sustained over time with models that increase with
difficulty to build upon success. The program should also offer multiple online or offline reading assessments, different methods and reading opportunities and leverages instructional time to achieve maximum results.
Sound Reading Software
Sound Reading software upholds effective reading quality standards. It was created based on scientific research and has undergone rigid field-testing to determine its effectiveness. The company’s founder came up with the idea for his remedial reading software based on his own battle with dyslexia and subsequent reading problems.
If your school or district is looking for reading software for teachers, you may want to consider Sound Reading Solutions. Contact us for more information on how we can help your teachers implement sound reading development in your classrooms.