Key takeaways
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Choosing the right foundational reading solution requires asking the right questions.
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Effective programs personalize learning for every student.
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Student engagement and educator support are just as important as curriculum.
Is your district considering purchasing a supplemental foundational reading solution? This guide can help to ensure that your investments in learning technology improves student growth and achievement and supports educators.
An effective supplemental learning program provides engaging, adaptive, conceptual-based foundational reading curriculum to help personalize and increase learning outcomes. Identifying the right program can be a significant undertaking.
Important Considerations
An effective supplemental learning program provides engaging, adaptive, conceptual-based foundational reading curriculum to help personalize and increase learning outcomes. Identifying the right program can be a significant undertaking.
Consider These Questions When Evaluating Solutions That Help Young Students Learn to Read
Does the program engage young learners? What is the fun factor? Does it have fun characters and motivating storylines?
In what ways does the program address the specific learning needs of young learners (Pre K-5)? Intervention use cases?
How does the solution automatically differentiate learning? Does it provide just-in-time scaffolding that supports students as they need it?
How is educational technology and adaptivity used to deliver learning outcomes?
How does the program build mastery of critical foundational reading skills?
Does the solution align to Science of Reading and use a structured literacy approach?
Does the solution provide fluency practice?
How does the solution support student agency and help drive their motivation to learn?
How are learning paths personalized? Does the program adjust instruction and practice on the basis of progress and productive struggle?
How does the program motivate and engage students? Are students incentivized as they master skills? How is gamification used?
Does the subscription include implementation, onboarding and ongoing customer success?
Is ongoing customer support included in your subscription?
Does the solution follow best practices for instructional design?
Sample Questions For Foundational Reading Solutions
The right questions can help you uncover the nuanced differences between potential solutions and identify the fit that offers the best return on investment.
Adaptivity / Acceleration
How can the solution support the instructional needs of all students? How does it adapt to each student's unique needs?
Some requirements to consider:
How does the product personalize learning pathways to address MTSS, RTI, and offer differentiated learning for both acceleration and remediation?
How does the program speed-up, slow-down, and sequence lessons for each student to ensure their skills mastery?
If a student does not have a prerequisite sub-skill needed to complete an activity, does the program identify, rectify and return the student to grade level play?
How does the program determine what each student needs, based on their unique starting point?
How can educators make supplemental assignments for accelerated or struggling students?
Student Engagement/Agency
Do students want to return to the product again and again because they enjoy the play?
Some requirements to consider:
How does the program delight, engage, and motivate students? Does it use gamification, rewards and other incentives?
How, specifically, does the student experience agency over their own learning?
How does the program promote a growth mindset in foundational reading skills?
Is the solution age-and grade-appropriate? How is student play built around storylines and themes that are attractive to young learners?
Can students track their own progress in the program?
Assessment & Curricular Insights
How is formative and summative assessment used to inform learning? How do potential solutions use technology to personalize the student experience?
Describe the use of assessment technology, both summative and formative.
How does the solution assess student productive struggle and strategies?
How well does the solution correlate to your state standards?
Does the solution align with your core curriculum? Ask them to provide examples.
Describe how capstones, milestones, and summative assessments are presented to students? How does the solution mitigate test anxiety?
Instructional Design
How does the curriculum and instructional design address foundational reading skills? How is technology used to reinforce reading skills mastery?
How does the program use targeted personalization to develop reading skills mastery?
How is explicit instruction provided? How is practice provided and does it support explicit instruction?
Describe the use of virtual manipulatives.
How do students receive feedback on their play? How does this feedback inform instruction?
How does the program build on prior learning and strategically move from simple to complex concepts?
How does the solution use instructional design and adaptivity to provide accelerated learning outcomes?
Implementation Success & Ongoing Professional Learning
How are your administrators and educators supported during implementation and use? Does the solution offer opportunities for training and development?
Describe the implementation and ongoing support provided by the vendor.
How accessible is professional development to educators, paraeducators, and administrators?
Integrations
How do you integrate rosters and support single sign-on? Will your method translate to ongoing ease of use by staff and students?
How are students rostered?
Does the program support SSO and rostering via Clever or ClassLink?
What support does the provider offer during implementation?
Explore Our Foundational Reading Solutions
Ready to find the right foundational reading solution for your district? Explore DreamBox Reading and see how Discovery Education can help improve student growth and achievement.
