Enhanced software launched to improve reading fluency

Texthelp launches Fluency Tutor V2 to raise reading fluency levels for early learners

New software has been launched to help primary school children improve their reading fluency skills. The latest Key Stage 2 test results reveal that one in five pupils are still not reaching the expected level in English; the Government has emphasised that being able to read and write fluently is crucial to a child’s success in secondary education and throughout their life.

Fluency Tutor V2 from Texthelp Systems (www.texthelp.com) is the latest web-based software to develop the oral reading fluency of learners as young as five years old. As a result of feedback from thirty schools that trialled Texthelp’s original Fluency Tutor tool, V2 incorporates a plethora of new and modified features to enthuse learners to practise reading out loud, whilst allowing teachers to easily assign exercises and report on learners’ fluency and understanding.

A child can log on to Fluency Tutor V2 at school or at home to practise their reading. They can listen to passages being read aloud before recording themselves reading and submitting assessments to their teacher for marking. Every passage now comes with a comprehension quiz to test their understanding of a reading exercise; a child’s understanding of a text is proven to correlate with fluency, so both of these elements are important. Themed character illustrations have been introduced to maintain the child’s interest whilst they are developing their reading skills. A series of straightforward graphical displays provide feedback to the learner.

Learners can alter the way that information is presented to them through a customisable interface, allowing them to choose from different fonts and colours. Content is now paginated to avoid the need to scroll, which would require fine motor skills that some SEN (special educational needs) children lack. An improved speech-enabled dictionary and translator has also been produced to read aloud a learner’s corrections and assist with checking understanding and pronunciation. A new popup preview screen highlights boxes for the learner’s attention, such as dictionary and translator messages and coaching windows, without distracting the reader with other items on the screen – this is particularly beneficial for those with tracking issues.

Fluency Tutor allows teachers to develop and assess the oral reading fluency levels of their class. Teachers can select the right text difficulty level of exercises for each pupil and monitor a running record of their progress. They can evaluate the fluency errors made, words correct per minute score and level of prosody (expression of reading) for every pupil. A new group settings function has been developed to enable the teacher to apply settings to all pupils in a group with ease. This will provide a quick means to change target words correct per minute, target date and recommended difficulty levels.

Jackie Funnell, Headteacher at Cardenden Primary School, Fife, comments: “Fluency Tutor is a great way to support oral reading fluency and has helped to develop our pupils’ confidence. They can listen to stories being read aloud to them before they record themselves reading and submit the results to us for marking. It also gives them immediate feedback through a series of easy to understand and colourful graphical displays.”

Puvaneswari Kurusamy, Head Coach at Cognitive Development Learning Centre, Singapore, adds: “Fluency Tutor reinforces the reading skills we teach our ESL (English as a Second Language) learners. It allows teachers to monitor progress without intruding on learners’ private reading time whilst encouraging them to independently practice oral reading at their own pace. Teachers can play back a learner’s oral reading, measure the difficulty level of a passage and spot trends. It has helped many of our learners to leap from basic to advanced level reading. One of our most significantly improved students whose speech was previously very unclear now speaks much more fluently having practised reading aloud more slowly, pacing herself between words. This in turn has boosted her self-esteem.”

Mark McCusker, CEO, Texthelp Systems concludes: “The development of Fluency Tutor V2 is based upon valuable feedback we have gathered from schools. The essence of the software focuses on the Reading Fluency Cycle of Practise, Assessment and Instruction, which are proven methods of learning. This is the first truly web-based technology for developing fluency, allowing access both in school and at home.”

Fluency Tutor V2 delivers significant fluency gains for pupils and also facilitates the provision of targeted individualised instruction. The software has been designed to be fun to use and will provide motivation to improve oral reading skills.

For further information on Fluency Tutor V2, to arrange an interactive webinar, or to receive a quotation for your school, please contact Elaine Emerson, Texthelp Systems, on Tel: 028 9442 8105, Email: fluency@texthelp.com or visit:  www.texthelp.com/fluencytutor.