Nonprofit ReadWorks is on a Mission to Improve Reading Comprehension

Free high-quality resources to support the science of reading movement

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Jan. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

Reading proficiency in America
Many regions in the United States are already headed in a positive direction and are taking action to impact students' reading proficiency. To help educators accelerate their students' reading progress is a body of scientific research (the science of reading) that provides concrete guidance on proven educator tools and strategies.

ReadWorks, a national nonprofit education technology organization, bridges the gap between the science of reading and teaching instruction. All for free, through an online platform with easy-to-use, science-backed, high-quality resources.

Connecting reading research to classroom instruction
One driver of low reading proficiency levels beyond pandemic-related learning loss is the disconnect between the overwhelming scientific evidence on how students learn to read and how they are taught to read. Learning to read is a complex process. Many factors need to join together in the brain to improve reading comprehension. Two factors — background knowledge and phonemic awareness — have to work in tandem, as seen in Scarborough's Reading Rope. Extensive research, in collaboration with world-renowned research institutions, has shown that  ReadWorks is a game-changer for easily incorporating the science of reading into the classroom.

A way to implement the science for free
With donor support, ReadWorks is able to deliver free resources supporting three pillars of the reading rope (in the image above): background knowledge, growing vocabularies, and strengthening strategic reading.

ReadWorks can be easily incorporated into any curriculum in any classroom. ReadWorks' solutions include K-12 reading passages, question sets, the popular Article-A-Day reading protocol, and embedded guidance based on the science of reading. While many organizations seek to address improvement in reading, ReadWorks stands out in four key ways:

• Teachers' preferred curriculum supplement for expertise in building background knowledge
• Unmatched library of over 6,000 reading passages and the popular Article-A-Day sets to integrate with ELA, ELL, STEM, and other curricula
• Commitment to diverse voices and topics so students see themselves in the content they read
• Research-based digital tools, formative assessments, and features including:
  • AI recommendation engine to help teachers differentiate instruction for every student
  • Live teacher guidance to support research-informed instructional practices

School level help
Last school year alone, ReadWorks was used nationally by over 850,000 teachers and 11.1M students and had users in 93% of the highest poverty K-8 public and charter schools in the United States.

ReadWorks is increasing support of school communities through new products and digital tools, including nonfiction decodables and through virtual professional development sessions that can be scheduled for full schools or grade teams.

"I have been teaching for fifteen years and wanted you to know that I have personally seen growth in my students after implementing ReadWorks into their daily ELA routine." - Jason, Middle School Teacher, Pennsylvania

The evidence of impact is clear. The more that educators use ReadWorks to help build their students' background knowledge, the more students' reading comprehension grows. 

Find more information about ReadWorks and sign up for your free account at readworks.org. Inquire about a school or district level partnership at [email protected].

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SOURCE ReadWorks