Reading Assistant

Reading Assistant software uses speech recognition technology to strengthen reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. A web version of this program, called RA Web, is now available online, for Gemm Learning clients working at home, with teacher oversight.

• Know your child is reading "just right" material -- libraries are leveled

• Know your child is actually reading the material -- recorded reading and tests

• Have the child experience what fluency is like, fluency is key to comprehension

• Research validated as stand-alone product and after Fast ForWord

We insert Reading Assistant to the protocol of our elementary and secondary students on a case by case basis, but generally only after they have finished Fast ForWord Language or Fast ForWord Literacy, the cognitive skills portion of our reading programs.

How Reading Assistant Works

Children wear a headset and microphone, reading text out loud from a computer screen. The software helps and corrects the reader in real time. It acts as a patient, non-judgmental listener for struggling, self-conscious readers and provides the much needed reading practice so they can enjoy the full benefits of reading.

Reading content is available for grades K-12, fiction and non-fiction:

• More than 300 leveled reading selections tied to national content standards, including science, history, and social studies


• A range of reading levels allows Gemm Learning to customize a correction level for your child, and to adjust the reading difficulty as skills improve


• A variety of genres supporting elementary to high school curriculum, including both literature and informational text at all reading levels

Gemm Learning is able to listen to student recordings and see words-per-minute fluency scores, comprehension and other metrics. These results are used to tweak software settings to individualize the student experience.

Reading Assistant Step By Step

Students listen to a model fluent reading of the passage, preview vocabulary, and then record themselves reading the passage out loud.

After reading, students review problematic words they did not understand, and playback their reading. The student then reads out loud a second time, and a third time if the reading fluency goal is not met.

The passage ends with a quiz to assess comprehension.
Reading Assistant demo