ClearFluency at Home

(Was Reading Assistant Plus)

Fluency is more than reading words on a page. It’s reading with accuracy, appropriate pacing, and expression. ClearFluency software acts as a one-on-one tutor to help students improve their reading fluency and comprehension – using speech recognition software and a large library of texts.

The National Reading Panel rates reading aloud as one of the most effective ways to improve reading.  This is especially true when combined with immediate feedback from a teacher or tutor. ClearFluency does just that and without judgment!

Students read text on a screen, ClearFluency uses speech recognition technology to provide real-time feedback, correcting only when needed and then asking comprehension questions.  A passage can be read up to three times, each time scored for speed and accuracy.  By the third time, students experience what reading fluency feels like.

Gemm Learning inserts  ClearFluency software into your child’s protocol on a case-by-case basis. Here’s why it’s a popular choice for parents.

• An always-available listener.  Your child can practice reading even when you are not there or when you are in the room but not able to pay full attention.
• Reading cop! The only way to complete a text in ClearFluency is to read it, there’s no more doubt about how much reading was done!
• No judgment, no baggage. Reading out loud can be a special time for parents and children, but it can also be trying. ClearFluency is a good compromise.
• Corrections are consistent. We will set an error tolerance for your child, ClearFluency will then be consistent and accurate in what it asks to be re-read, unlike parents who can be more random (and frustrating to young ones)!

How ClearFluency Works

Wearing a headset with a microphone, children read out loud from stories on a computer or iPad.

If a word is read incorrectly, the software stops and corrects the student, acting as a patient listener, allowing struggling readers to get reading practice without being judged or feeling self-conscious about their reading.

There’s vocabulary help along the way and a comprehension quiz at the end.  ClearFluency FAQ here.

Why ClearFluency?

• Read “just right” material — libraries are leveled meaning they are set to be in the reader’s sweet spot – challenging without defeating, and not so as easy to be boring
• The research shows gains in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension
• Students like it because it’s on an iPad – whatever gets them reading!

Managing Your Child’s Library

Reading content, which aligns with Common Core State Standards, is available for grades K-12, fiction and nonfiction:

• 350+ reading selections tied to state and national content standards
• Gemm Learning can customize a correction level for your child. It is important for the confidence building of struggling readers, for instance, not to be corrected on every minor error or delay
• Gemm Learning will adjust the reading difficulty and correction tolerance as skills improve
• A variety of genres supporting elementary to high school curriculum, including both literature and informational text at all reading levels

ClearFluency makes it possible for Gemm Learning to listen to actual student recordings and see words correct per minute (WCPM) fluency scores, vocabulary and comprehension reports, and other metrics. We use these results to regularly tweak software settings to individualize the student experience.

ClearFluency Step By Step

Students listen to a model fluent reading of the passage, preview vocabulary, and then record themselves reading the passage out loud. The software designer, Scientific Learning, uses the tagline “Never miss another teachable moment.”  This means that pronunciation errors and skipped words are picked up in real-time and non-judgmentally corrected.

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.

Each ClearFluency passage ends with a quiz to assess comprehension.

Here is a short video demo of ClearFluency.

ClearFluency Results

Empirical Evidence: Case Studies From Schools

ClearFluency (used to be Reading Assistant Plus) uses speech recognition to help children read out loud, privately (and so not self-consciously), with real-time help and corrections. If a child can read just ten minutes more every day for a year, the research suggests they can improve their reading percentile scores by as much as forty points. One study shows gains from the 30th percentile to the 70th percentile.

While we are not a school,ClearFluency has to date only been offered in schools and most often after success with Fast ForWord. Here are some school district stories. Remember that while these ClearFluency results are posted on the website of the developer, the school districts involved have agreed to the results being published.

Kentucky Elementary School 4th Graders Achieve 100% Reading Proficiency

The 4th grade class of Brodhead Elementary School in Brodhead, Kentucky achieved a 100% reading proficiency rate, a remarkable mark relative to the state average of 30%.

Brodhead Elementary saw results right from the outset. After seeing gains in its initial program just for struggling readers, it rolled the program out to the whole grade several months later.

Struggling Third And Fourth Graders Gain in Fluency

Four of the five elementary schools in Chelsea, MA, increased reading fluency by 112% above national norms in third grade, and by 108% above national norms in fourth grade. The schools incorporated the ClearFluency program into their curricula to help bring struggling students up to grade reading level.

The results of testing done near the end of the school year demonstrated above average improvement for all third and fourth graders using the technology, reversing years of below average performance.

“These results are unprecedented,” said Denise Maresco, a Literacy Director in the Chelsea School District. “We have been searching for a solution that would work for every student and [Reading Assistant] has met our needs and exceeded our expectations.”

Improvements In Reading Fluency Lead To A Love Of Reading And Better Behavior

All twenty elementary schools and four middle schools in Laredo ISD in Laredo, TX, have incorporated Reading Assistant software into their resource classrooms in an effort to improve Special Education students’ reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

“We needed this program because over ninety percent of the students in the district speak Spanish at home,” says Alma Rodriguez, Assistive Technology Coordinator, “so it is challenging for many to practice their English reading skills with their parents. This program is giving them the feedback they need to develop fluency in English. In less than a year of using the program, the students in all grade levels are experiencing significant improvements. They are learning to love reading!”

Special Education students in all of the twenty elementary, four middle and three high schools have used the program an average of three days per week for about 25 minutes per session.

“We are seeing great results from Reading Assistant,” says Oralia Hinojosa-Cortez, Instructional Specialist at Katherine Tarver Elementary School. “The students are not only learning how to read better, but they are truly enjoying it.”

Increasing Self Esteem, Improving Behavior

At Martin High School, ClearFluency was used to help children who resisted reading. The teachers noticed that the software helped students improve their reading skills, which has enhanced their self esteem.

ELL Students See A Marked Improvement in Reading Proficiency

At the start of the 2006 school year, administrators at Skyline Elementary School in Cape Coral, FL, found themselves faced with an English Language Learner body that had nearly doubled in size from 23 percent to 41 percent. An increased focus on fostering reading proficiency for ELL students became a top priority.

In January 2006, ClearFluency was integrated into Skyline’s reading curriculum, which already included multiple reading programs including Harcourt Trophies Reading Program and Accelerated Reader by Renaissance Learning. ClearFluencyt was being used by approximately 60 percent of the student body and after noticing a marked improvement in reading proficiency, Skyline officials decided to increase student usage.