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Fast ForWord Research & Independent Evidence
Scientists, government bodies, and state and district education departments have conducted 300+ studies on Fast ForWord.
Extensive Published Research
Does Fast ForWord Really Work?
Developed by leading neuroscientists, Fast ForWord has more than two decades of research – rigorous external scrutiny, independent validation, and so-called “gold-standard” studies. 3+ million students in 55 countries have used it.
- 300+ studies by researchers and school districts
- 700+ white papers, published in 60+ peer-reviewed journal articles
- 100,000+ students were part of studies across hundreds of schools
- 80 patents
Fast ForWord is the most reviewed educational software in the world and meets the highest industry benchmarks.
- ESSA’s Highest Standard: Fast ForWord meets the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) highest tier of “Strong Evidence”, requiring well-designed, randomized controlled trials.
- Digital Promise Certification: Earned the Research-Based Design Product Certification, confirming that product design aligns deeply with the empirical laws of how human minds acquire language.
- National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII): Independent state reviews across the country.
What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) – Strong Evidence Rating
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that evaluates evidence supporting educational programs. It functions as a trusted database to help educators make decisions.
It provides strict, evidence-based reviews of educational programs. To meet its rigorous standards, an intervention must demonstrate efficacy in well-designed, randomized controlled trials.
- Fast ForWord has 21 studies that meet WWC Evidence Standards—more than any reading intervention evaluated.
- The WWC rated it as the only program showing positive effectiveness across all measured categories: Alphabetics & Decoding, Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension, and English Language Development (Grades K-10).
Fast ForWord earned a “Strong Evidence” rating from the WWC. Read the WWC evaluation of Fast ForWord here.
30+ Years of Scientific Scrutiny
Because the founders of Fast ForWord have such a high profile in scientific circles, Fast ForWord has attracted an unusual amount of scrutiny, all of which has validated its scientific underpinnings.
- fMRIs Pre- and Post-Fast ForWord: Brain imaging studies at Stanford and Harvard show new neural activity in areas responsible for language and processing.
- Nobel-Laureate-Level Neuroscientists (Kavii Prize in Neuroscience): Four world-leading researchers spent 30 years designing and testing this software. It is based on robust science.
Independent State & District Education Reviews
- The Nevada DOE Study: In an independent, two-year state review of 22 competing reading programs, Fast ForWord was named the most effective and officially designated a “High-Gain Program.”
- Longitudinal Evidence: Independent reviews by states such as Iowa and Texas confirm that accelerated reading gains continue after program completion.
- More than 250 studies by state and district departments of education. More state info here.
See the software in action, request a free demo link, and video walkthrough.
“My daughter has been at the program for almost five months. I have seen a big improvement in all aspects of learning. Most of all her reading and understanding has been awesome. This program has been such a blessing for us that I have recommended it to a few people. My daughter has had a great time with all the games and the rewards. So, a big THANK YOU!!!!! You have given “hope” to my child.”
Independent Scientific Research
Fast ForWord research examples from over 300 studies and submissions – view more studies here
Reading Gains for Dyslexic Students
Stanford University 2003 & 2008 (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(5), 2860- 2865)
Scientists at Stanford University showed dyslexic brains can be rewired with Fast ForWord. In addition to physical changes in the brain seen by brain imaging, the dyslexic students’ reading also improved.
Language Gains in Learning Delayed Students
Heim, Choudhury, Benasich 2015 (Braintopography)
Changes in neural activity and improved language skills in students with Language Learning difficulties following Fast ForWord
Language Gains in APD Students
Krishnamurti et al 2013 (Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology)
Significant changes from pre- to post-intervention in Fast ForWord reflect plasticity in the auditory brainstem’s neural activity in response to speech stimuli, as measured using BioMARK.
Impact of Auditory Training on Dyslexia and SLI
Ylinen, S. & Kujala, T. 2015 (Frontiers of Psychology)
Fast ForWord induced positive changes in reading, writing, and spelling in deficient neural networks, as measured by fMRI.
Published Research & Third Party Verifications
Level One Research
Foundational Fast ForWord Research & Efficacy Studies
386 papers published, including in these peer-reviewed journals
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA
- Journal of Neuroscience
- Nature Neuroscience
- Journal of Neurophysiology
- Brain Research (Elsevier)
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Nature
Level Two Research
Real-World Effectiveness Studies
Fast ForWord research by major universities and school districts, including:
- Stanford University
- The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
- Rutgers University
- UC San Francisco
- Nevada State Dept. of Education
- Iowa State Dept. of Education
- Pocatello District (Ohio)
- District 16, Canada
Level Three Research
Expert Panel and Independent Peer-Reviewed Studies
29 independent studies and research submissions to government agencies, including:
- What Works Clearinghouse
- National Center on Intensive Intervention
- US and Canadian school districts
- Tallal et al., Science journal
- Habib et al., International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders
20+ Years of Scrutiny
When a program promises significant reading gains in just a few months, it naturally raises the question: Does Fast ForWork work?
1. fMRIs Tell the Story
Brain imaging studies conducted at Stanford University and Harvard University show physical changes in the neural biology of struggling readers. Post-program fMRI scans reveal entirely new neural activity in the brain’s language regions.
2. 300+ Studies
Those that doubt the efficacy of educational software in general need to contend with the results from Fast ForWord.
This led to a handful of studies designed to fail. Notably, participation came in under 50% particiation, which the researchers argued reflected “real-world conditions.” Judging efficacy based on non-compliant students is like concluding a gym’s equipment doesn’t work because a member sat passively on the bench. Read more on these studies here.
Gemm Learning students average 95%+.
3. Helping Students Worldwide
Clinicians and schools in 45 countries use Fast ForWord to help children, teens, and adults of all ages with reading and learning struggles. And has been doing so for 20+ years.
If Fast ForWord didn’t, it would not be as extensively used for such a long time. T
Will This Work for My Child?
It’s a fair question, as every individual is unique and Fast ForWord will not work in every case. We do our best to screen out children who would not benefit from Fast ForWord in a free 1-on-1 consultation.
Gains After Program Completion – Longitudinal Studies
The science of Fast ForWord predicts that gains should continue after program completion, as improved fundamental skills provide a platform for the accelerated development of higher-level skills, such as executive functioning and metacognition. It’s the push that gets the ball rolling down the hill, then nature takes over.
The nearby chart shows a multi-year study, following more than 500 high school students from 20 Texas schools:
- On Fast ForWord, and
- After program completion.
This Fast ForWord study uses the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), which is closely aligned with state standards.
Fast ForWord students experienced continued growth relative to their peers during and after the program.
Fast ForWord Research – Nine-Year Study at St Mary’s
This study tracks elementary and middle school children over 9 years, using the state ELA reading test as the standard. All children at St Mary’s completed Fast ForWord in their second year. The shaded yellow area shows the continued gains for these students in subsequent years as higher-level comprehension skills developed.
Other Longitudinal Research: A longitudinal IQ test from a school district in the Southeast, using annual IQ tests, shows that Fast ForWord accelerates learning well after program completion by removing cognitive impediments to progress.
Note that although true IQ is fixed, it is possible to improve working memory and learning efficiency, which can boost IQ test scores. This may be because programs like Fast ForWord improve the working memory input to IQ, or because they improve IQ test-taking skills.
Note also that a Fast ForWord study by Rogokwosky and others showed that Fast ForWord boosted writing scores (OWLS is the Oral & Written Language Scale) in teenagers. Fast ForWord helps with writing by improving reading and language familiarity and by providing exercises that support sentence development and the application of grammar rules.
Footnote: Measuring What Matters
“Research results” can be misleading. Many interventions measure ‘gains’ based only on students’ progress in their internal exercises; that’s not the same as improvements translating into real-world abilities.
Fast ForWord research, though, as designed by its high-profile founding scientists, holds Fast ForWord to a higher standard. They measure real-world language and reading skill gains using nationally-normed testing.
After all, what’s the point if the gains don’t transfer?
Throughout the many years of development and subsequently, this ‘transfer problem’ was front and center. Student progress is measured using validated, nationally normed reading assessments. This is also how Gemm Learning tracks progress.
This ethical approach ensures that our reported gains reflect genuine, measurable growth in reading and learning skills rather than mere proficiency on an exercise.