Boston, Nov. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Committed to rigorous personalized instruction, positive school culture, and support of lifelong learners, the nation’s charter schools are posting remarkable gains with the Lexia Reading Core5® literacy program. With almost 700 charter institutions already using Core5 to enhance students’ reading abilities, Charter Schools USA; Somerset Academy Miramar (Florida); and Chicago International Charter Schools (CICS) Irving Park, a Distinctive Schools campus, are among the most recent Charter Management Organizations and charter schools to renew and expand their use of Lexia’s highly regarded, research-proven reading approach.
In fact, for the 2016/17 school year, more than 73,000 charter school students in grades K–5 used the blended learning program to meet the demands of reaching higher levels of reading competency. Students of all abilities made substantial improvement in the program across the year, according to an end-of-year gains analysis showing:
• When students used the program with fidelity, 86 percent advanced one or more grade levels in Core5
• The percentage of students who were classified as working in or above grade level nearly doubled from 50 percent 91 percent by end-of-year
• Two-thirds (66 percent) reached their grade-level benchmark in Core5
"Core5 provides our students personalized, engaging learning that supports the development of foundational skills and is an important tool in our literacy instruction,” said J.W. Kuebler, Director of Chicago International Charter Schools (CICS) Irving Park. “It gives our students practice opportunities that help them grow and our teachers real-time data to identify areas of need, as well as provide suggested interventions based on those needs."
Developed by Lexia Learning, a Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) Company, Lexia Reading Core5 is a technology-based program that accelerates the development of fundamental literacy skills for students of all abilities in grades pre-K–5. Following a rigorous scope and sequence built for college and career ready standards, the program provides explicit, systematic instruction through personalized learning paths in six areas of reading. It seamlessly adapts with student performance, targeting skill gaps as they emerge, and equipping teachers with the data and instructional resources they need to personalize instruction for every student. Embedded assessment technology predicts students’ year-end performance and provides ongoing norm-referenced and actionable data to help teachers prioritize and plan instruction with the offline instructional materials. The online student dashboard encourages students to set goals and take ownership of their learning, for an experience that’s motivating and engaging for students and teachers alike.
Michelle Rojas, reading coach at Somerset Academy Miramar explained that they first rolled out Core5 to all students in grades pre-K─2 and recently expanded the use of the program to struggling readers in grades 3─8 because, “There are so many reasons why we love Lexia, but the most important one of all is the growth we see in our students. There’s nothing more important than that. Students in grades K–2 using the program achieved substantial growth. The percent of students working in or above grade level in Core5 increased from 48 percent to 95 percent in less than one school year,” Rojas continued. “And the number of students working below their grade level in the program reduced from 52 percent to 5 percent.”
“The teacher is the single greatest in-school factor when it comes to improving student outcomes. Online learning programs, like Core5, enable our teachers to provide high-quality, differentiated, small group instruction targeted to specific groups of students' needs. The program provides personalized practice opportunities online, so that when a student isn't working with a teacher directly, they are working in their zone of proximal development," concludes Kuebler. "It's like an independent station that is custom tailored to give students the personalized, engaging practice they need to be successful readers."
About Lexia Learning
Lexia Learning, a division of Rosetta Stone, empowers educators through adaptive assessment and personalized instruction. For more than 30 years, the company has been on the leading edge of research and product development as it relates to student reading skills. With a robust offering that includes solutions for differentiated instruction, personalized learning, and assessment, Lexia Learning provides educators with the tools to intensify and accelerate literacy skills development for students of all abilities. For more information, visit www.lexialearning.com.
About Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) is dedicated to changing people’s lives through the power of language and literacy education. The company’s innovative digital solutions drive positive learning outcomes for the inspired learner at home or in schools and workplaces around the world. Founded in 1992, Rosetta Stone’s language division uses cloud-based solutions to help all types of learners read, write, and speak more than 30 languages. Lexia Learning, Rosetta Stone's literacy education division, was founded more than 30 years ago and is a leader in the literacy education space. Today, Lexia helps students build fundamental reading skills through its rigorously researched, independently evaluated, and widely respected instruction and assessment programs. For more information, visit www.rosettastone.com. “Rosetta Stone” is a registered trademark or trademark of Rosetta Stone Ltd. in the United States and other countries.