WINOOSKI, Vt., Sept. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reading Plus, an evidence-based online program that uses personalized instruction to improve students’ reading proficiency, today announced the expanded use of its platform within the Beaufort County School District in South Carolina. Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, all middle and high school students within the district will have access to Reading Plus for the following three years.
The significant expansion follows a successful pilot program and small implementation at six of the district’s middle schools.
“Reading Plus provides individual, strategic support that increases the fluency of our readers,” said Melissa Murray, director of literacy, Beaufort County School District. “As our students become more fluent readers, they will also be able to comprehend at a higher level. The science behind Reading Plus focuses on creating efficient readers, which allows the brain to focus on comprehension. The team at Reading Plus is extremely supportive and I look forward to our continued partnership.”
Reading Plus is an adaptive literacy tool designed to support teachers with differentiated instruction for all students, including Tiers 1-3 and multilingual learners. Used by more than 1 million students, Reading Plus improves striving students’ reading proficiency by 2.0-2.5 grade levels in a single school year when used with fidelity.
“Having a district implement our program on a large scale after a pilot is always extremely gratifying,” said Janine Walker-Caffrey, Chief Research Officer of Reading Plus. “Our goal is to work with educators to ensure academic success for students, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to do that within the Beaufort County School District.”
The program holds the highest Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) evidence of effectiveness ranking—level one for “strong evidence”—illustrating a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes. In 2020, Reading Plus doubled its content library to over 2,500 engaging and diverse selections to provide students with meaningful representation and culturally responsive texts as they grow into global, lifelong learners.
In addition to Reading Plus, a DreamBox Learning® English Language Arts solution, Beaufort County School District also offers DreamBox Learning Math to provide students with proven-effective and personalized reading and math learning experiences that accelerate learning growth.
To learn more about the benefits of Reading Plus, visit www.readingplus.com.
ABOUT READING PLUS
Reading Plus* is an evidence-based, online program that provides personalized instruction and intervention for students with diverse needs, including multilingual learners, students who qualify for special education services, RTI/MTSS tiers 1–3, and advanced readers. The program develops fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary, while also measuring student motivation. On average, striving students using Reading Plus with fidelity achieve 2.0-2.5 years of proficiency grade-level gains in a single school year. Reading Plus provides educators with an easy-to-use management and reporting system, extensive resources to guide differentiated instruction, professional development, and highly rated customer support. The Reading Plus program is used in more than 7,800 schools, helping over one million students become confident, lifelong readers. For more information, visit www.readingplus.com.
*In August 2021, DreamBox Learning®, the leading education technology provider, announced it completed the acquisition of Reading Plus. The combined programs offer school districts the only dual-discipline solution rated “Strong” by Johns Hopkins’ EvidenceforESSA.org in both mathematics and reading.
