A Broadly Accessible Virtual Reading Tutor

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Millions of children in the U.S. are at risk for learning to read well despite major advances in our understanding of the causes and cures for poor reading. In this Fast- Track proposal we propose to address this signif icant need and opportunity with a computer-based reading program that combines the power of one-on-one tutoring with the benefits of self-assessing, individualized, scientifically-based reading instruction. We plan to position this product, Foundations to Literacy(tm), as a service over the Web, so that it is accessible in classrooms and resource rooms, community learning centers and homes. The goal of the Phase I work is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of delivering an immersive, individualized on e-on-one tutoring experience to children in organizations and homes using a scalable, cost-effective Application Service Provider (ASP) delivery model. Success in the Phase I project will be measured by satisfactory learning experiences by 16 children conn ected to a single server who are using the program simultaneously. The goal of the Phase II research and development effort is to enhance the functionality of the Foundations to Literacy program by incorporating a new set of learning activities into the pr ogram that teach children to read text fluently with good comprehension. Improving reading comprehension is a national priority, and research has shown that good comprehension requires sufficient vocabulary and the ability to read words in context fluently and automatically. We propose to develop a novel set of learning activities that facilitate acquisition of basic oral vocabulary-the meanings of spoken words-and also teaches children to recognize printed versions of these words accurately and rapidly. In addition, using speech recognition technology to measure the performance of students as they read text out loud, we will develop a set of learning tools that teach children to read fluently and expressively. The enhanced version of the program will be tes ted extensively in classrooms and homes, and refined based on user experiences. During the final six months of the project, formative and summative evaluation of the program will be conducted for children in first, second and third grade classrooms, and fo r children in these age ranges in their homes. Successful outcomes of the Phase II work will be measured by improved reading fluency and comprehension of texts by students randomly assigned to the new version of the program, relative to students randomly a ssigned to alternative treatments. Successful outcomes of the proposed work will result in an accessible and effective reading program for beginning readers that will facilitate learning of foundational reading skills and practice and improve these skills to teach them to read fluently and with good comprehension. The commercial proposal is to market the program initially to homes and to schools. Because there are millions of children who may never learn to read well unless they receive effective, individua lized instruction and too few teachers to provide the necessary level of instruction in our schools, the network-based reading tutor could provide significant benefit to individuals and to society. The proposed wok will demonstrate the feasibility and pote ntial of a computer-based reading program that is designed to teach children to read and learn from text through conversational interaction with a lifelike computer character that behaves like a sensitive and effective reading teacher. The research will ex tend an existing and efficacious treatment developed at the University of Colorado that has been tested extensively with kindergarten through second grade children, including students with cognitive disabilities and students at risk for learning to read be cause of linguistic and/or cultural challenges. If successful, the proposed work could improve the literacy skills and student achievement of millions of st