Research
In This Section:

"Almost 20% of our incoming 9th graders scored below grade level on the state-mandated reading test and over a third of the incoming 9th graders were identified as at-risk readers. The Academy of READING has helped them improve not only their reading skills, but also their performance in many of their other subjects."

Sylvia Matthews,
Executive Director of Secondary Education, Nash-Rocky Mount Schools, NC
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Classroom Results

Southeast Region

Efficacy Studies

  • High School Meta Study - Examining the Effectiveness of the Academy of READING for Striving Readers »
    In this meta study, we reviewed training data from a large cross-section of high schools in the U.S., encompassing diverse regions, program implementations, demographics and age groups. The results show that students using the Academy of READING achieved significant gains in reading proficiency. (View PDF, 190K)
  • Sweetwater Elementary School, Sweetwater, TN »
    Students in the 3rd grade at Sweetwater Elementary School participated in an evaluation of the Academy of READING intervention program. Prior to training on the Academy of READING, only 4% of students scored at or above the third grade level on the STAR Reading Test. Following training, 50% of students scored at or above their grade level and 2% of students scored at or above the fourth grade level. (View PDF, 157K)
  • University High School, Orange County, FL »
    A randomized control trial (RCT) study was conducted with students at University High School, Orange County Public Schools, FL. The study showed that the Academy of MATH test group achieved significant math gains on the Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test (SDMT) and on the FCAT. (View PDF, 145K)
  • W.B. Goodwin Elementary School, North Charleston, SC »
    During the 2003-2004 school year at W.B. Goodwin Elementary School, 433 students, in grades 1 through 6, participated in an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Academy of READING intervention program. Results, based on a comparison of pre- and post-training CPRT scores, showed that students achieved 1.5 grade levels gains in their reading proficiency after an average of 4.4 hours of focused training. (View PDF, 145K)

Case Study

  • Edgewater High School, Orange County, FL »
    Located in Orlando, Edgewater High School (EHS) is home to a diverse multicultural and socioeconomic student population: 46% are African American, 12% are Hispanic, and 16% are Special Education. Meeting the learning needs of such a diverse student population can be challenging for any school. This reality hit home in 2004 when EHS failed to make the necessary gains with the lowest 25% of its students on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test for the two previous years. (View PDF, 52K)
  • Nash-Rocky Mount Schools, Nashville, NC »
    Nash-Rocky Mount administrators decided to incorporate the Academy of READING into their high schools' regular curriculum after discovering that almost 20% of their incoming grade 9 students were reading below grade level.  According to Sylvia Matthews, Executive Director of Secondary Education, the Academy of READING is an excellent resource for high school teachers because it gives them the tools to teach their students and the data to show that it is working. (View PDF, 154K)
  • Blackman Middle School, Murfreesboro, TN »
    BMS decided to implement a pilot program called Across the Road in the summer of 2003. Approximately 50 to 60 students from grades 6 to 8 participated in the initial pilot with borderline grade 8 students being a priority. BMS decided to use AutoSkill's Academy of READING and Academy of MATH as the literacy intervention solution of choice. (View PDF, 64K)

Success Stories

  • Kathleen High School, Lakeland, FL »
    When students' reading levels deteriorated to alarming lows, educators at Kathleen High School, in Lakeland, FL, knew they had to introduce a reading intervention program. The first one they tried produced lackluster results, but the next yielded great success, the Academy of READING.
  • Cobb County Public Schools, Marietta, GA »
    Cobb County Public Schools use the Academy of READING software program for more than just improving students' reading skills, they use it to help decrease the rate of high school dropouts. The unique instruction methods of the Academy of READING inspire students to learn while boosting their confidence and giving them a reason to stay in school.
  • Monroe Elementary School, Monroe, GA »
    Monroe Elementary is a rural school that has much in common with its inner-city counterparts: a diverse student population; a high proportion of children from underprivileged homes; and a great many students facing academic challenges in the core subjects of reading and math. But now teachers at Monroe have a new tool at their disposal: the Academy of READING.  And it's having a powerful impact on learners' performance-inspiring staff, students and parents alike.
  • Andrew Jackson Elementary School, Kingsport, TN »
    Linda Carter of Andrew Jackson Elementary School describes how her students' self-confidence and self-esteem have increased after students improved their reading abilities using the Academy of READING.
  • Lincoln County High School, Fayetteville, TN »
    When Lynn Craig was presented with the opportunity to implement the Academy of READING at Lincoln County High School, she was delighted. Craig had long been aware of the program and its positive impact on students with reading disabilities.