Scalable and Sustainable Technologies for Reading Instruction and Assessment

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In this project a program of individualized, computer-aided reading instruction will be implemented and assessed. The computer-aided reading instruction is based on two classes of tools - one based on speech and animation technology and the other on language comprehension technology. An example of the former tool is Vocabulary Tutor which focuses on decoding practices. It includes a 3D animated talking head synchronized with recorder or synthesized speech, paired with illustrations and printed words that can be entered by the teacher or the child. Children look at the images, listen to the words, see their spelling, pronounce them, and receive feedback. An example of the second kind is Summary Street. Summary Street is based on a statistical theory of meaning, latent semantic analysis. Children write summaries, Summary Street automatically compares their summaries with the text they are summarizing and provides feedback about the content and the adequacy of their summaries. These tools are classroom tested. This project extends the foundation of technology and application development to a comprehensive reading program called Colorado Literacy Tutor that will be tested throughout the state of Colorado after testing in the Boulder School district.