K–12 schools are using AI to strengthen reading instruction at a time when reading scores have been declining for years due to chronic absenteeism and pandemic learning losses, according to an EdTech article.
Many schools leverage AI-powered tech tools to make reading instruction personalized and interactive.
AI’s algorithmic abilities are an appealing reading technology, according to Yenda Prado, learning sciences research analyst and national leadership lead at global nonprofit Digital Promise’s U-GAIN Reading initiative.
Some tech providers have developed tools that customize reading content in real time and match students’ interests and reading levels to boost engagement and motivation.
“Master teachers can modify lessons to support the widest range of learners in the classroom,” Prado says. “AI can detect patterns that can be used to support the evaluation of student reading errors, as well as strengths. The specific reading intervention can be tailored more precisely.”
Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Fla., uses Microsoft Teams’ Reading Progress to measure students’ fluency and track what they’ve read, according to Tracie Bergman, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
The tool uses an algorithm to listen to a recording of a student reading a passage and evaluates elements such as word mispronunciation or omission, says Christopher Holt, technology training supervisor.
“The teacher can see an analysis of words their class may be struggling with,” Holt says. “If they see a trend, they can use that data to impact what they’re doing in their instruction.”
AI tools can meet students where they are and help push them to the next level, says Tuscaloosa County School District Assistant Principal John David Booth.
Starting at the level that a diagnostic test indicates is best, students at the Alabama school complete daily AI-enabled sentence formatting exercises that reinforce punctuation, capitalization and other grammatical concepts. If they get stuck, the platform changes the format.
Seventh grade English teacher Amy Chambley says students receive input faster than she could physically provide.
“I’m able to give them pretty quick feedback, but it isn’t the next day; I teach 150 kids,” Chambley says. “By the end of the year, we’re not having to say, ‘Capitalize the first letter. Where’s your comma?’ because the tool goes over those things all year long.”
Booth also uses an AI offering to assist with lesson planning. If students are struggling with an assignment, Booth prompts AI: what are some ways research has proved I can support my students in this area? “If they’re struggling with a concept from the Civil War, AI can help me come up with a way I can close that gap for my students.”
Here are additional methods to maximize the use of AI reading tools:
- Sponsor an awareness campaign: Train teachers and staff on AI to ensure reading-oriented tech purchases are accepted and effectively used.
- Be supportive: Have digital integration specialists participate in grade-level planning conversations and suggest activities to boost teacher AI buy-in.
- Focus on learning goals: AI tech should meet a school’s standard for learning activities and what students are expected to gain.
- Share data: Video or audio recordings can be useful at parent-teacher conferences, says Tracie Bergman, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Florida’s Hillsborough County Public Schools.
“I may assume what my child is doing is the norm,” Bergman says. “The teacher is able to say, ‘Let me show you what I noticed and what we need to do to address it.’”
EdTech
