The online intervention from Scientific Learning Corp. helps school districts close achievement gaps and reduce special education referrals 

8/19/15

Media Contact: 
Hallie Smith
Director of Marketing
Scientific Learning Corporation
(619) 888-0887
[email protected]

Oakland, Calif. — Aug. 19, 2015 — Research shows that children who are not reading on grade level by the end of third grade are likely to have trouble learning in all classroom subjects in higher grades. To help students build and strengthen their reading skills and the foundational cognitive skills they need to succeed, a rapidly growing number of Ohio school districts are implementing the Fast ForWord® program from Scientific Learning Corp.

One of the most recent districts to launch the program is Franklin City School District in Franklin City, Ohio. “We’re a high-poverty district. Many of our students entering kindergarten are not prepared for kindergarten and our test scores are lower than we’d like,” said Superintendent of Schools Michael Sander. “We see the Fast ForWord program as a key component of our efforts to address Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee and reach the goal of having 100 percent of our students reading at a third grade level by the end of third grade.”

Franklin City School District, where more than 60 percent of students are economically disadvantaged and 18 percent receive special education services, will implement the Fast ForWord program this fall in the Early Childhood Center and all five elementary schools. It will be used by all K–3 students and struggling readers in grades 4–6.

“This will be the third district where I’ve implemented Fast ForWord,” said Dr. Sander. “I’ve had great results with the program in my previous districts in closing the achievement gap and reducing the number of students who qualify for special education. We hope to achieve the same results here.”

Fast ForWord uses the principles of neuroplasticity — the ability of the brain to rewire and improve — to target the root causes of slow academic progress in struggling students and English language learners. After Fast ForWord, students can improve their language and reading skills by up to two grade levels in as little as three months, simultaneously boosting performance across all areas of study.

For more information, visit www.scilearn.com.