Struggling Readers Jump a Grade Level or More in Reading Growth

Luvina Ruiz, MAE, Education Specialist, for La Cumbre Junior High School, Santa Barbara Unified School District, CA teaches seventh and eighth graders who read well below grade level. Students in her classes are from diverse backgrounds with emotional and learning challenges. These learners do not have a good foundation in reading, and many have never experienced the “thrill of a book.” Ms. Ruiz believes pinpointing exactly what a student is struggling with is an important step in making sure the interventions schools use meet that student’s needs.

To ensure her struggling readers get the support to become better readers, she relies on the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution. This supplementary reading resource has provided her district with a proven reading accommodation that offers struggling students equitable access to grade-level text, literature and popular books in digital "accessible" format.

In the last three years, Ms. Ruiz has seen a big difference in her students’ reading abilities and self-esteem. Many have jumped a grade level or more, and now easily complete their Accelerated Reader quizzes without assistance and with good results. One student jumped two grade levels in just two months, and another student, who is now in high school, is reading four grades above his reading level in less than nine months. She says, "His comprehension skills soared, and his academic performance improved dramatically, especially in Language Arts."

Audiobooks enhance students’ ability to listen and learn and to participate in small-group instruction and independent reading activities. Students listen to stories narrated by a human voice, not the drone of a robotic voice. They stay involved. They learn what a word looks like and how it sounds. They hear proper pronunciation of words to support vocabulary development. They find joy in selecting books to read on their own. They are much less frustrated with the reading process.

For reading assignments, Ms. Ruiz' students must select a chapter book, and if it’s above their reading level, they download an audiobook from Learning Ally. They have ten days to read each book, so they can finish at least two chapter books in six weeks for the Accelerated Reader marking period. A progress monitoring dashboard gives Ms. Ruiz insight into how many pages students are reading and their reading preferences. She says, "It is important for all educators to be aware of instructional strategies and resources that support students with learning differences. If you want to build your struggling readers’ confidence and reading skills and get them reading on grade-level, Learning Ally is a solution worth exploring.