Soliloquy Reading Assistant´s UK Edition Wins Education Resources Award
Program is honored in Education Resources´ Special Education Category
Program is honored in Education Resources´ Special Education Category
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WALTHAM, MA. April 11, 2007 Soliloquy Learning´s Reading Assistant (UK Edition) was honored with an award in the Education Resources Category for Special Education at the ninth annual Education Resources Awards on March 23rd, 2007. The award recognizes the quality of educational products and resources as applied to special education students.
Soliloquy Learning´s Reading Assistant (UK Edition) was released jointly with Harcourt in the UK. Harcourt UK´s popular Rapid series content for elementary special needs students was included on the Reading Assistant platform. The Soliloquy Reading Assistant is a reading program that combines advanced speech recognition technology with scientifically-based interventions to help elementary and secondary students strengthen their reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension skills.
"We feel very proud that the UK Edition of the Reading Assistant received this award", commented Jon Bower, CEO of Soliloquy Learning. "The Education Resources Awards are one of the most prestigious awards you can win in the UK, and we feel honored that our technology was recognized and that it is bringing a working solution for the students of the UK."
Chris Jones, CEO of Harcourt Education International, said: "The Education Resources Awards are designed to recognize the innovative and effective development of education resources and Rapid Reading Assistant is a perfect example of this. By combining the latest technology with expert knowledge of how to support struggling readers, Rapid is a solution that can really make a difference for many learners. We are very proud that the quality of material and the technology behind Rapid Reading Assistant were recognized by the judges and we are delighted to receive the award."
Students use the Soliloquy Reading Assistant by reading e-books into a computer using a standard headset and microphone. Through Soliloquy Reading Assistant´s proprietary speech-recognition technology, the program is able to "listen" and recognize when readers stumble or make mistakes on specific words. When a student struggles, the program assists or corrects him/her by reading the word clearly, meanwhile making records in the background for teacher review. Vocabulary assistance and comprehension questions are other features of the program. When students do not know a word´s meaning, they can click it to gain access to a context-sensitive definition, pronunciation and photographic memory aid. When students reach the end of a reading passage, comprehension questions are presented to ensure understanding and to focus students on acquiring meaning in addition to speed. Students can then have the program read the story to them, and compare the model with their own readings to improve their pronunciation.
The US Edition of the Soliloquy Reading Assistant is available for students in grades 1-12, plus adult remedial reading programs. For elementary students (grades 1-5), reading content is drawn from children´s stories, poems and expository passages to build literature appreciation. For secondary students (5-12), content is drawn from science and social studies subjects required by many state standards, providing experience with the content to improve comprehension later on. Since its launch in 2002, various versions of Soliloquy Reading Assistant have been used by over 5,000 schools across the country. For more information, visit www.soliloquylearning.com, or call 1-877-235-6036.
About Harcourt:
Harcourt is a market-leading provider of educational resources for teachers and learners at Primary, Secondary and Vocational level and is the largest publisher of books and e-learning materials for schools and colleges in the UK.
Under the Heinemann, Rigby, Ginn, Payne-Gallway and Raintree names, Harcourt provides a range of published materials, e-learning and assessment resources, teachers´ support and pupil and student materials in all core subjects for all ages.
Harcourt, a BETT Award winner in 2006 for MediaStage, and highly commended at the BETT Awards 2007 for Rapid, is recognized for the quality of the products that it brings to the education market, reflecting up-to-date learning techniques and embracing the latest technology.
As the must-have partner for government, researchers, professional bodies and teachers, Harcourt is more than a publisher: it is recognized as an expert in helping to convert theory to practice.
www.harcourt.co.uk
About Soliloquy Learning, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Soliloquy Learning has pioneered new and effective methods for improving reading and spoken language skills. The company´s flagship product, Soliloquy Reading Assistant, provides one-on-one reading support, using proprietary speech recognition technology to monitor and assist students through Guided Oral Reading, the research-proven best practice for fostering reading progress beyond the basics. Design has been led by literacy expert, Dr. Marilyn Jager Adams. Research on the efficacy of Soliloquy Reading Assistant has been sponsored through research grants from NICHD and IES. Soliloquy Learning is a privately held company based in Waltham, Mass. For more information visit: http://www.soliloquylearning.com.
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