How digital books connect vulnerable students with reading

The definition of success is a “favorable or desired outcome.” At Title I schools, where students are often at a disadvantage from the start, measuring success can look different depending on the student and the circumstance. So when it comes to reading, sometimes success can look like a student simply picking up a book.

In my classroom, students generally read below grade level. However, the increasing prevalence of 1:1 device programs over the last year sparked a significant improvement in their reading habits by providing more access to ebooks and audiobooks. Using digital books has given students access to a wider variety of texts at different reading levels that they can browse with a degree of privacy, removing stigma and instilling a love of reading.

Confidential access to digital books for readers of all abilities

Privacy is paramount when it comes to image-conscious middle school students who are worried, above all, about what their peers think of them. Sometimes, students who are reading below grade level are embarrassed, leading them to check-out materials at the school library that are not appropriate for their abilities.

That’s why it’s so important that Sora, our K-12 reading app, allows my students to select and read titles that are known only to them. When increased literacy is the goal, it does not matter if a seventh-grade student is reading a book meant for fifth grade students, so long as they are improving their reading skills.