Oakland, Calif. — Oct. 5, 2009 — Scientific Learning® (NASDAQ:SCIL) today announces the release of Reading Assistant™ Expanded Edition, with expanded content and enhanced reporting for educators. The Reading Assistant reading intervention software combines advanced speech recognition technology with scientifically-based interventions to help elementary and secondary students achieve reading proficiency.
Reading Assistant software acts as a patient, non-judgmental listener for emerging, struggling or self-conscious readers, and provides the much needed reading practice that benefits all students. Using research-validated speech recognition technology, Reading Assistant software “listens” to a child as he or she reads aloud. Monitoring for signs of difficulty, the program intervenes with assistance when the student is challenged by a word. Teachers receive assessment reports and can hear audio samples as if they had been sitting next to their students, listening.
“Since it first came to market, Reading Assistant has demonstrated the power of speech recognition technology to help students overcome obstacles and achieve reading and language proficiency. Through feedback from customers, continuing research, and recent technology advances, we’ve taken the product to an even higher level,” said Andy Myers, president and CEO of Scientific Learning. “Considering the growing number of schools looking for solutions that address reading difficulties, we anticipate a great deal of interest in the new Reading Assistant Expanded Edition program.”
New Additions
Reading Assistant Expanded Edition software offers almost double the content of the previous version with 450 passages. It also includes a new structured instructional sequence that builds reading proficiency by enforcing progression through increasingly difficult content.
Research shows that repeated exposures to vocabulary improve vocabulary knowledge. Thus, the new Reading Assistant includes a “Did You Know?” feature, which helps students build connections to other uses or contexts of a word, idiom or expression. It also highlights Greek and Latin roots and cognate transfers.
Expanded Insights
To inform decision making, Reading Assistant Expanded Edition software features expanded and simplified reporting. Reports are now accessible through Progress Tracker, the same online data analysis and reporting tool used by the Fast ForWord® family of products. The new At-A-Glance report in Reading Assistant Expanded Edition provides teachers and administrators with key information on student performance. In addition, new comprehension strategy reporting pinpoints areas in need of improvement.
Supports for ELLs
Reading Assistant Expanded Edition software offers additional supports for English language learners (ELLs), including directions for Spanish-speaking students, scaffolds for comprehension, and increased access to academic vocabulary. It also offers a content-rich glossary with powerful vocabulary-building information for ELLs.
About Scientific Learning Corp.
Scientific Learning creates educational software that accelerates learning by improving the processing efficiency of the brain. Based on more than 30 years of neuroscience and cognitive research, the Fast ForWord® family of products provides struggling readers with computer-delivered exercises that build the cognitive skills required to read and learn effectively. Scientific Learning Reading Assistant™ combines advanced speech recognition technology with scientifically-based courseware to help students strengthen fluency, vocabulary and comprehension to become proficient, life-long readers. The efficacy of the products has been established by more than 550 research studies and publications. For more information, visit www.scientificlearning.com or call toll-free 888-358-0212.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbor created by the federal securities laws. Such statements include, among others, statements relating to the future market acceptance of Reading Assistant Expanded edition software. Such statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially as a result of many factors, including but not limited to: general economic and financial conditions (including the recent adverse events in the general economy and in the financial and credit markets); availability of funding to purchase the Company’s products and generally available to schools; trends in the K-12 market; seasonality and sales cycles in Scientific Learning’s markets; competition; the Company’s ability to continue to demonstrate the efficacy of its products, and other risks detailed in the Company’s SEC reports, including but not limited to the Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, (Part II, Item 1A, Risk Factors), filed August 11, 2009. The Company disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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