Luvina Ruiz, MAE, Education Specialist, La Cumbre Junior High School, Santa Barbara Unified School District, CA, says, "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.”

I teach seventh and eighth graders who read well below grade level. Students in my 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.” I believe pinpointing exactly what a student is struggling with is an important step in making sure the interventions we use meet that student’s needs.

To make sure my struggling readers and non-readers get the support to become better readers, I use the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution. This supplementary reading solution has provided our school district with a proven reading accommodation that offers our struggling students with equitable access to grade-level text, literature and popular books.

In the last three years, I have seen a big difference in my 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 of my students jumped two grade levels in just two months.

Within two months of having equitable access to grade-level text, this student was able to increase reading scores by two grade levels.

Another student, who is in high school now, had a very difficult time reading. With Learning Ally, his reading level jumped four grades in less than nine months. 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. What I like most is that they find joy in selecting books to read on their own, and they are much less frustrated with the reading process.  

For reading assignments, my students must select a chapter book, and if it’s above their reading level, they use 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. With Learning Ally’s progress monitoring dashboard, I can make sure my students are reading the required number of pages each night.

It’s important for all educators to be aware of instructional strategies that support students with learning differences. I recommend the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution to any colleague working with struggling readers and non-readers. 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. 

Explore the Learning Ally Audiobook Solution  

Schedule a demo to see how Learning Ally delivers an immediate impact for your struggling readers and how the reading data dashboard works. For more information about a school subscription, call 800-221-1098 or email programs@LearningAlly.org.