Dayton Public Schools (DPS) in Ohio has selected the Fast ForWord® family of products from Scientific Learning to help build language and reading skills in the district’s K-8 students. The educational software program will be used in 21 of the district’s preK-8 schools, beginning this semester.
According to Lisa Minor, executive director for school improvement at DPS, the Fast ForWord software will be a key component of the district’s “15,000 Reasons to Succeed” program, which translates into action the first goal of the district’s long-term strategic plan: To provide high-quality education that leads to college and careers.
"Two of our district goals are to have every student reading on grade level by third grade and to ensure that all of our students are college and career ready by the time they graduate. We believe that providing this type of intervention program, along with others, will help us raise student achievement and reach these goals," Minor said.
Dayton Public Schools will deploy Fast ForWord via the new SciLEARN™ On Demand platform that gives students, teachers and administrators online access to the Fast ForWord products via the Internet anytime, anywhere.
Students at schools across the country — including those in Newark City Schools, East Cleveland City Schools, and Oak Hills Local School District— use the individualized Fast ForWord computer exercises to focus on four critical areas: memory, attention, processing, and sequencing. As a result, learners may realize achievement gains of up to two years in as little as three months.
Funded through the federal government’s Race To The Top education funding grant, the Fast ForWord implementation will initially be used with students in second, third, seventh and eighth grade who need to significantly improve their reading skills. Principals will have the flexibility to determine the greatest needs their schools have and use the program accordingly.
