CET-Udio: Closing the Literacy Gap
In 2013, the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that only 36% of 8th grade public school students read at a "proficient" level.
In 2013, the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that only 36% of 8th grade public school students read at a "proficient" level.
This infographic shows text at the top reading “36% proficient readers in the U.S., 8 th grade.” Beneath the text is a row of ten people drawn in silhouette: the first three and part of the fourth in blue and the remaining six in white. At the bottom of the graphic is the text “Source NAEP 2013.”
Project Name
National Center on the Use of Emerging Technologies to Improve Literacy Achievement for Students with Disabilities in Middle School
Project Description
CAST, in partnership with Vanderbilt University, is researching and developing a transformative approach to supporting middle school students with low literacy skills. The Center seeks to leverage the learning sciences and emerging technologies to develop a flexible reading environment that meets the needs of students who vary in their reading skills and motivation.
Within this environment, just-in-time supports afford students the opportunity to read age-relevant, grade-level text, discuss readings with peers, and write about what they read as a means to increase comprehension.
The goals of Udio, our literacy environment, are to:
- foster motivation and a passionate interest in reading for students who have traditionally been uninterested in, or disenfranchised by, traditional classroom literacy practices
- substantially improve the reading comprehension skills of middle school students who have experienced recurrent failure in the domain of reading
Take a Tour of Udio
Udio, our literacy research tool, is a networked reading environment for middle schoolers that displays engaging web content in a supported, personalized, and pedagogically rich format.
Findings
Data that emerged from the initial weeks of classroom pilot testing in fall 2013 suggested considerable potential and reason for optimism about the outcomes of the pilot test and eventually the project.
This optimism is buoyed by ratings of Udio's quality, relevance, and usefulness (QRU) in a survey of experts and of classroom teachers conducted by the Center's external evaluator.
Publications
Coyne, P. (2014). "Universal Design for Learning, Comprehension and Online Dialogues: Engaging Struggling Middle School Students." Presentation at Massachusetts Reading Association. Quincy, MA.
Coyne, P. (2014). "Fostering Creative Response Using Universal Design for Learning." Presentation at International Reading Association. New Orleans, LA.
Hasselbring, T. (2013). A technology-rich literacy experience for students with disabilties. Edutopia blog, December 30, 2013. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/udio-tech-platform-reading-disabilities-ted-hasselbring
Daley, S. G. (2013). "Rethinking Literacy: Universal Design for Learning, Affective Neuroscience, and Emerging Technologies." Presentation at Learning and the Brain. Cambridge, MA.
Rose, D. (2013). "Multimedia for Multiple Representations in Literacy." Presentation at Universal Design for Learning Institute: Reaching All Learners (Harvard Graduate School of Education). Cambridge, MA.
Rose, D. (2013). "The Universal Literacy Network: Work in Progress." Presentation at New Profit's LDSEL (Learning Differences and Social-Emotional Learning) Conference. Brewster, MA.
Rose, D., Hasselbring, T., & Rappolt-Schlichtmann, G. (2013). "Emerging Technologies to Improve Middle School Literacy: The Role of Data Analytics Within a New Universal Literacy Network (ULN)." Break-out Session presentation at OSEP Project Directors' Meeting. Washington, D.C.
Timeline
2012 – 2016
Funder
Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education
Partner
Project Leadership
David H. Rose, EdD, CAST
Ted Hasselbring, EdD, Vanderbilt University
Contact
For more information about this project, please contact Tracey Hall.