Petaluma, CA 94954
Fax: 707-773-2001
Email: info@intellitools.com
www.intellitools.com
INTELLITOOLS ANNOUNCES READING RESEARCH RESULTS AT IRA CONVENTION
Results Prove the Efficacy of New Reading Program for All Learners
San Francisco, April 28, 2002, International Reading Association (IRA) Annual Convention – IntelliTools, Inc. announced today the results of a year long, implementation study for its IntelliTools Reading: Balanced Literacy™ software program. The program is being studied in four classrooms in Sebastopol, CA, under a project directed by Kevin Feldman, the Director of Reading and Early Intervention with the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE). Recent test results were released today at the 2002 International Reading Association Annual Conference. Pre- and post-test scores of 37 students using the software during the 2001-2002 school year indicates that students who had low pre-test scores made significant gains through the use of the software. Beyond that, anecdotal results show an increase in teacher satisfaction and student enjoyment from those involved with the program.
The full research study, available from IntelliTools, reveals important information. Five students, all of them Spanish speaking and with limited English proficiency, made specific gains that were tracked in a district-wide assessment profile. In addition, one classroom aide successfully used data in student portfolios generated by the software to prescribe student work and greatly enhance performance. Second grade students who are a year behind in their reading abilities are using the software successfully for remediation. Another group of third grade non-readers began to read independently after using Balanced Literacy in a summer school reading program last year.
IntelliTools Reading: Balanced Literacy is a nine unit, year long program of supplementary literacy instruction at the first grade skill level. It was published in March 2001. This school year marks the first opportunity for implementation studies. Prior to publication, the prototypes were researched with students in five sites across the country through support from the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. Results, available from IntelliTools, demonstrate that struggling students made statistically significant gains in the areas targeted in the Reading First initiative: phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary development.
About IntelliTools, Inc.
IntelliTools®, Inc., a pioneer in learning solutions for the diverse classroom, has been producing award-winning classroom tools for K-8 education for over 20 years. The IntelliTools Classroom Pac is comprised of four integrated software programs - IntelliPics® Studio, IntelliMathics™, IntelliTalk II®, and ReadyMade™ Curriculum Activities - providing a complete set of resources for both general education and special education needs students. IntelliTools® Reading: Balanced Literacy, winner of the Technology & Learning Awards in two categories, is a nine-unit program providing a full year of literacy instruction at a first-grade skill level. These IntelliTools software products are fully accessible for standard keyboard and mouse users as well as its IntelliKeys® adaptive keyboard and switch users.
For more information contact:
Paula Irons, Director, Marketing
IntelliTools, Inc.
1720 Corporate Circle, Petaluma, CA 94954
(800) 899-6687; pirons@intellitools.com