A while ago I wrote a post about building reading comprehension with NewsELA . Their text sets provide nice supporting non-fiction texts for novels and plays, however a paid subscription is necessary in order to get the full benefits of helping students with their reading. Since that post, I have been looking for other online resources to help all types of readers, not just the ones who struggle.

My ELA 30-4 class is a perfect example of a group with greatly different reading levels. One of my biggest challenges was finding texts that fit their individual abilities. I began the semester by providing them with all the same texts and individualizing their accommodations. While some had no problem, I found that others were still struggling. In my search to find  a resource that could almost individually  customize readings for them, I discovered ReadTheory.

ReadTheory is a K-12 online reading comprehension program that presents assessments to students at a “just right” level. Using algorithmic science coupled with grade and Lexile® level information, [they] ensure [their] assessments are always challenging but never discouraging. After just 20 minutes on ReadTheory, students generate enough data to populate their very own progress reports replete with insights about their unique reading abilities.

I created a free account and populated an online class by enrolling my students. I printed out the easy to follow instructions and provided them with their usernames and passwords and the same day, they began reading journeys. Most of these students have a Learning Strategies class twice a week, and are able to work through their readings during this period. Because the teacher dashboard allows me to monitor their progress, I can see how often they are practicing and how they are advancing.

We only started using this website last week and haven’t heard any complaints yet. I am going to give it another week before we sit down and discuss their thoughts on this program and to see how the progress monitoring feature works.