Failure free keeps its promise to the mobile county school system: non-readers move into literacy with online and print program.

Failure free keeps its promise to the mobile county school system: non-readers move into literacy with online and print program. Raising results for under-performing K-12 students has always beena special challenge for reading instructors. "That's one ofthe most important reasons we're supporters of the Failure FreeReading program," says Shelia Martin Interim Executive Director ofSpecial Programs for the Mobile (AL) County Public School System, one ofthe nation's largest school districts. "The components to theprogram are designed to accelerate reading." The underlying premise and goal of Failure Free Reading is to teachreading comprehension Reading comprehension can be defined as the level of understanding of a passage or text. For normal reading rates (around 200-220 words per minute) an acceptable level of comprehension is above 75%. , fluency and vocabulary to students who seem todefy de��fy?tr.v. de��fied, de��fy��ing, de��fies1. a. To oppose or resist with boldness and assurance: defied the blockade by sailing straight through it.b. traditional instruction: the hardcore non-readers or, according to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. a company spokesman, "the not-yet readers." Using acombination of uniquely designed print and online materials for at-riskand "phonetically pho��net��ic?adj.1. Of or relating to phonetics.2. Representing the sounds of speech with a set of distinct symbols, each designating a single sound: phonetic spelling.3. deaf" students, Failure Free provides aunique talking software program which will give the lowest literacystudent the opportunity to have an immediate and successfulage-appropriate reading experience. "We are about getting students to learn to read and increasingparental involvement," says Mobile's Superintendent Dr. HaroldDodge. "Failure Free Reading program is one approach being utilizedwith our special needs students to attain both goals." In fact, Failure Free Reading and its related Verbal Mastermaterials (an accelerated language development program) werespecifically created to be age-appropriate. "Fifth graders who arereading at a first grade level should not be placed in materials thatare too immature immature/im��ma��ture/ (im?ah-chldbomacr��) unripe or not fully developed. im��ma��tureadj.Not fully grown or developed.immatureunripe or not fully developed. for them," notes Dr. Joe Lockavitch, author ofFailure Free Reading and a former special education director himself."Fifth graders know if their reading materials are written foryounger students and will be turned off or offended of��fend?v. of��fend��ed, of��fend��ing, of��fendsv.tr.1. To cause displeasure, anger, resentment, or wounded feelings in.2. by immature subjectmaterial. The last thing they need is to be placed in front of computerscreens that smack of dancing bears and bunny rabbits." Building self-confidence and motivation in struggling readers isessential, says Lockavitch, "and the only way to do this is byimmediately 'raising their academic bar.' We have anobligation to conclusively prove to these students that they really cando: faster, higher and more!" Failure Free Reading achieves thisthrough the use of its revolutionary integration of text and technology."Current reading level is really not that important to us. We aremore concerned with showing non-readers what they can do now rather thanwhat they were unable to d before Failure Free Reading. This is the keyreason why Failure Free Reading actually uses instructional materialsthat are many times two and three grade levels higher than ourstudents' current independent reading levels." Thanks toFailure Free Reading, students who for years were stuck in programstrying to teach them how to read the word "rain" are workingfrom a reading program that now allows them to recognize, comprehend,write, and spell the word "precipitation precipitation, in chemistryprecipitation,in chemistry, a process in which a solid is separated from a suspension, sol, or solution. In a suspension such as sand in water the solid spontaneously precipitates (settles out) on standing. ". It certainly appears to be working in Mobile, which has implementedthe Failure Free program throughout its 62 K-5 elementary schools elementary school:see school. and iscommitted to introducing Failure Free into its middle schools, saysMartin. Among the reasons: All directions are presented orally and theDiagnostic Prescriptive pre��scrip��tive?adj.1. Sanctioned or authorized by long-standing custom or usage.2. Making or giving injunctions, directions, laws, or rules.3. Law Acquired by or based on uninterrupted possession. has no on-screen on��screenor on-screen ?adj. & adv.1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen.2. Within public view; in public. reading prerequisites. In otherwords Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke"put differently , students do not have to know how to read in order to use theassessment tool. The talking software programs are available on CD-ROM CD-ROM:see compact disc. CD-ROMin full compact disc read-only memoryType of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). and online. The bottom line, says Martin, is many students in special educationresource classes have experienced "significant improvement" inreading scores. "I'm skeptical, so after we first installedthe [Failure Free] system in 1999, I went to a resource classroom at alocal school and asked a fifth-grade child who I knew couldn't readat the beginning of the school year to read aloud agrade/age-appropriate book that I pulled from the bookshelf. He read itfluently, without hesitating. He was so proud and I was veryimpressed." He's not alone. Mobile's target segment is the lowest 15%of readers, many of whom are special needs students. Special EducationResource Teacher Peggy Windham agrees that the Failure Free program wassuccessful at most of the schools where it was utilized appropriately."The biggest problem we've had with Failure Free is that someteachers were forgetting to stick to the lowest 15% and are using it toassist other kids with their reading skills." For more information, contact Vince Vezza at (800) 542-2170 orVince.Vezza@failurefree.com