R.E.S.C.U.E.

Reading Slide from Covid-19: Undoing the Effect

Can a digital game-based reading instruction prevent the expected “Coronavirus slide”?

Funded by

NewCity Foundation

BACKGROUND

NEEDS

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to school closure since March of 2020. Most students will continue distance learning or a hybrid model where in-person instruction is minimal.

The closure will likely have major impact on academic and socio-emotional development. Researchers think that 35% of the learning to read was already lost by the start of the school year in the fall of 2020. This is known as the COVID-slide.

GOALS

Who can join?

Educators and parents with children in Grades K, 1 and 2
7” or larger tablet/iPad, WIN/MAC computer or Chromebook available roughly 20min a day
Webcam, headset and occasional internet

Families, let your teacher know about this program and ask them to sign up!

PROCESS

Parents sign the permission letter.
Complete the family survey.
Sign up for a start date.
Children and Parent/Guardian attend the first day via Zoom to learn more about the project and children take the pre-assessment.
Begin GraphoLearn the next day. Check your email for detailed instructions.

What is GraphoLearn…

Click to learn more

GraphoLearn is a research-informed educational reading game for learning and training letter sound knowledge, decoding and word level fluency. It has been used in all students in Finland entering school for over a decade. Research suggests that it is effective when adults are engaged in the learning process.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

On demand. Please contact us to set up a information session.

FAQ

GENERAL

What is the timeline?

The program will start between 5/1 and 5/19 for 12 weeks and with followup assessment over a course of 9 months. Teachers who sign up will receive an information package with details

Why aren’t you using other reading programs?

While GraphoLearn currently only goes up to word-level reading (and not reading comprehension),
– GraphoLearn developers are partners of the Haskins Global Literacy Hub;
– It is evidence-based;
– It has shown to be effective with adult engagement (McTigue et al. Reading Research Quarterly 2019);
– It is less expensive than similar apps;
– It is available in many other languages such as Spanish and Chinese.

How can we contact you?

Send us an email by clicking on the links below:

How advanced does GraphoLean get?

GraphoLearn goes up to multisyllabic words at the most advanced stage, but the majority is monosyllabic words.

Can Puerto Rico participate?

Unfortunately because Spanish is primarily taught at school, your students will not be eligible for this project. However, they may get free access to the same app (GraphoGame) through RESCUE for Families which is expected to launch in mid-late May. We are also working on releasing a Free Spanish version through RESCUE for Families in the near future.

ELIGIBILITY

Can private schools participate?

All schools can participate!

Can we sign up if our students use Chromebooks or iPads?

At the moment, GraphoLearn is not officially supported nor optimal on chromebooks. If your school uses chromebooks and would like to test out if it works, please contact us. If it works, you are eligible to participate in the project. GraphoGame used for the GraphoGame For Families project will work on chromebooks.

Can we sign up if our students are younger or older than K-2?

Due to the scope of the project, students older than K-2 will not be able to qualify. We invite the teachers and parents to stay tuned for the Family version of GraphoGame coming soon on iOS and Android.

EDUCATORS

Can you give me a one-page information sheet for parents??

Click HERE to download.

What are the educators' responsibilities?

Sample educators’ welcome packet.

My student’s parents speak English but they feel more comfortable in Chinese or Spanish. Can I get information in these languages?

We have the Parent Information Sheet, Permission Letter, and Parent Survey in these languages. Please send a request through your teacher or contact us directly.