New York City Schools Utilize Soliloquy Reading Assistant to Improve Reading Skills

NEW YORK - New York City's Public, Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, and Islamic schools are using Soliloquy Reading Assistant, a reading program, which combines speech recognition technology with scientifically-based interventions to help elementary and secondary students strengthen their reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Students in New York City and across the U.S. use Soliloquy Reading Assistant by reading e-books into a computer using a standard headset and microphone. Through Soliloquy Reading Assistant's proprietary speech-recognition technology, the program listens and recognizes when readers stumble or make mistakes on specific words. As they read along, students can have Soliloquy Reading Assistant read the story to them, or record and play back their own readings. When a student struggles, the program assists her by reading the word, meanwhile making records in the background for teacher review. When they do not know a word's meaning, students can click it to gain access to a context-sensitive definition, pronunciation, and photographic memory aid. In the Brooklyn Catholic Diocese, 12 schools are now using the Soliloquy Reading Assistant with much success. "Any time you can improve a student's reading ability you are greatly enhancing their chances of a successful educational career," said Michael Pizzingrillo, associate superintendent for instruction, government programs, and public policy for the Brooklyn Diocese. "With the changing needs of today's learners, the one-on-one reading instruction needed to foster fluency and comprehension is getting harder and harder to facilitate. The Soliloquy Reading Assistant provides that supportive, patient listener for each student, greatly supplementing the excellent reading instruction our teachers already provide." Soliloquy Reading Assistant is available for students in grades 1-12, plus adult remedial reading programs. For elementary students (grades 1-5), reading content is drawn from children's stories, poems, and expository passages to build literature appreciation. For secondary students (5-12), content is drawn from science and social studies subjects required by many state standards.