Contact: Brittany Sullivan, 212-343-4848, bsullivan@scholastic.com

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T™, Scholastic W.O.R.D.™, and Scholastic Literacy Pro® Utilize
Personalized Learning Technology to Help Students Develop Reading Skills
to Supplement Learning at Home and in School

New York, NY – September 21, 2020 – As school districts nationwide begin the 2020–21 academic year, whether in person, remotely, or following a hybrid model, access to high-quality, flexible digital literacy resources is more critical than ever before. Amidst this shift, Scholastic is meeting the needs of nearly 50,000 educators nationwide with a suite of award-winning personalized learning programs designed to fit varying schedules and implementation models with equitable learning opportunities and robust analytics: Scholastic F.I.R.ST. for grades pre-K–2, Scholastic W.O.R.D. for grades K–5, and Scholastic Literacy Pro for grades K–8. In August, Digital Promise recognized Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. and Scholastic W.O.R.D. with Research-Based Design product certification, verifying for parents and educators that these programs are steeped in research about learning. 

To learn more about the full range of Scholastic digital solutions to support literacy instruction, visit: www.scholastic.com/edtech. 

“School closures and disruptions to learning have presented unprecedented challenges for educators and families,” said Beth Polcari, President, Scholastic Magazines Group. “We know that educators are doing the best they can right now to keep their students safe and ensure that learning continues. Scholastic remains committed to supporting teachers by making personalized learning accessible and equitable, to help students continue to grow as skillful readers, regardless of their learning environment.” 

Scholastic Digital Solutions provide a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction, informed by cutting-edge research from leading experts, helping all students build key foundational reading skills. Based on the late Dr. Kay MacPhee’s years researching the link between reading difficulties and sound differentiation, Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. provides personalized learning for each individual student, focused on building phonemic awareness at their own unique learning pace. Students strengthen foundational reading skills by following a highly-adaptive path through 6,695 micro-actions, leading to reading proficiency. Utilizing extensive research from Dr. Elfrieda Hiebert, Scholastic W.O.R.D. helps students master vocabulary acquisition and deepen comprehension by introducing the 2,500 morphological word families that make up 90% of texts students will encounter. 

To help further strengthen the connection between school and home, Scholastic Literacy Pro enhances independent reading for students with access to over 2,500 fiction and nonfiction ebooks, available 24/7. Educators use this digital management tool to easily monitor student reading activities, goals, and achievements through real-time reporting, while students develop a sense of ownership as they select and discover books tailored to their personal interests. 

“We have to think differently about how we keep students meaningfully engaged. A sense of personalization is so key,” explains Rowena Lagrosa, Interim Administrator, Los Angeles Unified School District / Beyond the Bell, Intervention Programs. “I think Scholastic Literacy Pro does just that because it is obviously geared towards students’ interests. Children must feel connected to what they are doing. This is an added tool to help students work towards personalization, helping to create independent learners, and students who are self-directed—who feel that they have some control over their own learning.”

For more information about Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, visit the Company’s media room: //mediaroom.scholastic.com.

###

Click the image below to open a hi-res version in a new tab.