Top 3 Reasons Educators Want to Use Lexia This School Year

1. Adaptive, blended instruction that’s proven effective.
    

Lee-Ann Mertzlufft, the districtwide assistive technology specialist at Albany City Schools, New York, has used Lexia’s programs in her teaching for more than 15 years. She is a big proponent of the Science of Reading and trusts Lexia’s research-based pedagogy and research-proven effectiveness.

Albany educators used Lexia Core5® Reading and Lexia PowerUp Literacy® remotely during the spring school closures and plan to continue this fall. While there are many challenges with remote learning—for students with disabilities in particular—Mertzlufft said Lexia’s effectiveness holds true in any environment.

“There's no greater satisfaction as a teacher when you know that child possesses the ability to read independently. Lexia has been an instrumental tool to help get my students to this point,” she said.

The adaptive, blended learning model Lexia is based on helps both students and teachers make the most of their time—whether in-class or virtual. When students work independently on the online program, Mertzlufft said, they are working on the exact skills they need.

“I think what's beautiful about Lexia is if a kid is struggling, and they're only seeing their teacher so many times a week, the online lesson will adjust itself,” Mertzlufft said. “It will give that child an opportunity to be instructed—even though it’s computerized—and to practice again at that level.”

In turn, teachers use the data and resources in myLexia® to analyze student progress and target their instruction.

“What Lexia shows in the data is that every individual can learn; every individual will grow if they practice. And nobody knows where that potential stops,” she said.

Hear her story:

2. Professional learning and tools that empower educators.
    

Franklin School in Newark, New Jersey, had started using Lexia Core5 Reading in its first-grade classrooms just months before the pandemic. When schools closed down, the district quickly distributed devices and internet access to all students—and Franklin expanded the use of Core5 to more grade levels.

Core5 usage quickly became part of students’ daily routines, said Principal Amy Panitch. In addition, her staff took advantage of the professional learning courses available through Lexia Academy as part of their Success Partnership.

“We really used it to help the teachers to understand the ‘why’ behind what we're doing,” said Vice Principal Theresa Finkelstein. “Lexia is going to help with those foundational skills and the Science of Reading. And those were important conversations to have—you need teacher buy-in.”

Empowered by the training, teachers found it easy to pull reports in myLexia to see which skills their students need to work on, and to reinforce the skills through the prescribed Lexia Lessons®. The blended learning program was both user-friendly and supportive of all students, Finkelstein said.

Panitch said her teachers look forward to using the program to personalize instruction in the coming year.

“The teachers are excited now to go back and have Core5 as an additional resource in their classrooms, especially because they started doing the modules to improve their own practice as educators,” she said.

Hear their stories:

3. Student engagement and achievement.
    

Ashley Perkey, a reading teacher at Bay Springs Middle School, Georgia, uses creativity and a sense of adventure to engage her struggling readers. She introduced Lexia PowerUp Literacy to her students last year—and it was a smash hit.

“These kids really ended up loving it from the get-go. The readings and the information and the activities were all so different. There was no monotony,” she said.

While her adolescent students worked at their own level in the online program, Perkey discovered that Lexia’s offline resources were just as valuable. As she sat down on the weekends and read through the lessons, she fell in love with Lexia Skill Builders® and incorporated them into her small-group work.

“I realized this is very vital information that supports what they're doing and what they need to know,” she said.

When school buildings closed for the pandemic, Perkey’s students continued making progress on PowerUp independently, and she worked with individuals and small groups on Zoom. One of her eighth-graders, Alex Morrison, even finished the program, bringing his skills up to grade level—and Perkey was so proud that she made him a lawn sign to celebrate.

Alex’s family saw the value, too.

“I love the program. It challenges and motivates Alex to take ownership of his learning while doing his best!” his mother, Tammy Morrison, said.

Hear Perkey’s story: