The only digital solution designed around Science of Reading frameworks and directly delivering tutoring to Science of Reading principles.
Created by leading Reading Scientists
Implemented as part of district's Science of Reading plans
Approved by more than a dozen state education agencies
Designed with alignment to Scarborough's Reading Rope
Scoped to consider Science of Reading criteria and best practices
Rigorously eschews Balanced Literacy approaches
When Amira is coaching students, the mastery model that drives tutoring is Scarborough’s Reading Rope. When Amira is presenting data to teachers, insight is conveyed through the explicit prism of the Reading Rope.
The Institute of Multi-Sensory Education enumerates Science of Reading Criteria. IMSE's checklist provides dozens of key findings that set research, brain-based reading programs apart from the rest.
What is The Science of Reading?
Amira is designed around the Reading Rope; from selecting tutoring interventions based on building skills across the Rope, to reporting organized explicitly around the Rope. This supports teachers to use Science of Reading concepts in their daily instructional decision-making.
Amira uses 26 micro-interventions spanning the language comprehension threads of the Rope, and 35 micro-interventions covering word recognition. Amira delivers the mix of interventions each student needs based on their unique skillset.
Amira gives every student weekly "time on text" and ensures they do the hard work of actually reading. This is a unique value proposition, separating Amira from every other literacy program.
Amira’s library of content includes hundreds of decodable passages.
Amira’s dyslexia screener has been reviewed and approved by most State DOEs. The screening process covers each and every approach recommended by the International Dyslexia Association for reliable identification of dyslexia risk.
Amira uses more than a dozen techniques to build phonics, and in a typical session, students reading less than 30 words per minute receive 4 micro-interventions that aid phonics development. With early readers, Amira provides a steady diet of Phonic Decoding. The software employs coaching techniques like Elkonin Sound Boxes and Change One Sound to build Phonological Awareness and Decoding skills.
Reading out loud encourages growth in Orthographic Mapping. The accountable practice supports students' blending and automaticity abilities. Interventions support their recognition and knowledge mapping of words.
Amira puts specific instructional resources into the teacher’s line of sight, enabling her to make assessment-driven decisions.
Leading reading scientists have designed the micro-interventions to use many senses, usually simultaneously. The interventions incorporate sound, touch, and sight.
Science of Reading aims to correct unscientific approaches popularized as elements of “Balanced Literacy.”
Amira is designed to not only encourage students to build foundational skills, but to become habituated to using those skills. This is at the core of Amira’s magic – working with a Science of Reading tutor helps students consolidate and internalize structured instruction.
Amira's interventions encourage reading not guessing.
Amira does not support leveling that is disconnected from concrete science and objective measurement.
Amira does not support or report on MSV cues.
Amira’s library includes hundreds of decodable passages.
Amira constantly encourages and models word attacks.
Amira partners with Science of Reading oriented Departments of Education across the country, including:
Amira is used by districts in all 50 states. Some of the nation’s leading districts are using Amira as a component of their Science of Reading initiative.
