Reading Interventions

Kurzweil 3000 Expands ELL Support, Gets Impromptu Text Translation

• By Evan Tassistro
• 05/05/10

Kurzweil Educational Systems has released Kurzweil 3000 version 12, a literacy tool for struggling readers and English language learners in grades 3 through 12.

Built around a text reader displaying words and sentences in contrasting colors, Kurzweil 3000 reads text aloud and includes vocabulary development, comprehension, study skills, and writing support tools. The software supports all response to intervention (RTI) tiers and is designed around the principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) educational framework, which calls for multiple means of instruction in the learning process.

Among the new features of Kurzweil 3000 Version 12 are support for additional digital file formats, an expanded writing toolbar, and new writing templates in Brainstorm format. The new version can also read Web content from Internet Explorer and translate text via Google Translate on the fly. English language learner (ELL) support includes a picture dictionary for associating images with words in English and Spanish and bilingual pronunciation of words for read text.

Other new features include:

• MathML support;
• Access to Bookshare.org, a free, searchable, online book and periodical library for students with print disabilities;
• Support for the NIMAS standard;
• Expanded PDF functionality;
• Support for the DAISY 2 and 3 standards;
• Spanish language text to speech via NeoSpeech Violeta;
• Support for Internet Explorer 7 and 8; and
• Expanded spell checking capabilities, including underlining and right-click corrections.

Kurzweil 3000 supports Microsoft Windows only. A free 30-day trial is available. More information can be found here.