Tutoring Program Adds Specialized Texts for Dyslexic Readers

New Century Education Foundation is embedding lessons into its adaptive, online tutoring system, to address the needs of dyslexic students of any age. New Century, a nonprofit that focuses on helping teachers and parents improve the learning of students with specific needs, is working with Noah Text to add its stories into the organization's "Intelligent Tutoring System."

The online reading program was developed with Sarah Blodgett, the developer of Noah Text, as well as researchers at Michigan State University and Orton-Gillingham Academy-trained reading specialists.

Tutoring Program Adds Specialized Texts for Dyslexic Readers

Noah Text uses an approach in its specialized books designed to guide the reader toward the most critical patterns in English, bringing predictability to a system that, as Noah Text described, "is otherwise very complex to the dyslexic reader." The method is intended to reduce the burdens posed by English and its many irregularities. The goal is to help students focus more on the meaning of the text, while increasing reading fluency and speed and helping them to have a more fluid and relaxed reading experience.

Noah Text is currently embedded in a series of chapter books, titled, The Mystical Years of Franklin Noah Peterson. Teachers have reported to the company that these are often the first chapter books that their dyslexic students have read with success.

Along with the use of the Noah Text book content, the New Century lessons provide other mechanisms to help teach students the orthographic patterns needed to decode more complex words found in the text. The text includes supports for helping students with articulation. The lessons also provide pre-reading, reading and close reading exercises with features for helping readers develop better skills with understanding literal comprehension, main idea and inference.

"We have been working with New Century for a year to develop lessons to help older students with dyslexia using Noah Text. Noah Text enhances reading fluency, stamina and independence by highlighting critical word patterns within text," said Associate Professor Troy Mariage, an associate professor at Michigan State's Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, in a press release.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.

  • three silhouetted education technology leaders with thought bubbles containing AI-related icons

    Ed Tech Leaders Rank Generative AI as Top Tech Priority

    In a recent CoSN survey, an overwhelming majority of ed tech leaders (94%) said they see AI as having a positive impact on education. Respondents ranked generative AI as their top tech priority, with 80% reporting their districts have gen AI initiatives underway, or plan to in the current school year.

  • blue AI cloud connected to circuit lines, a server stack, and a shield with a padlock icon

    Report: AI Security Controls Lag Behind Adoption of AI Cloud Services

    According to a recent report from cybersecurity firm Wiz, nearly nine out of 10 organizations are already using AI services in the cloud — but fewer than one in seven have implemented AI-specific security controls.

  • lightbulb

    Call for Speakers Now Open for Tech Tactics in Education: Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation

    The annual virtual conference from the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal will return on Sept. 25, 2025, with a focus on emerging trends in cybersecurity, data privacy, AI implementation, IT leadership, building resilience, and more.