Many schools use digital reading software to help struggling readers build fluency, but educators often leave these programs on their default settings. This misses the most useful feature of modern literacy software: individual customization. As we previously reported, tailoring digital tools directly leads to faster reading gains, yet many teachers do not know how to adjust these systems.
What Happened
According to Read Naturally, many teachers using the Read Live platform do not know about individual student customization options. While the default settings let classrooms get started quickly, these default settings are rarely best for every reader.
Teachers can customize several steps within the program. For example, they can change the number of required "read-alongs" or adjust the narrator's speed. For English language learners, teachers can activate Spanish read-alongs to build comprehension before students try the English text. Teachers can also disable typing-based prediction and retelling tasks for younger students, replacing them with oral activities that fit their motor and developmental skills.
The Bigger Picture
The science of reading supports customizing these options. Literacy research shows that audio modeling combined with repeated reading builds fluency effectively. A study on audio-assisted repeated reading found that listening to clear vocal modeling helps students develop automaticity. In addition, classroom action research published in Edu Cendikia showed that combining audio modeling with active teacher-led modeling, like pointing to words, helped a struggling reader go from 13 correct words per minute with 86% accuracy to 92 correct words per minute with 100% accuracy.
For bilingual students, native language support is an asset rather than an obstacle. Researchers in a Namibian literacy study found that using a student's home language to explain vocabulary and guide comprehension led to deeper understanding and higher reading confidence. A study in Eduvelop showed that students taught reading comprehension using these native language scaffolding strategies (called translanguaging) achieved an average score of 86.78, compared to 61.68 for those in standard classrooms.
Oral exercises also help young students who are not yet ready to type. A study on oral retelling strategies found that guided oral retelling yielded substantial comprehension gains. Similarly, middle-school research in Linguistic, Literature and English Education demonstrated that the "Read-Cover-Remember-Retell" strategy raised reading comprehension scores, showing that speaking helps students process written text.
What This Means for Families
When schools use digital reading platforms, parents can ask how their child's software settings are configured. If a child is frustrated by typing long summaries or is rushing through read-alongs, simple software adjustments can ease their anxiety and help them stay motivated.
These reading interventions do not have to stop at the school doors. As we noted when discussing how new reading tools and literacy science help struggling students, remote repeated-reading efforts work well. A study published in Contemporary School Psychology found that repeated-reading programs delivered remotely or supported by parents at home yielded substantial literacy improvements for elementary students performing below the 25th percentile.
What You Can Do
First, parents can meet with teachers to make sure reading software matches their child's current skill level instead of remaining on default settings. Second, if a young child struggles with typing, parents can ask the teacher to turn off typed predictions in favor of oral retelling. Finally, for bilingual learners, parents can request that teachers enable features like Spanish read-alongs to help students transition to English literacy.