Literacy: building a class-ready brain
Reading is the gateway to every subject. Our literacy ecosystem combines assessment, cognitive training, guided reading and English fluency, with reports that show teachers what to do next.
Is every child's brain class-ready?
Today's children are surrounded by information, much of it free. Schools have better infrastructure, researched curricula and qualified, tech-savvy faculty. Yet many children still struggle to learn, as they did in earlier classrooms. So we turn the question inward: does each child have a brain that is ready for the classroom?
Three skills that decide how well a child learns
Research points to three skills that play a crucial role in acquiring knowledge.
Language
Listening, speaking, reading and writing (LSRW).
Reading
The skill that opens every subject.
Cognitive skills
Memory, attention, processing rate and sequencing.
Reading and writing must be taught
Listening and speaking develop through natural exposure. Reading and writing do not; they have to be taught.
Neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene shows that the brain recycles regions that evolved to recognise objects and faces, and adapts them to recognise letters and words.
That specialised region, the visual word form area, develops as a child learns to read. It needs instruction and practice.
Brain plasticity means frequent, intense, adaptive practice strengthens the circuits reading depends on.
Memory, attention, processing rate and sequencing support this learning, and they can be trained.
Learning to read comes first. From about Grade 3, the child reads to learn.
From learning to read to reading to learn
- Step 1
Word study
Phonics, spelling, vocabulary.
- Step 2
Fluency
Accuracy and automatic word recognition.
- Step 3
Prosody
Expressive, well-phrased reading.
- Step 4
Comprehension
Understanding and using what is read.
One ecosystem, four parts
Reading Progress Indicator (RPI)
An online assessment of English reading level. Every student starts here.
Explore the Reading Progress IndicatorFast ForWord
Builds memory, attention, processing rate and sequencing, the cognitive skills behind reading and learning.
Explore Fast ForWord
Readintl
The Reading Intelligence Program for K-12, with nine stages of guided reading, AI-powered fluency support and 14 reading metrics.
Explore ReadintlClear Fluency
Speech-recognition-guided English fluency for learners aged 6 to 60.
Explore Clear Fluency
Measurable progress
of reading gains in just 40 to 60 hours
Who benefits
Students
Start at the right level and get real-time guidance.
Teachers
Save time with automatic scoring and clear reports.
School leaders
See progress for each student and each class.
FAQ
Why is reading not natural for the brain?
Humans did not evolve a dedicated reading circuit. The brain adapts existing regions to read, and only when a child is taught.
Which skills support learning to read?
Language, reading and cognitive skills such as memory, attention, processing rate and sequencing.
What programmes make up Spark's literacy ecosystem?
Reading Progress Indicator, Fast ForWord, Readintl and Clear Fluency.
How does a student start?
Every student starts with the Reading Progress Indicator assessment, so the programme is matched to skill.
Let's build skills that last
Tell us about your school, your teachers or your organisation, and we will suggest where to begin.