Fast ForWord^® Reading Prep

Fast ForWord Reading Prep builds pre-reading skills, with a focus on letter recognition and naming, phonological awareness, and letter-sound associations.

Fast ForWord Reading Prep software is designed for early literacy development, helping students who are having trouble moving from the spoken word to the written word.

To build a bridge to reading, Fast ForWord Reading Prep develops critical brain processing efficiency in four key areas:

• Builds memory by developing the ability to hold a spoken word in working memory while retrieving picture-concept associations.
• Improves attention by developing the ability to focus on tasks and ignore distractions.
• Develops processing of images and sounds quickly enough to discriminate between their differences.
• Develops sequencing by using positional clues to identify missing letters.

Fast ForWord Reading Prep software works by exercising the brain to process more efficiently, the way physical workouts train the body to be more fit and strong.

Four key components of our technology-based intervention work together to create the dramatic changes in brain function required to achieve universal literacy:

• Frequency and Intensity—Neuroscience research demonstrates that completing a set of learning tasks in a frequent, intense timeframe accelerates learning
• Adaptivity—Exercises adapt with each key stroke to individual skill levels and responses, keeping students continuously challenged but not frustrated
• Simultaneous Development—Exercises develop major cognitive and reading skills simultaneously to produce lasting improvements in learning
• Timely Motivation—Tiered rewards are designed to maximize motivation from start to finish.

Students can achieve, on average, a 1 to 2 year gain in reading skills in 8 to 12 weeks using one of our prescribed protocols:

• 30 minutes each day, five days a week, for 12 to 16 weeks.

Scientific Learning Progress Tracker, an accountability tool, provides real-time monitoring of individual and group performance on the Fast ForWord exercises.

Fast ForWord Reading Prep Completion History

It provides clear, action-oriented information showing student progress over time, in specific reading and cognitive skills areas. It’s one of the reasons why Fast ForWord products have been so successful in helping schools and districts meet state mandates and comply with NCLB.

Teachers can receive automatic emailed reports with specific recommendations for instructional intervention. Administrator reports provide disaggregated data for groups of students, making it easy to monitor progress toward AYP goals.

What is Fast ForWord Reading Prep software?

Fast ForWord Reading Prep software is a reading intervention solution that increases processing efficiency and builds critical reading skills so districts get the most from their existing instructional approach.

Who should use Fast ForWord Reading Prep software?

Fast ForWord Reading Prep software is for K-12 education institutions and clinical specialists worldwide whose students are reading below grade level.

What are the Fast ForWord Reading Prep exercises like?

• Coaster: A haunted coaster ride, this exercise helps students develop letter-sound association skills and builds an initial understanding of the alphabetic principle.
• Houndini: Works his magic cards to show students how to associate letters with sounds to develop phonological awareness skills, including phoneme analysis and phonological working memory.
• Hungry Tummy: Engages students to feed the hungry bear and follow verbal instructions. It improves verbal decoding and working memory skills.

• View a DEMO

What kind of results have students had with Fast ForWord software?

Using one of our prescribed protocols, students have achieved, on average, a 1 to 2 year gain in reading skills within 8 to 12 weeks . Longitudinal research shows that the increase in the rate of learning is permanent over time, closing the achievement gap.

In addition, students often exhibit enhanced self-confidence, better communication, greater interest in learning, and improved mental agility and alertness, after working on Fast ForWord products.

How do I know Fast ForWord Reading Prep software is working?

Scientific Learning Progress Tracker, an accountability tool, provides real-time monitoring of individual and group performance on the Fast ForWord exercises.

Teachers can receive automatic emailed reports with specific recommendations for instructional intervention. Administrator reports provide disaggregated data for groups of students, making it easy to monitor progress toward AYP goals.

Why does Fast ForWord Reading Prep software work?

Just as physical exercise increases muscle strength and efficiency, Fast ForWord Reading Prep software exercises the brain, increasing its ability to learn better and faster. Each exercise targets and develops the processing efficiency needed for successful reading and learning.

How does Fast ForWord Reading Prep software work?

Fast ForWord Reading Prep software uses proven brain science principles to develop essential learning skills in the four key areas of memory, attention, processing rate, and sequencing. These are the underlying skills required for reading and learning.

The learning principles behind the exercises—frequency and intensity, adaptivity, simultaneous development, and timely motivation—are maximized by state of the art technology that is based on more than 30 years of research on how the brain learns.

• Frequency and Intensity—Research demonstrates that completing a set of learning tasks in a frequent, intensive timeframe accelerates learning.
• Adaptivity—Exercises adapt with each key stroke to individual skill levels and responses, keeping students continuously challenged but not frustrated.
• Simultaneous Development—Exercises develop major cognitive and reading skills simultaneously to produce lasting improvements in learning.
• Timely Motivation—Tiered rewards are designed to maximize motivation from start to finish.

What are the Technical Requirements for running the software?

View the Technical Specifications (92k PDF). Note: Adobe Reader (PDF viewer) is needed to view this document.