June 13, 2024 –It isn’t news that, like many of their peers throughout the nation, far too many Colorado students will end the school year with abysmal literacy skills.
A major step towards a solution to improving reading scores has been created by Dr. Marion Blank, one of America’s foremost literacy authorities. Its goal is to enable students to master the complex reading comprehension demands that dominate the curriculum from 4th grade on.
“The language of everyday life bears little similarity to the intricate, information-loaded language of the curriculum,” says Dr. Blank. “Students must be given the tools to manage this world which, at the outset, is essentially a foreign language.’’
Dr. Blank, whose research and clinical work is in both spoken and written language, maintains students need a bridge to transition from early reading books to reading the complex history and science books required by the curriculum.
She recently launched Comprendi™, an online program with unique features that transforms the reading process for users. Comprendi™ uses a new form of text Dr. Blank created called NarrEx™ which blends the narratives children love with the expository form that dominates the curriculum. Innovative AI graphics provide the background information essential to comprehension. Together, the text and AI graphics convert the reading process into one of mastery and joy.
The launch edition of Comprendi™ is now available in beta format. It is being used by over 1,000 students in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.
A number of not-for-profit social service agencies have adopted Comprendi™ with favorable results.
Comprendi™ has been endorsed by Karen Quinn co-founder of TestingMom.com as well as various influential home school bloggers.
Dr. Blank will be in Denver later in June to exhibit at one of America’s largest education gatherings (ISTE convention, Denver) where her goal is to convince educators to add Comprendi™ to this fall’s curricula.
Free sample lessons and informative blog posts with useful and easy to understand tips on improving literacy are available at Dr. Marion’s Learning Lab.
About Dr. Marion Blank, PhD (Cambridge): Literacy authority, Dr. Marion Blank has been the recipient of many awards for her work including a distinguished Career Development Award from the National Institute of Health and the Upton Sinclair Award. Dr. Blank has been an advisor and consultant to organizations and governments in the US, Canada, Great Britain, and the Netherlands as well as serving as a consultant on the creation of Sesame Street. Her language tests have been translated into over a dozen languages and are used throughout the world. Dr. Blank created and was the Director of Columbia University’s A Light on Literacy program.
Dr. Marion’s Learning Lab is an EdTech company that provides innovative online learning programs, solutions, and resources for students, parents, and educators around the world.
Source of Colorado Literacy Data: As of 2022, 27% of Colorado 8th grade students (roughly 1 out of 4 students) have no discernible level of literacy, 39% have basic or rudimentary literacy skills while only 30% show proficiency. In other words, the number of weak and illiterate students is more than double the number of effective readers. Link
