Response to Intervention Package From AutoSkill Earns Top Honors From Readers of "District Administration"

Ottawa (PRWEB) January 22, 2009 -- AutoSkill International (http://www.autoskill.com) announced today that its recently launched RtI (Response to Intervention) Package for the Academy of READING® was honored as one of "District Administration" magazine's Top 100 Products of 2008. Chosen from thousands of new products voted on by "District Administration" readers last year, the company's solution is the first reading RtI product to deliver oral fluency assessments over the Web and combine an RtI management tool with an intervention program and professional development. When used with the award-winning Academy of READING intervention solution, the RtI Package gives schools a single, Web-based environment for fully supporting the RtI model.

Reaching more than 75,000 educators each month, "District Administration" covers current trends and pressing issues in the K-12 education industry, along with emerging technologies and leadership issues for district-level administrators. In each issue, "District Administration" presents products, books and materials of importance to its readers, culminating in year-end Top 100 Products. The 2008 Top 100 Products were selected by "District Administration" readers and featured in a special January 2009 issue of the magazine and on its Web site.

AutoSkill's RtI package is unique because it combines all of the key components of the intervention strategy in one place to allow educators to efficiently and effectively implement the model. According to the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities, the RtI model is most effective when it includes six components: school-wide screening, research-based progress monitoring, fidelity of implementation, data-based decision-making, staff development and collaboration. As the adoption of the RtI model grows in U.S. schools, educators are struggling to find the time and funds to fully implement this complex, multi-tiered approach to providing services and interventions to students. Plus, they are faced with the challenge of ensuring that all teachers have access to quality, targeted professional development that will help them use the RtI model to improve student learning. Now with the powerful of combination of the Academy of READING and AutoSkill's new RtI Package, teachers have scientifically based intervention connected to Web-based assessments, progress-monitoring and collaboration tools at their fingertips, as well as access to professional development and support resources.

"Educators tell us that our complete RtI solution truly demystifies implementing this effective model for improving outcomes for struggling learners," said Susan Koch, vice president of marketing, AutoSkill International. "With support for all six of the crucial components of the RtI model together in one solution, educators find it easier to find the time and resources to fully implement this complex, but transforming, instructional process. We are excited that the readers of District Administration recognize the value of our comprehensive approach."

With the Academy of READING, at-risk students build fluency in the foundation skills of reading to achieve rapid, permanent gains. The Academy of READING uses a patented methodology to deliver individualized, computer-based instruction with an adaptive intervention engine, skill mastery based on automaticity and motivational principles.

The RtI Package for the Academy of READING includes software and professional development components: the RtI Toolkit™ and the RtIWORKS™ program. The RtI Toolkit gives teachers Web-based tools for the effective management of RtI. From an easy-to-use RtI dashboard, they have access to interactive progress-monitoring graphs, school- and district-monitoring reports and a student case management tool. The toolkit's Web-based Oral Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessment allows teachers to assess student fluency and is available for unlimited use with all students as a universal assessment. Teachers can use the Academy of READING Diagnostic Test Package to further pinpoint areas of weakness, identifying specific skill deficits, assigning prescriptive training to differentiate instruction and creating dynamic Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).    

Developed in consultation with RtI expert John McCook, Ed.D., RtIWORKS is a professional development program designed to help schools build best practices for using the RtI Package for the Academy of READING in their RtI implementation. Along with campus planning, needs analysis and "on model" documentation, schools get access to workshops for their RtI teams and follow-up services to review their data and processes.

To use the RtI Package, schools must have a license for the Academy of READING. The Academy of READING is available as a permanent license or subscription and is priced per campus in concurrent student user packs, with unlimited usage for administrators. Pricing for the RtI Package is based on a per-site license, with unlimited student and administrator use.

For more information about the award-winning Academy of READING and RtI Package, visit www.autoskill.com.

About AutoSkill International

AutoSkill International delivers award-winning reading and math intervention solutions to close the achievement gap for K-12 students. Based on original neuroscience research and patented methodology, the company's flagship Academy of READING and Academy of MATH® software help educators develop intervention strategies that enable at-risk students to build fluency in the foundation skills of reading and math. Using a brain-based approach that incorporates automaticity, extended practice and motivation, AutoSkill solutions provide a universal mechanism for the development of permanent reading and math foundation skills. Students of all ages in a wide range of learning environments demonstrate significant progress with just 30 minutes of training a day, three to five days per week. For more information, visit www.autoskill.com.

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