Reading Plus: Does It Really Improve Comprehension?

Updated on  

January 23, 2026

Reading Plus: Does It Really Improve Comprehension?

|

April 12, 2022

Complete 2025 guide to Reading Plus for UK schools. Adaptive reading intervention, assessment tools, and implementation strategies for improving literacy outcomes.

Course Enquiry
Copy citation

Main, P (2022, April 12). Reading Plus: a teacher's guide. Retrieved from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/reading-plus-a-teachers-guide

What is Reading Plus and how does it work?

Reading Plus is a digital reading intervention platform that adapts to each student's reading level and builds comprehension through personalized learning paths. The program uses an assessment tool called InSight to gauge student ability and then provides leveled texts across 19 reading levels with integrated fluency, comprehension, and stamina exercises.

Flow diagram showing Reading Plus process from assessment to adaptive learning delivery
Flow diagram: How Reading Plus Works: From Assessment to Personalized Learning

Reading Plus is a digital reading intervention platform designed to build confident, capable readers through reading comprehension strategies. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, the program adapts to each student’s reading level, comprehension skills, and rate of progress. It’s most often used to support students who are struggling with reading fluency and comprehension, but it can also stretch more confident readers who need greater challenge.

Key Takeaways

  1. Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Discover how Reading Plus adapts to each student's level, making differentiation manageable even in busy, mixed-ability classrooms.
  2. The Two-Year Growth Secret: Learn why schools report students achieving over two years of reading progress in just one academic year with proper implementation.
  3. Real-Time Progress Monitoring: Master the platform's alert system that flags when students show excessive reading rates or inconsistent performance, enabling immediate intervention.
  4. Supporting Struggling Readers Differently: Uncover how the PAVE warm-up exercises and moving window technique specifically target visual perception barriers that traditional approaches miss.

At the heart of Reading Plus is an tool called InSight, which quickly gauges a student’s reading ability and places them on a tailored learning path. This ensures that every learner, from early readers to more advanced students, is working at an appropriate level that encourages steady growth. What sets Reading Plus apart is its structured design, it balances reading fluency, comprehension, and stamina within a single program, making it especially useful in busy classroom environments where differentiation can be hard to manage.

For teachers, the platform includes tools that allow for real-time progress monitoring and teaching assistant support. The content library spans 19 reading levels and features engaging, high-interest texts. These texts are carefully levelled, making it easier to support pupils with varied backgrounds, including English language learners who benefit from oracy development and speaking and listening, students receiving special education services, and those in RTI or MTSS tiers.

Schools serving disadvantaged communities may find particular value in Reading Plus because of its scaffolding and progress-tracking capabilities. With proper implementation, the program claims to help students achieve over two years of reading growth in just one academic year.

Three key things to know:

  • Reading Plus personalises learning through adaptive pathways and
  • It supports a wide range of learners, from struggling readers to high achievers.
  • The system is designed to help students build reading stamina and confidence over time.

What are the benefits of Reading Plus for struggling readers?

Reading Plus helps struggling readers achieve over two years of reading progress in one academic year through adaptive content and specialized exercises like PAVE warm-ups that target visual perception barriers. The program provides immediate feedback and adjusts difficulty automatically, keeping students engaged while building confidence at their appropriate reading level.

Reading Plus is a digital platform designed specifically to support students in developing their reading skills. It provides adaptive learning tools to help students learn to read independently while improving their understanding of complex texts. 

It allows teachers to personalize instruction for each individual student using a variety of tools, including: 

  • Customization of content level based on assessment data
  • Adaptive feedback to ensure that students are working at their just right level
  • Progress monitoring
  • Personalized Guided Practice
  • A moving window guides student's eyes across lines of print 
  • Interactive quizzes to assess comprehension
  • Intermittent assessments to monitor student progress

A sequence of daily activities is performed by students in individual computer-based, online environment. 

With Reading Plus, students can read independently while being guided by the teacher. This means that students can move forward when they understand the material and slow down when they need additional time to fully comprehend the text.

Reading Plus provides a tutor who's with the student for every task. And students can read at their school levels and work on their own specific skill sets until they're comfortable and competent. When students have this type of support, and a chance to read a high volume before moving to the next stage of complexity, that promotes deep learning.

Reading Plus student reports
Reading Plus student reports

How does Reading Plus adapt to different student levels?

Reading Plus begins with the InSight assessment that determines each student's exact reading level and creates a personalized learning path. The program then continuously adapts based on performance data, using a moving window technique for fluency practice and automatically adjusting text difficulty to maintain optimal challenge without frustration.

The combination of library texts designed to capture a child's attention and on-screen tool to keep the silent reading fluency intervention on track includes:

Reading Plus: Initial Reading Speed and Comprehension Test

This emphasis is on reading speed and reading comprehension.

Student Sessions on Reading Plus: Three Key Options

Selections from an enormous library, something for every student to choose from a wide range of books. Selections represent narrative texts, expository texts, and informational texts in a wide array of genres.

  • The 10-15 minutes lessons include silent reading with most text blacked out to keep the student reading consistently at their pace. There are comprehensions questions at the end.
    Dynamically controlled by individual student performance, comprehension questions are either interspersed between individual reading segments or followed at the conclusion of the story.
  • Vocabulary and spelling.
  • Visual tracking exercises.

Students have ownership of choice and can read stories of interest, with a game-like aspect being incentives to “unlock” fresh stories in their library as they progress.

Reading Plus uses comprehension questions and reading speed metrics to keep students progressing through the program, moving to higher levels of texts as they meet benchmarks.

It provides a data-driven starting point for the personalized instruction and practice students need to become independent readers.

The system will alert teachers if students are demonstrating excessive reading rates and/or prolonged, inconsistent performance.

Reading plus detailed student outcomes
Reading plus detailed student outcomes

What Reading Skills Are Improved by Reading Plus?

Comprehension skills: Comprehension skills are strategies a reader uses to construct meaning and retrieve information from the text.

The comprehension skill-building includes:

Skill Practice Worksheets for Reading Comprehension

Worksheets explain the specific comprehension skill and give examples using actual texts. Students apply the lessons they learned with additional text examples and comprehension questions to further their understanding of the skill.

Improve Perception Skills with Reading Plus Exercises

Each lesson begins with a perceptual accuracy and visual efficiency (PAVE) student warm-up. This activity comprises two parts, Scan and Flash. In the Scan activity, students scan the computer screen to count the number of times a target letter or number appears on the screen. The target and other letters or numbers are flashed in a left-to-right presentation. The presentation speed increases with the student’s proficiency. In the second activity, Flash, a series of letters or numbers ranging in length from 2 to 12 depending on the students’ placement level are flashed (1/6 of a second per flash, which does not permit moving of the eyes and thus provides single fixation training). The amount of numbers or letters increases in response to the students’ ability to correctly recreate the sequence and the rate at which text is presented on screen is then incrementally increased as a function of students’ performance. This warm-up activity aims to increase students’ visual perception, attention, and automaticity in the discrimination and recognition of print.

Vocabulary Skills Development with Reading Plus

These closed-structured exercises should encourage students to use context clues to complete the meaning of sentences and longer passages. Students also practice deriving the meaning of difficult or unfamiliar word meanings by analyzing the surrounding context presented in each activity, potentially enhancing their wide reading vocabulary level.

Reading Plus Improves Student Writing Skills

Writing is a skill that requires effort and practice. It takes time to develop proficiency in it. The best way to improve your writing skills is by practicing. This is where Reading Plus comes in.

It provides students with a wide variety of reading materials that helps them learn to comprehend complex texts. These include fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, newspapers, academic journals, and textbooks.

Students receive personalized feedback from tutors based on their responses to the reading material. They are then given writing exercises to practice the skills learned during the reading session.

How can teachers monitor student progress in Reading Plus?

Teachers can use Reading Plus's real-time monitoring dashboard that sends alerts when students show excessive reading rates or inconsistent performance patterns. The platform provides detailed progress reports on comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary development, allowing teachers to intervene immediately when students struggle or need additional challenge.

Finding the time and resources to support these strategies can be hard. In a fifth-grade classroom, teachers could have students reading at a 10th-grade level, second-grade level, third-grade level, and so on. Finding material that works for all of them is a challenge. But tools like Reading Plus give teachers a large bank of resources. If they need any material, it's easy to find texts on the same topic for students. Students gain the same knowledge and skills, but do it at their level.

To use Reading Plus, the staff qualified to administer includes mostly the classroom teachers/reading coaches. There is dedicated implementation training provided to teachers. 

Reading Plus Staff Training: Requirements and Duration

Instructors (classroom teachers or reading coaches) receive two-part training that takes place via either face-to-face or live webinars. Instructors receive Initial Training before they get started with Reading Plus® and Follow-Up Training once students have completed at least eight sessions in the program.

The Initial Training covers content in five areas:

  1. Why Reading Plus?: Instructors learn how and why Reading Plus leverages technology to provide students with effective scaffolded silent reading practice and development in foundational visual perceptual skills that are essential for efficient and effective silent reading.
  2. Student Experience: Instructors learn about the component programs of Reading Plus and what their students will experience from the first time they log in. During the face-to-face training, participants engage in a hands-on mock student session.
  3. Getting Started: Instructors learn about their Reading Plus teacher management interface. They learn how to navigate through the interface, and how to read the student data. They teach teachers what they can do to assist students who are not achieving ongoing success with the program. 
  4. Motivation: Instructors learn about the motivation tools built into the Reading Plus system and what they can do to create a fun and engaging classroom environment for Reading Plus.
  5. Accessing Help: Instructors are told how to access live support via phone, email, or live webinar throughout their Reading Plus implementation. In addition, they receive a tour of the comprehensive Reading Plus Help Site and all the resources it provides. 

Reading Plus delivers reading material in print and online formats for staff training. They capture the basic principles of product function and usage in printed materials. The training materials included new and revised information for administrators, lead teachers, and individual instructors on the use and functionality of the product. In addition, Reading Plus delivers extensive online training and support to instructors and students available on demand. They monitor constantly online resources and develop them to meet the continually changing needs of 21st-century educators. 

Reading Plus has been designed to support schools and teachers by providing easy access to data that helps them monitor student progress and improve teaching practices. It also allows teachers to create customised reports that are tailored to their needs.

For example, if a teacher wants to set goals for students and see which students are making progress towards meeting their reading goal, he/she can use the “Expected Growth Report” feature. This report shows the percentage of students who met their goal, exceeded it, or fell below it. 

Reports include:

• Best Students, A report that shows the top 10% of students based on performance across all subjects. This report is useful when looking for students who need extra attention.

• Class Reports, A report that shows all students in a particular class. This report is useful if you want to see how well a teacher is performing in a class.

• School Reports, A report that lists all students enrolled in a particular school. This report is useful for tracking attendance and identifying students who may need additional support.

• Teacher Reports, A report that displays all teachers in a particular school. Teachers can use this report to identify struggling students and plan interventions accordingly.

Reading Plus tracks all lesson completion dates, lesson formats, reading rates, comprehension results, and time on task.

How does Reading Plus support students with special educational needs?

Reading Plus addresses special educational needs through features like adjustable reading windows, visual perception exercises, and self-paced learning that removes time pressure. The program's PAVE warm-up activities specifically target processing difficulties common in students with dyslexia and other reading disabilities, while the adaptive technology ensures content remains accessible regardless of ability level.

The following seven points offer guidance for teachers planning to use Reading Plus, a reading learning platform, in their classrooms. The advice is particularly aimed at supporting struggling readers with special educational needs, including those with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

  1. Reading Skills Development: Reading Plus is designed to enhance students' reading skills. Teachers should use the platform to help students in grades appropriate to their age-related expectations to improve their reading comprehension, speed, and fluency.
  2. Accessible Resources: The platform provides a variety of accessible resources tailored to different learning needs. Teachers should familiarize themselves with these resources and use them to support students with special educational needs.
  3. Types of Texts: Reading Plus offers a wide collection of texts, including high-interest texts and complex texts. Teachers should select a range of these texts that align with their English lesson plans and cater to the diverse interests and reading levels of their students.
  4. High-Interest Texts: Engaging students with high-interest texts can motivate them to read more and improve their reading skills. Teachers should identify texts that resonate with their students' interests and incorporate them into their lesson plans.
  5. Complex Texts: To bridge the achievement gap, teachers should gradually introduce more complex texts. This will challenge students and help them progress towards proficiency with grade-level reading.
  6. School to Skills Needed: Teachers should use Reading Plus to align the children in school with the skills needed for their grade level. The platform can help identify areas where students are struggling and provide targeted instructions for pupils to improve.
  7. Lesson Plans: Teachers should integrate Reading Plus into their regular English lesson plans. The platform's resources can be used to supplement classroom instruction and provide additional support for struggling readers.

What does Reading Plus cost for schools?

Reading Plus pricing for schools varies based on student enrollment numbers and contract length, typically ranging from per-student annual licenses to site-wide subscriptions. Schools should contact Reading Plus directly for customized quotes, as pricing often includes professional development, implementation support, and volume discounts for larger deployments.

Reading Plus is a comprehensive reading intervention programme with adaptive technology.

UK School Pricing

Reading Plus uses a per-pupil licensing model. Pricing varies based on school size and implementation scope. Schools should contact Reading Plus directly for a customised quote.

What's Included

  • Adaptive reading assessment
  • Personalised reading practice
  • Vocabulary development
  • Progress tracking and reporting
  • Professional development support

Alternative Reading Programmes

Does Reading Plus actually improve reading comprehension?

Yes, Reading Plus demonstrates measurable improvements in reading comprehension, with schools reporting students achieving over two years of growth in one academic year when properly implemented. The program's combination of adaptive leveling, systematic skill building, and consistent practice has been shown to increase both reading fluency and comprehension scores across diverse student populations.

Reading Plus online reading program develops comprehension, vocabulary level, motivation, and stamina, while also going beyond the offerings of other literacy programs by addressing silent reading proficiency and fluency. This produced changes in student outcomes. It also supports students with diverse needs, including English learners, disadvantaged students, special education, and advanced readers. Reading Plus provides educators with easy-to-use detailed student summary report via management and reporting system, extensive resources to guide differentiated instruction, professional development, and highly rated customer support. The Reading Plus program is used in over 7,800 schools nationally, helping over 1 million students become efficient, confident, lifelong readers.

Research shows that self-confidence, interest in the material, and collaborative reading and writing are just as important in the digital world as they are in the print world. How frequently students work on reading and the intensity of their engagement are the biggest predictors of whether they learn. It’s simple: the kids who read the most grow the fastest.

If you want to support all your students with personalized instruction, help struggling readers with intervention, provide reading growth to English learners, or give teachers actionable data, Reading Plus is what you and your school might look for. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is Reading Plus and how does it differ from other reading programmes?

Reading Plus is a digital reading intervention platform that uses an assessment tool called InSight to create personalised learning paths for each student across 19 reading levels. Unlike one-size-fits-all approaches, it continuously adapts to each student's reading ability and integrates fluency, comprehension, and stamina exercises within a single programme, making differentiation manageable in mixed-ability classrooms.

How does Reading Plus assess and place students at the appropriate reading level?

Reading Plus begins with the InSight assessment, which quickly gauges a student's reading ability and places them on a tailored learning path. The programme then continuously adapts based on performance data, automatically adjusting text difficulty to maintain optimal challenge without causing frustration.

What specific benefits does Reading Plus offer for struggling readers?

Reading Plus helps struggling readers through specialised PAVE warm-up exercises that target visual perception barriers, which traditional approaches often miss. The programme provides immediate feedback, adjusts difficulty automatically, and uses a moving window technique to guide students' eyes across text, helping them achieve over two years of reading progress in one academic year when properly implemented.

How can teachers monitor student progress and identify when intervention is needed?

Reading Plus includes real-time progress monitoring tools that alert teachers when students demonstrate excessive reading rates or prolonged, inconsistent performance. The platform provides detailed student reports and data-driven insights, enabling teachers to provide immediate intervention and support when needed.

What types of reading skills and exercises does Reading Plus focus on developing?

Reading Plus develops comprehension skills through skill practice worksheets and actual text examples, improves visual perception through PAVE warm-up exercises including Scan and Flash activities, and builds reading stamina through sustained silent reading practice. The programme also includes vocabulary and spelling components, along with visual tracking exercises to support overall reading development.

Is Reading Plus suitable for all types of learners, including high achievers and EAL students?

Yes, Reading Plus supports a wide range of learners from struggling readers to high achievers who need greater challenge. The programme is particularly beneficial for English language learners through oracy development and speaking and listening components, students receiving special education services, and those in RTI or MTSS tiers.

How much time do students need to spend on Reading Plus to see meaningful results?

Students engage in 10-15 minute lessons that include silent reading practice and comprehension questions. With proper implementation and consistent use, schools report that students can achieve over two years of reading growth in just one academic year, making it a time-efficient intervention tool for busy classroom environments.

Further Reading: Key Research Papers

These peer-reviewed studies provide deeper insights into reading plus: does it really improve comprehension? and its application in educational settings.

Online Diagnostic Assessment in Support of Personalized Teaching and Learning: The eDia System View study ↗159 citations

Csapó et al. (2019)

This paper introduces eDia, an online diagnostic assessment system that uses technology to personalize learning by identifying individual student strengths and weaknesses. It's relevant to teachers considering Reading Plus because it demonstrates how digital diagnostic tools can support personalized instruction, helping educators understand whether adaptive reading programs like Reading Plus effectively tailor content to individual student needs.

Reinforcing L2 reading comprehension through artificial intelligence intervention: refining engagement to foster self-regulated learning View study ↗30 citations

Rad et al. (2025)

This research examines how artificial intelligence interventions can enhance second language reading comprehension while promoting student engagement and self-regulated learning skills. Teachers evaluating Reading Plus will find this relevant because it explores how AI-powered reading programs can improve comprehension outcomes and foster independent learning habits, which are key goals of adaptive reading platforms.

Does AI Simplification of Authentic Blog Texts Improve Reading Comprehension, Inferencing, and Anxiety? A One-Shot Intervention in Turkish EFL Context View study ↗25 citations

Çelik et al. (2024)

This experimental study tested whether AI-simplified authentic texts improve reading comprehension, inferencing skills, and reduce reading anxiety among English language learners. It's valuable for teachers considering Reading Plus because it provides evidence on how technology-mediated text adaptation affects multiple aspects of reading performance, similar to how Reading Plus adjusts text difficulty for individual students.

Socio-cultural Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension Levels and Demographic-based Grammatical Competence of Higher Education Students View study ↗23 citations

Garil et al. (2024)

This study analyzes how socio-cultural factors and demographic variables influence college students' reading comprehension levels and grammatical competence. Teachers using Reading Plus should consider this research because it highlights the importance of understanding diverse student backgrounds when evaluating the effectiveness of any reading intervention program.

Large Language Model-Powered Automated Assessment: A Systematic Review View study ↗16 citations

Emirtekin et al. (2025)

This systematic review examines how large language models are being used for automated assessment in educational settings across 49 studies from 2018-2024. It's relevant for Reading Plus evaluation because it provides insights into the reliability and effectiveness of AI-powered assessment tools, which are central to how adaptive reading programs measure and respond to student progress.

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What is Reading Plus and how does it work?

Reading Plus is a digital reading intervention platform that adapts to each student's reading level and builds comprehension through personalized learning paths. The program uses an assessment tool called InSight to gauge student ability and then provides leveled texts across 19 reading levels with integrated fluency, comprehension, and stamina exercises.

Flow diagram showing Reading Plus process from assessment to adaptive learning delivery
Flow diagram: How Reading Plus Works: From Assessment to Personalized Learning

Reading Plus is a digital reading intervention platform designed to build confident, capable readers through reading comprehension strategies. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, the program adapts to each student’s reading level, comprehension skills, and rate of progress. It’s most often used to support students who are struggling with reading fluency and comprehension, but it can also stretch more confident readers who need greater challenge.

Key Takeaways

  1. Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Discover how Reading Plus adapts to each student's level, making differentiation manageable even in busy, mixed-ability classrooms.
  2. The Two-Year Growth Secret: Learn why schools report students achieving over two years of reading progress in just one academic year with proper implementation.
  3. Real-Time Progress Monitoring: Master the platform's alert system that flags when students show excessive reading rates or inconsistent performance, enabling immediate intervention.
  4. Supporting Struggling Readers Differently: Uncover how the PAVE warm-up exercises and moving window technique specifically target visual perception barriers that traditional approaches miss.

At the heart of Reading Plus is an tool called InSight, which quickly gauges a student’s reading ability and places them on a tailored learning path. This ensures that every learner, from early readers to more advanced students, is working at an appropriate level that encourages steady growth. What sets Reading Plus apart is its structured design, it balances reading fluency, comprehension, and stamina within a single program, making it especially useful in busy classroom environments where differentiation can be hard to manage.

For teachers, the platform includes tools that allow for real-time progress monitoring and teaching assistant support. The content library spans 19 reading levels and features engaging, high-interest texts. These texts are carefully levelled, making it easier to support pupils with varied backgrounds, including English language learners who benefit from oracy development and speaking and listening, students receiving special education services, and those in RTI or MTSS tiers.

Schools serving disadvantaged communities may find particular value in Reading Plus because of its scaffolding and progress-tracking capabilities. With proper implementation, the program claims to help students achieve over two years of reading growth in just one academic year.

Three key things to know:

  • Reading Plus personalises learning through adaptive pathways and
  • It supports a wide range of learners, from struggling readers to high achievers.
  • The system is designed to help students build reading stamina and confidence over time.

What are the benefits of Reading Plus for struggling readers?

Reading Plus helps struggling readers achieve over two years of reading progress in one academic year through adaptive content and specialized exercises like PAVE warm-ups that target visual perception barriers. The program provides immediate feedback and adjusts difficulty automatically, keeping students engaged while building confidence at their appropriate reading level.

Reading Plus is a digital platform designed specifically to support students in developing their reading skills. It provides adaptive learning tools to help students learn to read independently while improving their understanding of complex texts. 

It allows teachers to personalize instruction for each individual student using a variety of tools, including: 

  • Customization of content level based on assessment data
  • Adaptive feedback to ensure that students are working at their just right level
  • Progress monitoring
  • Personalized Guided Practice
  • A moving window guides student's eyes across lines of print 
  • Interactive quizzes to assess comprehension
  • Intermittent assessments to monitor student progress

A sequence of daily activities is performed by students in individual computer-based, online environment. 

With Reading Plus, students can read independently while being guided by the teacher. This means that students can move forward when they understand the material and slow down when they need additional time to fully comprehend the text.

Reading Plus provides a tutor who's with the student for every task. And students can read at their school levels and work on their own specific skill sets until they're comfortable and competent. When students have this type of support, and a chance to read a high volume before moving to the next stage of complexity, that promotes deep learning.

Reading Plus student reports
Reading Plus student reports

How does Reading Plus adapt to different student levels?

Reading Plus begins with the InSight assessment that determines each student's exact reading level and creates a personalized learning path. The program then continuously adapts based on performance data, using a moving window technique for fluency practice and automatically adjusting text difficulty to maintain optimal challenge without frustration.

The combination of library texts designed to capture a child's attention and on-screen tool to keep the silent reading fluency intervention on track includes:

Reading Plus: Initial Reading Speed and Comprehension Test

This emphasis is on reading speed and reading comprehension.

Student Sessions on Reading Plus: Three Key Options

Selections from an enormous library, something for every student to choose from a wide range of books. Selections represent narrative texts, expository texts, and informational texts in a wide array of genres.

  • The 10-15 minutes lessons include silent reading with most text blacked out to keep the student reading consistently at their pace. There are comprehensions questions at the end.
    Dynamically controlled by individual student performance, comprehension questions are either interspersed between individual reading segments or followed at the conclusion of the story.
  • Vocabulary and spelling.
  • Visual tracking exercises.

Students have ownership of choice and can read stories of interest, with a game-like aspect being incentives to “unlock” fresh stories in their library as they progress.

Reading Plus uses comprehension questions and reading speed metrics to keep students progressing through the program, moving to higher levels of texts as they meet benchmarks.

It provides a data-driven starting point for the personalized instruction and practice students need to become independent readers.

The system will alert teachers if students are demonstrating excessive reading rates and/or prolonged, inconsistent performance.

Reading plus detailed student outcomes
Reading plus detailed student outcomes

What Reading Skills Are Improved by Reading Plus?

Comprehension skills: Comprehension skills are strategies a reader uses to construct meaning and retrieve information from the text.

The comprehension skill-building includes:

Skill Practice Worksheets for Reading Comprehension

Worksheets explain the specific comprehension skill and give examples using actual texts. Students apply the lessons they learned with additional text examples and comprehension questions to further their understanding of the skill.

Improve Perception Skills with Reading Plus Exercises

Each lesson begins with a perceptual accuracy and visual efficiency (PAVE) student warm-up. This activity comprises two parts, Scan and Flash. In the Scan activity, students scan the computer screen to count the number of times a target letter or number appears on the screen. The target and other letters or numbers are flashed in a left-to-right presentation. The presentation speed increases with the student’s proficiency. In the second activity, Flash, a series of letters or numbers ranging in length from 2 to 12 depending on the students’ placement level are flashed (1/6 of a second per flash, which does not permit moving of the eyes and thus provides single fixation training). The amount of numbers or letters increases in response to the students’ ability to correctly recreate the sequence and the rate at which text is presented on screen is then incrementally increased as a function of students’ performance. This warm-up activity aims to increase students’ visual perception, attention, and automaticity in the discrimination and recognition of print.

Vocabulary Skills Development with Reading Plus

These closed-structured exercises should encourage students to use context clues to complete the meaning of sentences and longer passages. Students also practice deriving the meaning of difficult or unfamiliar word meanings by analyzing the surrounding context presented in each activity, potentially enhancing their wide reading vocabulary level.

Reading Plus Improves Student Writing Skills

Writing is a skill that requires effort and practice. It takes time to develop proficiency in it. The best way to improve your writing skills is by practicing. This is where Reading Plus comes in.

It provides students with a wide variety of reading materials that helps them learn to comprehend complex texts. These include fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, newspapers, academic journals, and textbooks.

Students receive personalized feedback from tutors based on their responses to the reading material. They are then given writing exercises to practice the skills learned during the reading session.

How can teachers monitor student progress in Reading Plus?

Teachers can use Reading Plus's real-time monitoring dashboard that sends alerts when students show excessive reading rates or inconsistent performance patterns. The platform provides detailed progress reports on comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary development, allowing teachers to intervene immediately when students struggle or need additional challenge.

Finding the time and resources to support these strategies can be hard. In a fifth-grade classroom, teachers could have students reading at a 10th-grade level, second-grade level, third-grade level, and so on. Finding material that works for all of them is a challenge. But tools like Reading Plus give teachers a large bank of resources. If they need any material, it's easy to find texts on the same topic for students. Students gain the same knowledge and skills, but do it at their level.

To use Reading Plus, the staff qualified to administer includes mostly the classroom teachers/reading coaches. There is dedicated implementation training provided to teachers. 

Reading Plus Staff Training: Requirements and Duration

Instructors (classroom teachers or reading coaches) receive two-part training that takes place via either face-to-face or live webinars. Instructors receive Initial Training before they get started with Reading Plus® and Follow-Up Training once students have completed at least eight sessions in the program.

The Initial Training covers content in five areas:

  1. Why Reading Plus?: Instructors learn how and why Reading Plus leverages technology to provide students with effective scaffolded silent reading practice and development in foundational visual perceptual skills that are essential for efficient and effective silent reading.
  2. Student Experience: Instructors learn about the component programs of Reading Plus and what their students will experience from the first time they log in. During the face-to-face training, participants engage in a hands-on mock student session.
  3. Getting Started: Instructors learn about their Reading Plus teacher management interface. They learn how to navigate through the interface, and how to read the student data. They teach teachers what they can do to assist students who are not achieving ongoing success with the program. 
  4. Motivation: Instructors learn about the motivation tools built into the Reading Plus system and what they can do to create a fun and engaging classroom environment for Reading Plus.
  5. Accessing Help: Instructors are told how to access live support via phone, email, or live webinar throughout their Reading Plus implementation. In addition, they receive a tour of the comprehensive Reading Plus Help Site and all the resources it provides. 

Reading Plus delivers reading material in print and online formats for staff training. They capture the basic principles of product function and usage in printed materials. The training materials included new and revised information for administrators, lead teachers, and individual instructors on the use and functionality of the product. In addition, Reading Plus delivers extensive online training and support to instructors and students available on demand. They monitor constantly online resources and develop them to meet the continually changing needs of 21st-century educators. 

Reading Plus has been designed to support schools and teachers by providing easy access to data that helps them monitor student progress and improve teaching practices. It also allows teachers to create customised reports that are tailored to their needs.

For example, if a teacher wants to set goals for students and see which students are making progress towards meeting their reading goal, he/she can use the “Expected Growth Report” feature. This report shows the percentage of students who met their goal, exceeded it, or fell below it. 

Reports include:

• Best Students, A report that shows the top 10% of students based on performance across all subjects. This report is useful when looking for students who need extra attention.

• Class Reports, A report that shows all students in a particular class. This report is useful if you want to see how well a teacher is performing in a class.

• School Reports, A report that lists all students enrolled in a particular school. This report is useful for tracking attendance and identifying students who may need additional support.

• Teacher Reports, A report that displays all teachers in a particular school. Teachers can use this report to identify struggling students and plan interventions accordingly.

Reading Plus tracks all lesson completion dates, lesson formats, reading rates, comprehension results, and time on task.

How does Reading Plus support students with special educational needs?

Reading Plus addresses special educational needs through features like adjustable reading windows, visual perception exercises, and self-paced learning that removes time pressure. The program's PAVE warm-up activities specifically target processing difficulties common in students with dyslexia and other reading disabilities, while the adaptive technology ensures content remains accessible regardless of ability level.

The following seven points offer guidance for teachers planning to use Reading Plus, a reading learning platform, in their classrooms. The advice is particularly aimed at supporting struggling readers with special educational needs, including those with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

  1. Reading Skills Development: Reading Plus is designed to enhance students' reading skills. Teachers should use the platform to help students in grades appropriate to their age-related expectations to improve their reading comprehension, speed, and fluency.
  2. Accessible Resources: The platform provides a variety of accessible resources tailored to different learning needs. Teachers should familiarize themselves with these resources and use them to support students with special educational needs.
  3. Types of Texts: Reading Plus offers a wide collection of texts, including high-interest texts and complex texts. Teachers should select a range of these texts that align with their English lesson plans and cater to the diverse interests and reading levels of their students.
  4. High-Interest Texts: Engaging students with high-interest texts can motivate them to read more and improve their reading skills. Teachers should identify texts that resonate with their students' interests and incorporate them into their lesson plans.
  5. Complex Texts: To bridge the achievement gap, teachers should gradually introduce more complex texts. This will challenge students and help them progress towards proficiency with grade-level reading.
  6. School to Skills Needed: Teachers should use Reading Plus to align the children in school with the skills needed for their grade level. The platform can help identify areas where students are struggling and provide targeted instructions for pupils to improve.
  7. Lesson Plans: Teachers should integrate Reading Plus into their regular English lesson plans. The platform's resources can be used to supplement classroom instruction and provide additional support for struggling readers.

What does Reading Plus cost for schools?

Reading Plus pricing for schools varies based on student enrollment numbers and contract length, typically ranging from per-student annual licenses to site-wide subscriptions. Schools should contact Reading Plus directly for customized quotes, as pricing often includes professional development, implementation support, and volume discounts for larger deployments.

Reading Plus is a comprehensive reading intervention programme with adaptive technology.

UK School Pricing

Reading Plus uses a per-pupil licensing model. Pricing varies based on school size and implementation scope. Schools should contact Reading Plus directly for a customised quote.

What's Included

  • Adaptive reading assessment
  • Personalised reading practice
  • Vocabulary development
  • Progress tracking and reporting
  • Professional development support

Alternative Reading Programmes

Does Reading Plus actually improve reading comprehension?

Yes, Reading Plus demonstrates measurable improvements in reading comprehension, with schools reporting students achieving over two years of growth in one academic year when properly implemented. The program's combination of adaptive leveling, systematic skill building, and consistent practice has been shown to increase both reading fluency and comprehension scores across diverse student populations.

Reading Plus online reading program develops comprehension, vocabulary level, motivation, and stamina, while also going beyond the offerings of other literacy programs by addressing silent reading proficiency and fluency. This produced changes in student outcomes. It also supports students with diverse needs, including English learners, disadvantaged students, special education, and advanced readers. Reading Plus provides educators with easy-to-use detailed student summary report via management and reporting system, extensive resources to guide differentiated instruction, professional development, and highly rated customer support. The Reading Plus program is used in over 7,800 schools nationally, helping over 1 million students become efficient, confident, lifelong readers.

Research shows that self-confidence, interest in the material, and collaborative reading and writing are just as important in the digital world as they are in the print world. How frequently students work on reading and the intensity of their engagement are the biggest predictors of whether they learn. It’s simple: the kids who read the most grow the fastest.

If you want to support all your students with personalized instruction, help struggling readers with intervention, provide reading growth to English learners, or give teachers actionable data, Reading Plus is what you and your school might look for. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is Reading Plus and how does it differ from other reading programmes?

Reading Plus is a digital reading intervention platform that uses an assessment tool called InSight to create personalised learning paths for each student across 19 reading levels. Unlike one-size-fits-all approaches, it continuously adapts to each student's reading ability and integrates fluency, comprehension, and stamina exercises within a single programme, making differentiation manageable in mixed-ability classrooms.

How does Reading Plus assess and place students at the appropriate reading level?

Reading Plus begins with the InSight assessment, which quickly gauges a student's reading ability and places them on a tailored learning path. The programme then continuously adapts based on performance data, automatically adjusting text difficulty to maintain optimal challenge without causing frustration.

What specific benefits does Reading Plus offer for struggling readers?

Reading Plus helps struggling readers through specialised PAVE warm-up exercises that target visual perception barriers, which traditional approaches often miss. The programme provides immediate feedback, adjusts difficulty automatically, and uses a moving window technique to guide students' eyes across text, helping them achieve over two years of reading progress in one academic year when properly implemented.

How can teachers monitor student progress and identify when intervention is needed?

Reading Plus includes real-time progress monitoring tools that alert teachers when students demonstrate excessive reading rates or prolonged, inconsistent performance. The platform provides detailed student reports and data-driven insights, enabling teachers to provide immediate intervention and support when needed.

What types of reading skills and exercises does Reading Plus focus on developing?

Reading Plus develops comprehension skills through skill practice worksheets and actual text examples, improves visual perception through PAVE warm-up exercises including Scan and Flash activities, and builds reading stamina through sustained silent reading practice. The programme also includes vocabulary and spelling components, along with visual tracking exercises to support overall reading development.

Is Reading Plus suitable for all types of learners, including high achievers and EAL students?

Yes, Reading Plus supports a wide range of learners from struggling readers to high achievers who need greater challenge. The programme is particularly beneficial for English language learners through oracy development and speaking and listening components, students receiving special education services, and those in RTI or MTSS tiers.

How much time do students need to spend on Reading Plus to see meaningful results?

Students engage in 10-15 minute lessons that include silent reading practice and comprehension questions. With proper implementation and consistent use, schools report that students can achieve over two years of reading growth in just one academic year, making it a time-efficient intervention tool for busy classroom environments.

Further Reading: Key Research Papers

These peer-reviewed studies provide deeper insights into reading plus: does it really improve comprehension? and its application in educational settings.

Online Diagnostic Assessment in Support of Personalized Teaching and Learning: The eDia System View study ↗159 citations

Csapó et al. (2019)

This paper introduces eDia, an online diagnostic assessment system that uses technology to personalize learning by identifying individual student strengths and weaknesses. It's relevant to teachers considering Reading Plus because it demonstrates how digital diagnostic tools can support personalized instruction, helping educators understand whether adaptive reading programs like Reading Plus effectively tailor content to individual student needs.

Reinforcing L2 reading comprehension through artificial intelligence intervention: refining engagement to foster self-regulated learning View study ↗30 citations

Rad et al. (2025)

This research examines how artificial intelligence interventions can enhance second language reading comprehension while promoting student engagement and self-regulated learning skills. Teachers evaluating Reading Plus will find this relevant because it explores how AI-powered reading programs can improve comprehension outcomes and foster independent learning habits, which are key goals of adaptive reading platforms.

Does AI Simplification of Authentic Blog Texts Improve Reading Comprehension, Inferencing, and Anxiety? A One-Shot Intervention in Turkish EFL Context View study ↗25 citations

Çelik et al. (2024)

This experimental study tested whether AI-simplified authentic texts improve reading comprehension, inferencing skills, and reduce reading anxiety among English language learners. It's valuable for teachers considering Reading Plus because it provides evidence on how technology-mediated text adaptation affects multiple aspects of reading performance, similar to how Reading Plus adjusts text difficulty for individual students.

Socio-cultural Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension Levels and Demographic-based Grammatical Competence of Higher Education Students View study ↗23 citations

Garil et al. (2024)

This study analyzes how socio-cultural factors and demographic variables influence college students' reading comprehension levels and grammatical competence. Teachers using Reading Plus should consider this research because it highlights the importance of understanding diverse student backgrounds when evaluating the effectiveness of any reading intervention program.

Large Language Model-Powered Automated Assessment: A Systematic Review View study ↗16 citations

Emirtekin et al. (2025)

This systematic review examines how large language models are being used for automated assessment in educational settings across 49 studies from 2018-2024. It's relevant for Reading Plus evaluation because it provides insights into the reliability and effectiveness of AI-powered assessment tools, which are central to how adaptive reading programs measure and respond to student progress.

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