Free new tool for teachers to check student literacy levels

Free new tool for teachers to check student literacy levels

In October, the NAPLAN National Report 2022 revealed that the literacy outcomes of Australian students have remained mostly stable for a second year in a row, defying predictions of drastic falls due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

To help sustain their strong literacy outcomes, many schools are working with education service providers, whose data insights and analytics are helping teachers identify, and close, gaps in students’ learning.

One such provider is LiteracyPlanet, a successful program which combines the science of reading, great storytelling and the psychology of game play. This week, the company released a free new tool that allows teachers to check student literacy levels in a clear and actionable report across the different literacy strands including spelling, grammar, phonics, sight words and comprehension.

Read more: What’s being done to lift students’ literacy outcomes in 2022?

Following the initial launch of Literacy Check, 2,654 students have already set up their account, with 454 checks completed.

Tom Richardson, CEO, LiteracyPlanet said that the new development aligns with their vision to support teachers in their assessments, improve student literacy rates and provide access to education tools for youth everywhere.

“We know quality learning needs measurement and to deliver a quality literacy program we need to analyse, anticipate and assess learning outcomes,” Richardson said.

“This new feature will be an important tool for teachers across the year to gauge improvements for their students.”

Richardson said teachers can access the Literacy Check tool by creating a free LiteracyPlanet Starter account and following the set-up instructions.

“In only a few clicks, they will have a unique code to share with students who log in and begin tasks to assess their literacy levels. Depending on the year level and number of strands chosen to test, students are automatically assigned a range of fun missions to complete that engage their learning and assess their proficiency,” he said.

“Once a check is completed, the platform generates a report for teachers so they can identify the learning areas applicable for each individual student.”

Teachers can then view student results in real-time via their dashboard, assign tasks, set personalised pathways based on individual learning levels and set new Literacy Checks at any time.

LiteracyPlanet is encouraging teachers to register students for a free Literacy Check before the end of term, so they can learn how it works and get ready to kick-start the 2023 school year.

“We’re really excited to be able to provide this tool to all schools free of charge right around the globe. Not only are we providing Literacy Check for free, but we are now offering LiteracyPlanet Starter which is a free version of our platform,” Richardson said.

“We can’t wait to offer thousands of learning games, content and resources to young people and watch them check and improve their literacy skills, in a fun and inspiring way.”