Fast ForWord Endorsed by Council of Administrators of Special Education

Review committee extends endorsement of research-based Fast ForWord program, which enables students with learning differences to achieve efficient and lasting learning gains

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carnegie Learning, a leader in artificial intelligence for education and formative assessment, announced that the Fast ForWord® reading and language program has received an official re-endorsement from the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE). Fast ForWord’s CASE endorsement now enters its 7th year and will extend through December 2024.

Developed for struggling readers, Fast ForWord is a unique 3-in-1 program that simultaneously develops reading, cognitive, and social-emotional learning skills to efficiently build reading and learning skills. Included in the Fast ForWord suite of exercises is Reading Assistant Plus, an innovative guided reading tool that uses speech verification technology to support and listen to students as they read aloud, acting as a guided reading coach.

CASE is an international professional organization affiliated with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). CASE provides professional leadership and support to special education administrators by shaping policies and practices that impact the quality of education.

The Fast ForWord program was initially endorsed by CASE in 2015 after undergoing a rigorous evaluation of a wide range of criteria, including the product’s research base, application with students who have learning differences, application in diverse settings, performance in field tests, and customer satisfaction. Each endorsement period lasts three years, and the Fast ForWord program has continuously qualified for two re-endorsements by demonstrating ongoing product enhancements.

Improvements to Fast ForWord optimize the program’s ability to accelerate a student’s return to Tier 1 instruction in as little as 40 hours, reducing special education referrals and maximizing the amount of time students spend in the classroom engaging with grade-level content. The most recent updates to Fast ForWord include the brand new Elements I and Elements II components specifically designed for secondary learners. All Fast ForWord exercises now include more targeted, embedded interventions to help students when they struggle.

Chief Literacy Officer Barrie Olson states, “This CASE re-endorsement confirms that Fast ForWord continues to be one of the most powerful reading tools on the market for at-risk students and English language learners as well as students with a wide range of special needs and abilities. It is the only reading intervention program to teach cognitive skills, rather than just depend on them. This explicit focus on cognitive skill development within the context of literacy instruction means that we aren’t just building better readers; we’re building better learners.”

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Carnegie Learning is shaping the future of education. Born from more than 30 years of learning science research at Carnegie Mellon University, the company has become a recognized leader in the ed tech space, using artificial intelligence, formative assessment, and adaptive learning to deliver groundbreaking solutions to education’s toughest challenges. With the highest quality offerings for K-12 math, literacy, world languages, applied sciences, professional learning, and more, Carnegie Learning is changing the way we think about education and creating powerful results for teachers and students alike. For more information, please visit www.carnegielearning.com.