Education
BY BRITTANY ANDERSON & BROOKE SJOBERG
AI boosts student reading fluency
Kindergarten through fifth grade students in Pflugerville ISD have logged over 3,000 hours of reading practice on Amira Learning, an artificial intelligence reading pro- gram that has led to higher reading comprehension levels since its inception in the district in 2022. About the program According to Pflugerville ISD Elementary Language Arts Coordinator Jenny Olsen, Amira Learning is a first-of-its-kind artifi- cial intelligence reading program. Amira provides reading passages in English or Spanish to kindergarten through fifth grade students,
listens to them read, and provides in-the-moment intervention if they make a mistake. “[Amira] helps the students fill all the gaps and deficits they have in their foundational skills—basi- cally what everyone calls phonics instruction,” Olsen said. “The pandemic has really amplified all of these gaps and deficits they have. Unfortunately, when we went virtual, a lot of our students in Pflugerville, as well as nationally, were not reading.” Students are recommended to use the program for 10 minutes a day, three times a week.
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Reading fluency in Pflugerville ISD During the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten through fifth grade students in PfISD have higher reading levels compared to national averages.
National average
Pflugerville ISD (using Amira Learning)
Challenger School offers uniquely fun and academic programs for preschool to eighth grade students. Our students learn to think for themselves and to value independence. Avery Ranch (PS–G8) (512) 341-8000 15101 Avery Ranch Boulevard, Austin Round Rock (PS–G1) (512) 255-8844 1521 Joyce Lane, Round Rock Spicewood Springs (PS–K) (512) 258-1299 13015 Pond Springs Road, Austin
Kindergarten 1st grade
2nd grade
3rd grade
4th grade
5th grade
SOURCE: PFLUGERVILLE ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Hutto ISD solidifies hiring bonuses by the Texas Education Agency as recognized, exemplary and master
Hutto ISD employees who recruit new teachers and new hires who graduated from HISD can earn up to $500 per successful referral in the 2024-25 school year. What you need to know HISD board of trustees approved the program in February, which also included state-funded incentives for teachers designated
teachers. Earlier in the month, HISD Superintendent Raúl Peña shared that the district would bring back an amount for a general staff incentive later on in the budget process. More details about the hiring bonuses are available at www.hipponation.org
© 2024, Challenger Schools Challenger School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.
An independent private school offering preschool through eighth grade
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PFLUGERVILLE - HUTTO EDITION
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