1. Fast ForWord to Literacy
The Science Behind the Skill

2. Fit Brains Learn Better
Scientific Learning
Develops software that exercises students’ brains to help them process more efficiently, the way physical workouts train the body to be more fit and strong.
More efficient brains make your instruction more powerful.
Fit Brains Learn Better
When students’ brains can process more efficiently, your curriculum and instruction become more powerful.

3. These are the faces of the
Meet Alex
Meet Ben
Meet Stacy
9 years old
Labeled a “struggling reader”
70% of 4th graders not reading proficient
17 years old
C and D student
Will not have adequate skills for college
15 years old
1 of 7,000 who drop out DAILY
Will earn less than $20K a year
These are the faces of the
Literacy Gap
Meet Alex. He is 9 years old. Alex is one of the 70% of 4th graders in this country who do not meet reading proficiency. Unless there is a successful intervention to improve his reading skills, he is very likely to be one of the 7,000 teens who drop out of school EVERY DAY.
(Click for Alex to disappear and Stacy to appear)
Meet Stacy. She is 15 years old. She dropped out of high school during her sophomore year. Without a high-school diploma, Stacy falls into the category of other dropouts in this country who are likely to earn an average wage of less than $20, 000 a year.
(Click for Stacy to disappear and Ben to appear)
Meet Ben. Ben is 17 years old and is in mainstream classes. He is a C and D student because of his reading difficulties. He is one of the 68% of teens who will either drop out or graduate without adequate skills for college. His life and career prospects are seriously compromised as a result - approximately 40 percent of high school graduates lack the literacy skills employers seek.
(Click for title to appear)
All these students have problems reading. These are the faces of the Literacy Gap.

4. Kids Outgrow Reading Problems?
Whether classified or not, reading difficulties inhibit learning
Reading problems identified in Grade 3 and beyond require considerable intervention
74% of students identified as struggling in Grade 3 continue to struggle in Grade 9
(Francis et al., 1996)

5. Oral Language Weakness and Reading Ability16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5
High Oral Language in Kindergarten
5.2 years difference
Reading Age Level
Low Oral Language in Kindergarten
The Effects of Weaknesses in Oral Language on Reading Growth
(Hirsch, 1996)
In this graph we see the effects of oral language weakness as students learn to read. Over time, the small differences in oral language skill of 5 and 6 year olds grows into a significant reading gap by the time students are in middle school.
Chronological Age

6. Can Brain Science and Technology Help Us?
The question we want to answer for you today is how Brain Science can help us close the Literacy Gap?

7. Brain Science & the Literacy Challenge
One of the most fundamental discoveries in brain science is the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to map how the neurons are stimulated during the reading process.
This slide shows simulation of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of two types of readers:
(Put mouse over box – Without Reading Difficulty) A person without reading issues will have focused activation in three primary areas that deal with such things as working memory, processing of sound and word analysis and meaning. However, if a person is struggling with reading (move mouse to box – With Reading Difficulty), that brain will look more like this – too much activity in the frontal area and very little focus in the other two regions.
So, now that we understand the differences in the student’s brain with reading difficulty, how do we improve this?

8. Brain Fitness
Reading and learning requires efficient cognitive skills that must function in unison. Scientific Learning develops these skills that are critical requirements for successful reading. When these skills are stronger, students are able to benefit more from all instruction.
Memory: holding information and ideas short- and long-term, essential for word recognition, comprehension of complex sentences, and remembering instructions
Attention: focusing on tasks and ignoring distractions
Processing Rate: seeing images and distinguishing sounds quickly enough to discriminate their differences, a prerequisite for phonemic awareness and decoding and reading to learn; and
Sequencing: a cognitive skill that places the detail of information in its accustomed order (for example, days of the week, the alphabet, etc.). In the context of reading, sequencing is the ability to determine the order of letters within words or words within sentences.
Now I’m going to walk you through a series of exercises to demonstrate how the first two components of MAPS, Memory and Attention work.

9. Brain Fitness: Word List Challenge
Now write down as many words as you can recall. You have one minute.
weathervane
kind
rose
pill
epic
direct
soap
district
sip
unlikely
statue
natural
moose
photo
mistake
Click to begin
This exercise is related to MEMORY and ATTENTION.
I will show you 15 words, one at a time, for one second each. At the end of 15 seconds you’ll have 1 minute to write down all the words you can remember.
(Click to begin word animation)
Now write down as many words as you can recall. You have one minute. (allow one minute to pass before going to next slide for results)

10. How Efficient is Your Brain?
pill
epic
rose
kind
moose
unlikely
sip
district
direct
soap
weathervane
statue
mistake
natural
photo
Now here is the full list. Compare what you remember and count how many you got right. Write down that number.

11. Average 20 year olds recall 7 words
How Fit is Your Brain?
Average 20 year olds recall 7 words
Average 80 year olds recall 4 words
So how did you do? How many of you have a 20 year old brain? An 80 year old brain?
Think about this in relation to a child who is reading a paragraph on a state assessment. If they can’t hold onto the information and recall it, they can’t respond accurately. This has to do with both memory and attention, and these are exactly the kinds of skills that Scientific Learning products help improve through brain fitness.

12. Brain Fitness: Processing Challenge
Now we’ll try an exercise that demonstrates the value of processing and sequencing skills.
One of the best ways to show how our brain changes with age is to illustrate a brain function that is critical to us and is vulnerable to change with age.
This simple exercise brings to life some of our brains’ processing and sequencing functions.
These skills have to do with the brain’s ability to plan, follow rules, prioritize, multi-task and make complex decisions. For example, driving is a very complex task that relies heavily on sequencing and processing. You multitask, follow rules and make decisions constantly as you decide on your route, choose a lane, adjust to the speed of other motorists, pay attention to road signs and the curvature of the road.
So let’s go ahead and see how you do…
Let’s read out loud the colors on the first 2 lines from left to right . 1,2,3….go
(read aloud for 10 seconds)

13. Brain Fitness: Processing Challenge
Now, let’s say the COLORS, not the word from left to right. Ready? 1,2,3….
Ok, what just happened is completely normal. Why do you think that is so?
Your brain needed to work harder to follow the disjunction of color and word. It is kind of like when you drive and the directions you get are wrong. You have to deal with that disjunction rapidly and make quick directional decisions based on other information than what you’ve been taught.
Again, think about this in relation to a child who is reading a paragraph on a state assessment. If they can’t process the information quickly enough, or sequence the words correctly in the paragraph, they will struggle on the assessment. This has to do with both processing and sequencing, and these are exactly the kinds of skills that Scientific Learning products help improve through brain fitness.

14. Language Impairment, Processing and Sequencing
Tone Duration = 75 msec Tone 1 = 100 Hz, Tone 2 = 300 Hz
Children with language impairmentcan’t sequence 2 tones at rapid presentation rates
Dr. Paula Tallal’s early Studies were conducted in the 70’s at Rutgers University.
The common understanding of the underlying reason for reading difficulties at the time was that individuals who found it difficult to learn to read could not sequence sounds. The early language ability of an individual that should have been in place during the first year of life could impact their reading ability years later if the cognitive pathways for language were not efficient in sequencing sounds!
Dr. Tallal asked the question that every good researcher must ask, “WHY could some children sequence sound while others could not?”
She began to focus on the idea that their ability to sequence sounds had something to do with how fast the sounds were moving and how long the sound remained. So the intervals between sounds and the duration of the sound might be critical to ones ability to sequence sounds.
On this slide you will see the very beginning of years of research. It is this simple test that changed the path of research and brings us here today.
Dr. Tallal selected two groups of students. One group was clinically identified as Language Delayed individuals, the other group were identified as Normals as they did not demonstrate any language issues. The task was to determine the sequence of two tones after they were heard. The chart indicates that when the two tones were spaced at msec apart, both groups were able to sequence the two sounds correctly at or above 95%. They clearly heard two different sounds and could remember the order in which they heard them. Language Impaired students could still sequence sounds correctly spaced at even 500 msec. Now let’s see what happens as the sounds move progressively closer together.
When the two tones came at the speed of 428 msec. and faster, the ability of the Language Impaired students started a steep decline and never recovered above chance. The shorter the interval between the sounds, the less likely they were to be able to sequence the two tones correctly. Note that even at 150 msec., some of the Normals were unable to be as accurate as they were at longer intervals.
So, How fast is normal speech? (click to get red line with 40)
In natural speech the sounds come together at around 40 msec. Try to imagine listening to a cell phone that is breaking up. You are only hearing some of the sounds, and you are trying to make meaning from what you hear. You’ve seen the Sprit advertisements on TV where the rancher ordered 250 OXEN and received 250 doxhounds. We laugh, but this becomes a serious problem if you are trying to understand what you hear or read. Sprit’s solution is to offer clear accurate sound through better technology. Ours is to train the brain to hear more accurately and more efficiently through training with new learning technology.
Language Impaired (LI) – students have below-average language skills and average non-verbal IQ scores
(students whose language skills do not match their potential)
Tallal & Piercy (1973) Nature.

15. Fit Brains Learn Better
Memory
Attention
Processing Rate
Sequencing

16. The Neuroscience Principles Required to Make the Brain More Efficient
Frequency and intensity
Adaptivity
Simultaneous development
Timely motivation
Important to introduce these concepts, but more important to talk about them in the context of the hands-on demonstration.

17. Positive Results Efficient!
1 to 2 year gain in reading skills in 8 to 12 weeks.
Effective!
184 school-based research studies
Statistically significant student gains
79 patents (21 Pending)
Enduring!
Proof: rate of learning increase is permanent over time
Assist in closing the literacy gap
The results from students using our products show that Scientific Learning solutions are efficient, effective and enduring!
Research has shown that students using Fast ForWord experience a 1 to 2 year gain in reading skills in 8 to 12 weeks!
We have nearly 200 school-based research studies that demonstrate statistically significant student gains, and most importantly, the rate of learning increase is permanent over time. This is how we are helping to close the literacy gap!

18. Proven Results with Different
Student Populations
Whether you are a student in the general education population, special education, LEP or at-risk, our products are proven to be effective and yield literacy gains. Our customers have measured almost 30,000 students to date to support our results.
Number of students in above statistically
General Education: 32 students
At-Risk Students: 388 students

19. Language Series – Elementary
Fast ForWord Family of Products
Language Series – Elementary
Language Series – Adolescent
Now with
Spanish
instructions
Reading Series

20. Ensuring Success Monitor regularly (Progress Tracker)
Intervene immediately
Motivate with CAPS
Completion
Attendance
Participation
Sequence
Motivate with CAPS = use CAPS indicators as the basis of the motivational program. See Motivational Strategies on Customer Connect and the Resource CD.

21. Group Reports
Introduce yourself and the company. This is a good place to ask your audience what they already know or don’t know about Scientific Learning and Fast ForWord.
Have Fast ForWord Professional Development Training Workbooks ready – at the end of the Science presentation, there are discussion questions on Page 6.

22. Progress Graphs for Each Student
Introduce yourself and the company. This is a good place to ask your audience what they already know or don’t know about Scientific Learning and Fast ForWord.
Have Fast ForWord Professional Development Training Workbooks ready – at the end of the Science presentation, there are discussion questions on Page 6.

23. Error Reports
Introduce yourself and the company. This is a good place to ask your audience what they already know or don’t know about Scientific Learning and Fast ForWord.
Have Fast ForWord Professional Development Training Workbooks ready – at the end of the Science presentation, there are discussion questions on Page 6.

24. Error Reports
Introduce yourself and the company. This is a good place to ask your audience what they already know or don’t know about Scientific Learning and Fast ForWord.
Have Fast ForWord Professional Development Training Workbooks ready – at the end of the Science presentation, there are discussion questions on Page 6.

25. Tracks Every Key Stroke
Introduce yourself and the company. This is a good place to ask your audience what they already know or don’t know about Scientific Learning and Fast ForWord.
Have Fast ForWord Professional Development Training Workbooks ready – at the end of the Science presentation, there are discussion questions on Page 6.

26. Testimonials
“It’s not just about reading. We’re building the capacity to do many more things.”
– Barbara Wippich, Assistant Principal, Liberty Public SD, MO
“It’s a unique use of technology that does something no human being can do.”
– Phil Loseby, Curriculum & Assessment Coordinator, Juneau SD, AK
“We have a product here where we can definitely point to the data and say that this works. We can show people that it works.
– Chuck Wegner, Curriculum & Assessment Director, Pocatello/Chubbuck SD, ID
“The kids themselves said things like ‘I can hear better,’ and ‘It’s easier for me to pay attention.’” – Tina Woosley, Assistant Superintendent, Mexico SD, MO
“We have students who didn’t enjoy coming to class before. Now they’re eager to come to class, because they can be active participants.”
– Randy Poe, Deputy Superintendent, Boone county SD, KY
“Superintendents are sold on this, the teachers are sold on it, and the parents like the results.” – Larry Patrick, Smoky Hill ESC, KS
“After just three weeks we had teachers telling us they saw a difference in behavior in the classrooms.” –Tonya Green, Director of Special Ed, Jackson County SD, MS
“It’s one of the interventions we use for students who are being referred to Special Ed. And some of those students have not gone on to the IEP process . We believe it was in part due to Fast ForWord.” – Lynda Kline, Fast ForWord Coach, Worcester County Public Schools, MD

27. Brain Fitness