Scholastic is pleased to announce a multi-year, strategic partnership to voice enable its future reading products with SoapBox Labs’ award-winning, AI-based speech engine, built to accurately recognize children’s voices and diagnose reading fluency and disfluencies, regardless of race, background, age or ethnicity.
“SoapBox has developed a unique speech engine and shares the same values as Scholastic, including a deep commitment to designing equitable technology that serves all children. We both understand the challenge educators face supporting the literacy development of every child. We’re eager to unlock the power of voice in early reading instruction with the launch of SoapBox powered Reading4Reading, and many more programs to come,” said Rose Else-Mitchell, President, Scholastic Education Solutions.
Reading4Reading, a new foundational skills curriculum, is Scholastic’s first reading product to leverage SoapBox technology. The supplemental print and digital K-3 phonics system that can be used flexibly in classrooms and is grounded in evidence-based practices and structured literacy to drive equity and opportunity in learning. The system offers kids opportunities to solidify learning through motivating, targeted practice and feedback, while providing teachers with the skills-level reporting they want to fine tune and differentiate lessons with ease.
“It is incredibly exciting for SoapBox to be partnering with such an iconic and respected brand as Scholastic. Scholastic and SoapBox have a shared vision of the potential of speech technology to be truly impactful, not only for improving foundational reading skills of young children in the classroom, but also to create engaging, fun and rewarding voice experiences for kids at home,” said SoapBox CEO Dr. Martyn Farrows.
Partnering with SoapBox and integrating their innovative technology is the next step in the development of Scholastic Education Solutions’ literacy platform, which brings together assessment, instructional planning, and professional learning with Scholastic’s world-renowned content and trusted learning programs, at school and at home.
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