Positive impacts of Reading Coach

  • 5 minutes

Microsoft's AI-powered Reading Coach app first became available as a preview for schools across the globe in March 2024. Since its preview, Reading Coach has made a difference and driven learner reading fluency gains in the following ways:

  • Reading Coach's engagement features (unlocking characters, settings, badges, and now streaks) keep even reluctant readers in the flow of reading and lead to increased practice. Multiple educators reported that classroom benchmark tests show 1–2 level gains after using Reading Coach alongside other interventions for 2–3 months.
  • Educators consistently report that struggling readers are more confident in their reading abilities.
  • English-language learners (ELLs) are more confident in their English language skills.
  • Learners no longer perceive reading as a chore. Instead, they seek out Reading Coach as a "reading game." Learner agency is a key catalyst for this shift.

Learn about the impact of Reading Coach from the inspiring stories in Improve learners' literacy skills with AI-powered Reading Coach on the Microsoft 365 Insider Blog.

Integrate Reading Coach into your reading and literacy curricula

Educators are integrating Reading Coach into their reading and broader literacy curriculum in many unique ways:

  • Extend reading to writing: Create a story in Reading Coach, read the first chapter, and then write follow-up chapters using the same characters and settings.
  • Extend writing to reading: Learners write a passage with vocabulary they need to practice and then paste it in Reading Coach to read out aloud.
  • Author using Reading Coach: Older learners read their written essays out aloud in Reading Coach to hear what it might sound like to their readers.
  • Buddy reading: Learners work together in small groups to create a story, follow its chapter branches, and take turns reading the chapters aloud.

Do you have ideas on how you might use Reading Coach? Share them with us in the Reading Coach educator community. Join today at https://aka.ms/readingcoach-educatorcommunity.