Question 1

What research has been done on English Islands?

Accepted Answer

In research conducted at a mid-sized urban school district, students using English Islands for just one month improved up to 19.3%. This was on material that the students had never learned from their teacher, demonstrating the platform's ability to support truly independent learning. Read more..

Question 2

How closely does it follow the Science of Reading?

Accepted Answer

English Islands is designed by teachers and has been developed carefully with guidance from Ph.D-level literacy experts across North America. The Science of Reading is at the heart of every aspect of our learning methodologies, and all our development is based on research done by trusted sources such as Harvard, Carnegie Mellon and the National Reading Panel.

Question 3

What data do teachers and administrators receive?

Accepted Answer

Teachers receive pinpointed data on letter-sound pairs, allowing them to quickly identify exactly where students struggle without having to listen to every student read individually.
Data that would typically take weeks of one-on-one assessment can be viewed on English Islands after just a single 15-minute session, supporting progress monitoring, targeted intervention and faster instructional decisions.

Question 4

How much time do students need to see results?

Accepted Answer

Research shows that as little as 3 sessions per week of 10-15 minutes on English Islands leads to statistically significant improvements in early literacy skills. The study also demonstrated that the more time students spend practicing on the platform, the more their literacy scores improved. More information on the Efficacy Study can be found here.

Question 5

What devices and equipment are required?

Accepted Answer

English Islands is web-based and can be accessed on any internet-connected device with a microphone. In schools, the most commonly used devices include iPads and Chromebooks.
For best results in classroom settings, headphones with noise-cancelling microphones are strongly recommended, as they help reduce background noise, ensure accurate voice recognition and provide an overall better student experience.

Question 6

What if my students have accents?

Accepted Answer

Our voice recognition is trained on accents from around the world, so it is able to understand a range of accents and dialects. The platform is also uniquely designed to support Multi-Lingual Learners in vocabulary acquisition. Please note however that if an accent is very strong, it may be difficult for the voice recognition to clearly understand the student.

Question 7

Can English Islands be used at home?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! English Islands was built for independent learning. One of our goals is to support students when teachers or parents/guardians aren’t able to provide help.
Schools can assign English Islands for at-home practice, and we offer resources to help families get up and running on the platform.

Question 8

How can my school or district pilot English Islands?

Accepted Answer

Learn how to pilot English Islands in your school or district here.

Question 9

How do I set up a classroom and add students?

Accepted Answer

Getting started is quick and simple. Teachers can create classrooms, add students, and choose students' starting points in just a few minutes.
View our step-by-step setup guide here and our onboarding videos here.

Question 10

What funding sources can be used?

Accepted Answer

English Islands fits within several allowable education funding sources, including Title I, Title III, Title IV, and IDEA. 
Learn more about funding options here.

Question 11

Can teachers purchase subscriptions?

Accepted Answer

If your school or district doesn't have funds to purchase English Islands, we can provide a discounted teacher subscription to ensure your students get the help they need. Reach out to us here: support@englishislands.com

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