Computer Based Interventions: Lexia

At my school, we use Lexia Core5 as a reading intervention. The program was adopted 2 years ago to help build students' reading skills. This program was selected because it was closely tied to the Big 5 introduced within the Bellarmine Literacy Project. There are both pros and cons to using this program. I will give you a brief overview of the program followed by my pros and cons below.

Reading: Lexia Core5

Lexia is a program that provides differentiated literacy instruction for all students grades kindergarten through fifth grade. Students take a placement test before beginning the program. The assessment lasts around 40 minutes to an hour. After the assessment is complete, students are placed within the appropriate level of learning. This may not be grade level work depending on the abilities of students. There are 6 targeted areas of instruction: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Structural Analysis, Automaticity/Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. Within each of these areas, students are provided game-like activities that engage them in practicing the skills.  Student progress is closely monitored, and teachers can access up to date assessment data on a daily basis. Lexia offers a variety of graphs and charts that make tracking student progress pretty easy.

Pros: 

• easy to access through the web or app
• students practice skills in a game like environment
• provide students with reteaching when needed
• notifies teachers with a red apple on the screen when students are struggling after a couple reteachings; provides teachers with lessons to use to build the needed skill in students
• give students information on their progress toward complete target areas, units earned, and time spent on Lexia
• Lexia provides skill building handouts for students to use after completing the target areas for further practice
• data can be used for progress monitoring

                                                                                    Cons:

• teachers can't control the content offered to students
• content doesn't always align with grade level standards
• students grow bored and tend to lose care and attention
• teachers need training on how to use the program effectively with students

Overall, I would say that Lexia has benefitted our students. They often reference things they have learned on Lexia when they are being taught in class. It provides all students, including those struggling and advanced with instruction at their levels. However, I do wish there was more teacher control over content. By having more control over content, I could better align it with the standards being taught within the classroom.