Straight Talk

“The persistent achievement gap between haves and have-nots in our society is chiefly a verbal gap. There is no greater practical attainment in the modern world than acquiring a bellyful of words. A large vocabulary is the single most reliable predictor of practical, real-world competence…” - Professor E.D. Hirsh Over one third of our middle school readers are struggling. Vocabulary is the key. The single most accurate predictor of how well a reader understands text is general vocabulary knowledge. Studies show it can grow to a disparity of 30,000 words by eighth grade when intentional, rigorous intervention is not applied. Additionally, these studies confirm there is a direct correlation between “word bank” size and success in school. Word Lab Web, a vocabulary based reading program for the middle grades, is teacher created, affordable, and in the cloud. It provides personalized, self-paced learning so students can gain authentic word knowledge and practice a variety of comprehension skills. Three half-hou