EDUC 3410 --

READING SOFTWARE EVALUATION -- WILL OWENS

FALL 2014

Program:

RAZ Kids, used in 4th grade classes at Cameron Park Elementary as daily center activity.

Website:

http://www.raz-kids.com/

* This information gathered by teacher or student interviews, direct observation and website details.

RAZ Kids (online)

Reading Software
Evaluation

Yes

Good

Adequate

Poor

Comment

Program Type

Online
DVD/CD

N/A

Simulation

N/A

INTERACTIVE eBOOKS

Students gain points that can be

redeemed for online "treats"

Learning game

Tutorial

Drill and practice

Clear directions

Exit capabilities

Control of pacing

Provision for help

Ease of Use

Instructional
Design

Clear objectives

Introductory
explanations of
skill

NO

MUST BE TEACHER TAUGHT

Sample exercises

Multiple practice
exercises

Immediate and
varied feedback

YES/NO

Branching
capability

INSTRUCTION PER SKILL

PER SKILL

IMMEDIATE
NOT VARIED

N/A

Built-in assessment
of progress

Monitoring of
student responses

Corrections made
by re-teaching,
giving clues,
explaining skills

Summary
statements

Program length

Appropriate
difficulty levels

GREAT DETAIL IN REPORTS

EXPLAINATIONS MUST BE
TEACHER TAUGHT

ALMOST UNLIMITED LEVELS

RAZ-Kids evaluation

Yes

Good

Direct
correspondence
between lesson
objectives and
lesson procedures

Accuracy

Procedures reflect
what reader should
do in process of
reading

Correct sequence
in presentation of
skill

Adequate

Poor

Comment

Content Accuracy

MIRRORS GOOD READER

TECHNIQUE

Special Features

Animation
Music

NO

Touch Screen

N/A

NO MUSIC ONLY

Graphics

Audio

Color

STUDENTS HAS OPTION TO LISTEN

TO STORY BEING READ

SUMMARY
RAZ kids is an online e-books reading program used by all the 4th grade teachers at Cameron Park
Elementary (and a few other teachers in other grades). It is a daily Literacy Center, independent activity
that the student accesses on their laptop (Orange County schools has a 1 to 1 laptop program). It can

also be accessed anywhere outside of the classroom environment since each child has a login and
password and the interface is simple and straightforward. It can even be accessed through an Iphone or
digital mobile device.
Students can currently choose from over 400 leveled story and informational books--even some in
Spanish. They can then choose to have the book read to them (allows for access to more difficult text)
by a skilled reader modeling fluency, practice reading silently, or even record themselves reading and
have the teacher review their effort and monitor their progress. Teachers can also create assignments
and track specific areas of improvement.
Common Core Standards are addressed in the areas of Text Complexity, academic vocabulary, close
reading and comprehension through corresponding E-Quizzes for each book. There is also a "running
records" feature that teachers can use for assessment of fluency and decoding. Data is available in a
number of different forms and can be compiled and compared to the class or even a wider grouping up
to a district level.
I think this is a really good tool to use for independent practice as well as giving students the
opportunity to hear books being read that they have interest in, but may not yet have the vocabulary or
fluency skills to read themselves. In my opinion, it is a great daily literacy center activity and one I hope
to use myself in my Literacy instructional planning.