Lexia Core Five Reading

     Reading has been a focus of improvement for my school since I started working there two years ago. To address the needs of our students and help them improve upon phonological awareness and phonics skills, my school purchased a Lexia Reading Core 5 license for each student last year. 

Lexia is a program that focuses on phonological awareness and phonics, while still remaining engaging for the student. Once a student successfully completes a certain number of levels, they are taken to a game. As stated on the Lexia Learning website,

"As elementary students move through the levels of the program, they are engaged and motivated by activities that take students on a journey around the world. Each level of the program represents a different area of the world and introduces new characters that are representative of each region. Within each level, students have the opportunity to decide which skills and activities they want to work on. This allows the students to be self-directed in their learning as they move through the program and their journey around the world."

     Through Lexia Reading Core 5, students are able to receive specific interventions that they need and students who are performing above grade level are able to receive enrichment activities. For teachers, Lexia gives a daily report of what skills the student has mastered and which ones the student needs to be retaught in. To aid in reteaching, Lexia gives suggestions for lessons and activities that can be printed out and used, with no preparation needed. It, also, tells you the amount of minutes that the student should be on Lexia each week to continue to progress and improve. 
     Due to the expense of Lexia Reading Core 5, my school was only able to purchase licenses for our Tier 3 students this year. Lexia is used as an intervention at my school, not a replacement for instruction. My students this year, and in past years, have enjoyed doing Lexia. For many it became a good motivator. They worked hard and strove to reach the highest level they could. Many even wanted to do Lexia at home, so I sent home their usernames and passwords. Lexia is a great intervention for students who need more practice in phonological awareness and phonics skills. I really like using it with my students! If you and/or your school is looking for a program to help with reading skills, Lexia is worth checking out!