K-12

Readable English is an evidence-based reading tool designed to turn struggling readers into confident, independent learners.

We reduce reading instruction time by up to 75% without changing pedagogy and without the need for lengthy professional development. Gifting time, agency and hope back to students as well as teachers!

What is Readable English?

English is one of the most difficult languages to learn to read because of its inconsistent spelling. Readable English simplifies the reading process by embedding a pronunciation guide directly into words. This approach makes every word phonetically transparent, ensuring that readers are able to "hear" words correctly, reinforcing the connection between the written word and its spoken form.

Readable English adds a simple, intuitive layer to traditional English text:

Unmarked Letters – Make their usual sound.
Grayed-out Letters – Indicate silent letters.
Syllable Breaks – Break words into readable chunks.
Glyphs – Provide visual cues for irregular sounds.

With the markup, students can decode words quickly and independently, building reading confidence and fluency.

Who can benefit?

Readable English is designed for a wide range of learners, including:

Struggling Readers (Ages 7+) – Builds foundational literacy skills.
Multilingual Learners (MLL) – Supports English language acquisition.
Special Education (Mild-Moderate Needs) – Helps students with dyslexia, ADHD, and other reading challenges.
Tier 2 & 3 Interventions – Provides an effective tool for intensive reading support.

How is it Implemented in Schools?

Readable English is implemented in two core stages:

Breaking the Code – Learning the 21 glyphs, combined with core skill building activities.
Integrating the Markup – Continued daily reading practice with the markup to build fluency and comprehension.

Readable English is designed to be flexible in its implementation, making it easy to integrate into various learning environments, with different populations.

See the Implementation Models

Eli is an EL coordinator within a high school. There are many EL students needing support with their reading and pronunciation. Eli will use the student self-paced implementation model, so that students at different EL proficiency levels can learn the glyphs at their own pace. After learning the glyphs, Eli will support students in the flexible implementation style where the focus is converting relevant materials into Readable English using the browser extension. He knows his students will benefit from reading their required content in Readable English, and he can always come back to the learning portal and use the provided practice materials as needed.

Geoff is a middle school SpEd teacher. He has multiple classes of students across grades 6-8 needing support in reading. He sees his students every day, but only for 20 minutes. Geoff will use the combined implementation model for teaching the glyphs. He likes that over two weeks he will be explicitly introducing the content to students each day, while his students use the Student-Led Lessons to practice independently. Because he sees his students every day, after learning the glyphs he will follow the Teacher-Led Structured Lessons implementation model. He can feel confident knowing his students are getting a mix of provided reading practice materials, as well as time to convert their own materials.

Marianne is a third grade teacher. Most of her students are behind grade level and lacking gaps in their foundational skills, with several classified as SpEd. Marianne chooses to follow the Teacher-Led implementation model for teaching the glyphs as she has the time to implement the program every day. Her students will learn the glyphs in 6 weeks, while benefiting from the extra skill building focus. After teaching the glyphs, Marianne will follow the Flexible Implementation style where the focus is converting class-specific content into Readable English using the browser extension, as she is happy with her ELA curriculum. She knows she can always come back to the learning portal and use the provided materials as needed.

A key part of the Readable English approach is using technology to mark up text in a way that makes complex words easier to read.

Browser Extension – Converts digital content into Readable English format, making any website or online text accessible. This includes HQIM and any other supplemental materials that are currently in use.
Conversion Tool – Applies Readable English markup to existing curriculum materials (such as PDFs), ensuring accessibility across all subjects.

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Time-Saving, Effective Lessons

Flexible learning paths: Teacher- or student-led
Pre-made Teacher Lesson Slides, minimizing teacher prep time
Structured literacy approach progressing from phonics and phonemic awareness to fluency, vocabulary and comprehension
30 weeks of content, available digitally or printable

Assessments & Reporting

Beginning and End of Year assessments for both oral reading fluency and reading comprehension
Assessments provided by MetaMetrics Inc., the developer of the Lexile® Framework
Reporting available in two key views: grade-level comparisons against normative standards and individualized growth rates

Conversion Tools

Browser extension and PDF conversions for converting class content
Ability to share converted documents with students electronically

Teacher Resources and Training

Video training library with short how-to videos
Informative infographics, detailing the program's key features
A Teacher Training Module is also available with self-paced units that demonstrate how and when to use the key features of the program

Data Sharing & Rostering

Secure data sharing and rostering available via Clever or ClassLink single sign-on providers
Manual rostering available via secure upload link, with username and passwords

Fun and Interactive Lessons

Teacher- or student-led
Voice recognition activities with immediate feedback
Multimodal learning process with visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activities
Game-based learning and immediate practice reading grade-level curriculum

Conversion Tools

Browser extension and conversion tools to make any website or online text accessible
Different modes available for converting full page or words one at a time
Immediate access to definition, translation and pronunciation

Reading Activities

Access to pre-converted reading practice materials across grades 1-12, such as ReadWorks
Users can toggle on and off the markup
Targeted skill building exercises (Vocab Module, Comprehension Skill Builders, Fluency Builders)

Individualized Progress Monitoring

Growth expectations based on each student’s starting Lexile level, grade, and the number of months between assessments, creating a truly individualized progress model
Personalized goal-setting and tracking

At Readable English, we are committed to evidence-based literacy instruction grounded in the Science of Reading.

Our approach emphasizes the five essential components identified by extensive research (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension), and is taught through systematic and explicit instruction. Further, the transparent orthography of the markup facilitates efficient orthographic mapping, empowering all students to achieve reading success.

See Science of Reading Alignment

Scarborough’s Reading Rope is a powerful framework that explains the complexity of skilled reading. The model visually represents reading as a woven structure of intertwined skills with two main components: Word Recognition and Language Comprehension.

Readable English primarily supports the Word Recognition component of the rope. The transparent orthography of the markup helps students develop automaticity in decoding, freeing up the necessary cognitive resources for comprehension and vocabulary development.

More on Scarborough’s Rope

To date, there are three independent, peer-reviewed studies on the effectiveness of Readable English in improving fluency and comprehension compared to control groups.

On average, students learning Readable English improved at twice the rate of students in control groups, for both reading fluency and comprehension. Typically these results can be seen as early as the “Breaking the Code” phase where students develop phonemic awareness, phonics and orthographic mapping.

View Published Studies

“Readable English has been a game changer for my students. I love that students are working on decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Their confidence has increased dramatically. When a high school student works on lessons at home and shares the program with their family, you know that you have found a dynamic program. Students are able to see their own growth and are proud of themselves. That makes it all worth it!”

Jessica Galla

Lincoln High School

“I was a little resistant at first, but once I started diving in, I really fell in love with the program. I started seeing the results pretty quickly the 1st semester, especially from our 4th and 5th grade students; they were really buying into the program. It was a welcomed relief for something that had been a struggle for them for many years. Looking at this program, I am just going to call it a miracle! We have seen amazing results. I really enjoy the program.”

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Jay Perkins

Barr-Reeve Community Schools

“Readable English helps students experience success more quickly and develop a true love for reading. Over the years, one area my students have consistently struggled with is learning R-controlled vowels. When I recently reached the R-controlled lessons, wow—I had an epiphany! As both a teacher and a learner, it all clicked in a way that was clear and intuitive.”

Karen O'Brien

Winooski School District

"Readable English has been a game changer for my students. I love that students are working on decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Their confidence has increased dramatically. When a high school student works on lessons at home and shares the program with their family, you know that you have found a dynamic program. Students are able to see their own growth and are proud of themselves. That makes it all worth it!"

JESSICA GALLA
LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL

Quotation Mark Icon

"Readable English helps students experience success more quickly and develop a true love for reading. Over the years, one area my students have consistently struggled with is learning R-controlled vowels.
When I recently reached the R-controlled lessons, wow—| had an epiphany! As both a teacher and a learner, it all clicked in a way that was clear and intuitive."

KAREN O'BRIEN
WINOOSKI SCHOOL DISTRICT

"I was a little resistant at first, but once I started diving in, I really fell in love with the program. I started seeing the results pretty quickly the Ist semester, especially from our 4th and 5th grade students; they were really buying into the program.
It was a welcomed relief for something that had been a struggle for them for many years. Looking at this program, I am just going to call it a miracle! We have seen amazing results. I really enjoy the program."

JAY PERKINS
BARR-REEVE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

Data Privacy & Security

Readable English is committed to protecting student data and ensuring a secure learning environment. We've strengthened our platform with advanced encryption, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems.

As a member of the Access 4 Learning Community/Student Data Privacy Consortium, we stay at the forefront of data privacy best practices, advocating for strong protection measures. Your trust and security remain our top priority.

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Boosting Middle School Literacy: How Readable English is Making a Difference in the Classroom

RESEARCH & RESULTS

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RESOURCE AND PRODUCT ENABLEMENT LIBRARY

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Boosting Middle School Literacy: How Readable English is Making a Difference in the Classroom

What is Readable English? >

Who Can Benefit? >

How is it Implemented? >

Conversion Technology >

What’s Included? >

Aligned to the Science >

Scarborough’s Reading Rope >

Peer-reviewed Studies >

Data Privacy & Security

Reading Intervention for Older Students Who Struggle With Reading

Table of Contents

Table of Contents >

What is Readable English?

Who can benefit?

How is it Implemented in Schools?

Conversion Technology

What’s Included?

For Educators

For Students

ALIGNED TO THE SCIENCE OF READING

HOW READABLE ENGLISH FITS INTO SCARBOROUGH’S READING ROPE

Peer-reviewed Studies

What Our Users have to say

Data Privacy & Security

Want to know more?