Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Montgomery Public Schools Partner to Bolster Early Literacy with Implementation of AI-Powered Digital Reading Assistant

Montgomery Public Schools has partnered with learning technology company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to implement Amira Learning™, the first intelligent reading assistant that listens to, assesses and tutors learners to bolster early literacy for its students. Amira’s state of the art speech recognition and enhanced AI software offers 1:1 reading practice for young learners and administers both an oral reading fluency assessment and a dyslexia screener.

Launching in Montgomery’s Brewbaker Primary School (BPS), which serves the largest elementary population in Montgomery County, Amira will provide teachers with a high-quality 1:1 reading instruction, practice and tutoring solution as it seeks to build the foundational literacy skills of its 600+ diverse students and deliver marked improvement in reading foundations among English Language Learners. Amira, which can be utilized in both virtual and face-to-face learning environments, will help BPS keep students engaged and on track and safe as it shifts to a hybrid learning model in response to of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What excites me most about Amira is that it allows us to ensure that our students’ needs are being met on micro-intervention levels,” says BPS Principal Jaclyn Brown Wright. “This level of intense intervention is needed now more than ever since students have developed gaps related to sustained breaks in formal education due to the pandemic. I want my students to have the best 1:1 intervention and support, but it is important that our team of teachers remain safe as well. As a school community, BPS is committed to or mission of ‘making AMAZING happen for kids,’ and we are absolutely thrilled to partner with HMH and Amira.”

“Strengthening our public school system is at the core of our mission to create more opportunity and prosperity for everyone in Montgomery,” says Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed. “We are committed to investing in innovative programs and solutions that will turn around educational outcomes for our students, and we look forward to seeing how Amira can help all students, no matter their background, become strong, confident readers.”

Whether learning in-person or remotely, Amira leverages cutting-edge technology to support reading mastery. By automating scoring and reporting of fluency assessments and creating additional opportunities for virtual tutoring and reading practice, Amira offers educators time back to focus on personalized coaching and skill building.

“HMH is focused on delivering cutting-edge digital solutions that empower educators with actionable insights and simple integration across their teaching and learning ecosystems,” says Matthew Mugo Fields, General Manager, Supplemental and Intervention Solutions at HMH. “We are inspired by Brewbaker’s commitment to improve foundational literacy for its students while also offering extra support as the community adjusts to a hybrid learning environment. Amira will enable teachers at Brewbaker to reclaim and dedicate their valuable time to connecting with and supporting their students in becoming confident readers.”

Amira Learning is the culmination of 20+ years of reading research and applied reading science from leading universities and researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Texas Health Sciences. Evidence supporting Amira’s effectiveness includes more than 100 published research papers and is considered “gold standard.”
https://www.hmhco.com/about-us/press-releases/houghton-mifflin-harcourt-and-montgomery-public-schools-partner-to-bolster-early-literacy-with-implementation-of-ai-powered-digital-reading-assistant

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