SoundTown is an engaging, easy-to-use, effective way to help young readers learn through play and the science of reading. The program is rooted in the science of reading and boosts young learners’ speech and language development by exposing them to foundational literacy skills through engaging 5-minute interactive videos for circle time, transitions, or small groups.
The science of reading has taken hold across the country as an effective way to teach literacy. This approach is rooted in skills related to reading, including phonics, a way of teaching students to hear, identify, and use different sounds that distinguish one word from another. SoundTown is an innovative program rooted in the science of reading that boosts young learners’ speech and language development by exposing them to foundational literacy skills, such as phonemic awareness and letter sounds, before they get to kindergarten.
Turning Education R&D Investments into Impact
Created to support young learners, SoundTown was developed with funding from strategic federal investments in education R&D:
$ 200000
$200,000 from an Institute of Education Sciences Small Business Innovation Research Phase I grant
$ 900000
$900,000 from an Institute of Education Sciences Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grant
$ 20000
$20,000 in semi-finalist winnings from the VITAL Prize Challenge
The impact of these investments is clear:
150 %
After 8 weeks, students using SoundTown saw a 150 percent improvement in their proficiency with phonemes and letter sounds.
1.5 months
Compared to the average pre-kindergarten student’s growth in reading achievement during an academic year, students who were exposed to SoundTown demonstrated approximately 1.5 months more reading growth.
How It Works
Created by Hoogalit, SoundTown supplements pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers’ core literacy instruction as young learners listen to passages, engage with interactive videos, and practice speaking the basic sounds within words. The program uses visuals of phonemes, words, and stories so students can listen, see, and participate in movements along with the videos.
SoundTown’s interactive phonological audio tool fosters foundational literacy skills in preschool- and kindergarten-aged children, and the program has been praised for effectively supporting students with disabilities and English language learners.
In the past few years, SoundTown built a new natural language processing software application with interactive audio lessons to individualize children’s learning experience. The technology adjusts lessons to involve different phonemes (distinct units of sound that make up words); auditory discrimination activities; and exercises involving blending and segmenting.
“My students with Autism are especially engaged in SoundTown. Most of them will sit down for circle time to watch SoundTown when they otherwise struggle to sit for whole group instruction. I notice that my students who are non-verbal are more engaged with SoundTown, as it involves movements and the visuals that they are able to participate with.”
Proven Impact
Multiple independent research studies, have proven SoundTown’s efficacy. One study found that students who were exposed to SoundTown for 8 weeks saw a 150 percent improvement in their proficiency with phonemes and letter sounds. Compared to the average pre-kindergarten student’s natural growth in reading achievement during a school year, students who were exposed to SoundTown demonstrated approximately 1.5 months more reading growth.
Recently, SoundTown was a semi-finalist in the National Science Foundation’s VITAL Prize Challenge, through which the team received feedback, training, and funding to further develop their platform.
SoundTown’s CEO and co-founder, Dr. Aparna Ramanathan, sees research as a critical component of education innovation. She said research that supports the efficacy of education products is crucial so that educators know that what they are using really works.
“[The funding] was just a game changer for us…to actually have that confidence that we’ve applied this product in a randomized control environment, and we saw statistically significant gains. It just makes such a difference when you’re launching,” said Dr. Ramanathan.
The federal investments in SoundTown have allowed this innovative program to prove its efficacy and reach students who need it most.