Dream Weavers Series: Making a Difference One Word at a Time with Word Lab Web

Straight Talk

“The persistent achievement gap between haves and have-nots in our society is chiefly a verbal gap. There is no greater practical attainment in the modern world than acquiring a bellyful of words. A large vocabulary is the single most reliable predictor of practical, real-world competence…” - Professor E.D. Hirsh Over one third of our middle school readers are struggling. Vocabulary is the key. The single most accurate predictor of how well a reader understands text is general vocabulary knowledge. Studies show it can grow to a disparity of 30,000 words by eighth grade when intentional, rigorous intervention is not applied. Additionally, these studies confirm there is a direct correlation between “word bank” size and success in school. Word Lab Web, a vocabulary based reading program for the middle grades, is teacher created, affordable, and in the cloud. It provides personalized, self-paced learning so students can gain authentic word knowledge and practice a variety of comprehension skills. Three half-hour sessions a week provide great gains in reading scores. The tool is the brainchild of Carla and Richard Kessler. Carla is a 25 year veteran middle grade teacher and former Title I Coordinator and Learning Specialist. Recognized for her skills in innovative curriculum with measurable results, she implemented action research for Word Lab Web in the classroom. Richard, a software engineer, is a veteran coder and IT manager. He has kept Word Lab Web on the leading edge of technology from its origins as a desktop program to its current platform in the Cloud. Join us as we not only explore lessons learned from their transition into entrepreneurship, but an overview of Word Lab Web and its success.