Swiftwater, PA (PRWEB) July 27, 2012

As the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in one of the most diverse school districts in Pennsylvania, Dr. Catherine Sweeney needed a way to boost the progress of her high-risk student population. Then, one of her teachers discovered StudyDog, an interactive reading program designed for elementary schools.

Our students were not making any type of progress, Sweeney explained. We have to prepare our students for them to be successful in the 21st century. I think the key is that you need to keep up with technology.

The Pocono Mountain School District faced several challenges with more than half of the districts roughly 10,000 students economically disadvantaged. About 21 percent of the students had learning disabilities and 5 percent were learning English for the first time.

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Forty percent of kindergarteners in the Pocono Mountain School District did not possess basic phonemic skills when they entered the school system last fall. The lack of those basic skills makes it incredibly difficult for students to learn phonics at the primary level. But using Web-based software from StudyDog, teachers tailored interactive learning programs to the specific needs of each child.

We have been extremely pleased with the program, Sweeney said.

After testing StudyDog last spring in classes for children with special needs, administrators rolled out the program for all students in kindergarten through second grade.