Fast ForWord
Make fast and lasting reading gains. Literacy Elementary School (K-5) Middle School (6-8) High School (9-12) Supplemental LearningFast ForWord helps struggling readers achieve their full learning potential. This adaptive online reading program uses the science of learning to fast-track learning recovery so students can catch up to grade-level reading—for good. With our 3-in-1 approach that simultaneously builds literacy, cognitive, and social-emotional skills, students will grow their confidence in and love for reading!
Request a SampleFast ForWord is an evidence-based, personalized, and adaptive reading and language program that produces 1-2 years gains for any struggling learner in as little as 40-60 hours of use.
How Fast ForWord does it differently
Teaches executive function skills
Fast ForWord is the only reading intervention program to teach executive function skills rather than just depend on them. This explicit focus on cognitive skills means that Fast ForWord doesn’t just build better readers; it builds better learners.
Thoroughly researched and reviewed
No other reading and language intervention program has been as thoroughly researched and reviewed as Fast ForWord, with more than 55 patents in neuroscience and education and more than 300 research studies verifying its effectiveness.
Rapid student gains that last
With more exercise trials than any other reading program, Fast ForWord gives students the precise practice they need to build reading and language skills - accelerating a student’s return to Tier 1 instruction in as little as 40 hours.
Your Fast ForWord experience includes:
I am the Fast ForWord adaptive program designed for elementary students.
My purpose is to help children learn to read before they read to learn.
I am the Fast ForWord adaptive program designed for secondary students.
My purpose is to empower adolescents to become confident, college- and career-ready readers.
I am the 1-to-1, individualized reading tutor that trains fluent readers.
My purpose is to enable students to self-monitor and self-correct to become confident, fluent readers.
I am a simple-to-use platform where you can access reports, demos, and other resources.
My purpose is to help you to access and manage all of your products in one easy platform.
I am a set of guides to implement each exercise, complete with exercise overview, demo script, intervention suggestions, guidance on how to read reports, and more.
My purpose is to make sure you and your students are getting the most out of each Fast ForWord exercise.
I am a pre- and post-assessment that measures phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension.
My purpose is to record reading gains.
I am real-time data on student learning at the individual,class, school, and district level.
My purpose is to provide critical insight that helps you guide improved student outcomes.
I am a live facilitation tool that gives you real-time updates on student progress, setbacks, and activity in Fast ForWord.
My purpose is to provide in-the-moment, actionable data to better understand and support your students' specific needs.
I am an online training and certification pathway that streamlines the onboarding process, provides on-demand and live training, and offers opportunities to earn CE credit.
My purpose is to make Fast ForWord easy to implement so you and your students get the best results.
Key Features
- Personalization & Adaptivity
- Real-time Corrective Feedback
- Reporting & Progress Monitoring
- Engaging & Motivating Features
- On-demand & Easy Onboarding
Each student has a personalized learning experience that starts with being placed at their level within the Fast ForWord program. Exercises adapt to students' performance, providing precise and efficient training optimized for students' individual needs.

When working in the ClearFluency component, students receive real-time corrective feedback from a virtual personal tutor as they read aloud. Just imagine the progress students would make if there were enough teachers to work side-by-side with every single student at the same time—now it’s possible.

Administrators see school- and district-level reports to indicate which groups need more support and to highlight dramatic student gains as evidence for investment. Teachers see exercise progression and overall reading gains to know which students need targeted support and which skills their students need to develop the most. Students have easy-to-interpret progress reports of their success, motivating them to continue making gains.

Age-appropriate characters or themes, animated rewards, real-time progress meters, and other features engage students as they work on gamified exercises that adapt to students' performance. Motivated students who work on this personalized and adaptive program make rapid progress, no matter their starting point.

Teacher onboarding has never been easier with on-demand instructional videos and frequent live trainings.Thoughtfully designed instructor manuals minimize prep time and include lesson plans, exercise overviews, and ready-to-use student worksheets.

Who is Fast ForWord for?
The Fast ForWord program is probably the most effective product I have come across in my 36 years of public school work.
Bobby SimmaPrincipal
Our high school students who struggled to pass the state test were placed in Fast ForWord and Reading Assistant, and our graduation rate improved. Our dropout rate decreased as well. It’s now at 3.4 percent, which places us in the top 10 of districts in the state with the lowest dropout rates.
Jody WoodrumAssistant Superintendent for Curriculum And Instruction
In all my 30 years of education, this is the first program that I think really provides hope for the kids. Everything else was just a stopgap, but this is giving them the gift of ability, which we had thought all along you couldn’t do a lot about. Fast ForWord is the only thing I have seen that actually increases their ability to learn.
Sharon FoutsAssistant Superintendent of Schools
Having the Fast ForWord program is like having an individual tutor for each student. It also provides us with real-time data for each student, which is valuable for me and our teachers.
Joseph StadalisPrincipal
Our test scores are proof positive that Fast ForWord works.
Leonard J. ArmatoSuperintendent
Struggling Readers
The Fast ForWord program is probably the most effective product I have come across in my 36 years of public school work.
Bobby SimmaPrincipal
Tier 2 or 3 Instruction
Our high school students who struggled to pass the state test were placed in Fast ForWord and ClearFluency, and our graduation rate improved. Our dropout rate decreased as well. It’s now at 3.4 percent, which places us in the top 10 of districts in the state with the lowest dropout rates.
Jody WoodrumAssistant Superintendent for Curriculum And Instruction
Special Education
In all my 30 years of education, this is the first program that I think really provides hope for the kids. Everything else was just a stopgap, but this is giving them the gift of ability, which we had thought all along you couldn’t do a lot about. Fast ForWord is the only thing I have seen that actually increases their ability to learn.
Sharon FoutsAssistant Superintendent of Schools
English Language Learners
Having the Fast ForWord program is like having an individual tutor for each student. It also provides us with real-time data for each student, which is valuable for me and our teachers.
Joseph StadalisPrincipal
Underperforming Schools
Our test scores are proof positive that Fast ForWord works.
Leonard J. ArmatoSuperintendent
Fast ForWord is backed by 30+ years of multilevel research on the science of learning and more than 300 research studies on the software. In addition to having the most What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) studies of any reading intervention to meet evidence standards, Fast ForWord has earned the Research-Based Design Product Certification from Digital Promise. Fast ForWord meets ESSA’s highest standard of “Strong Evidence.”
Learn more about Strong Evidence



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