Feature News

DALLAS, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Voyager Expanded Learning(R) announced today a new phonics component for the company's online reading program, Ticket to Read(TM). Designed to develop foundational phonics skills with kindergarten and first grade students, this new phonics component is a vital tool teachers can access to assist older students struggling with critical word attack skills.

Basic phonic elements are introduced and then practiced or reviewed in a series of 14 instructional segments. With abundant audio and image support, the instructional design allows students to progress to reading proficiency at the earliest opportunity and at every opportunity.

"Adding a phonics component to Ticket to Read allows us to reach students who struggle with reading in the lower grades through motivating and exciting ways," says Ron Klausner, president of Voyager Expanded Learning. "Best of all, the program provides them with additional reading practice that can take place in or outside the classroom, wherever an Internet connection is available."

The new component allows students to join T.J. Ticket's Uncle Tocket and his cousin, K.T. Ticket, in a toy shop filled with wonderful, animated toys. Mysterious creatures, called Zogwogs have played tricks on Uncle Tocket and taken all the toys apart. By completing phonics activities, students earn toy parts and help Uncle Tocket put the toys back together again. K.T. Ticket serves as the student's guide, not only encouraging them along the way, but also inviting them into her special workshop where the assembled toys come to life.

Teachers will also benefit from new aspects to the assessment and progress monitoring tools used with Ticket to Read. Additions include an online scoring feature for the Reading Connected Text measure from Voyager Passport(TM) and the Voyager Universal Literacy System(R), as well as a component that allows students to record their reading of the fluency passages for their teacher to review.

Voyager Expanded Learning

Voyager Expanded Learning provides core, intervention, and supplemental reading programs, as well as math intervention and ongoing professional development programs, for school districts throughout the United States. Founded in 1994, Voyager has delivered extended-time reading and basic skills intervention programs, as well as large-scale reading and math programs, to more than 1,000 school districts in cities such as Buffalo, N.Y.; Miami; New York City; Richmond, Va.; El Paso, Texas; and Los Angeles, resulting in dramatically improved student performance. Voyager Expanded Learning, Inc. is a business unit of Voyager Learning Company (OTC: VLCY.PK) and based in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please visit www.voyagerlearning.com or call 1-888-399-1995.