CARS & STARS Online is a digital reading comprehension program based around the repeated application of twelve core reading strategies to make students better readers who can analyse and interpret any text at a high level of understanding. The multi-level program is designed to be entirely paper-free, with all student answers entered directly into the software, and results being instantly recorded and corrected automatically, requiring no teacher marking. Students work at the level of their understanding, rather than year level, and teachers can teach multiple levels of comprehension in the same class at the same time.
Based on a solid research base drawn from recent advances in educational theory, CARS & STARS Online is derived from a printed reading program, the efficacy of which has been backed up by studies in the United States. CARS & STARS Online, however, includes many enhancements and benefits that are exclusive to the digital form. The program aligns with elements of the Australian National Curriculum (https://www.hb-digital.com.au/curriculum-alignment) but is designed to complement any existing curriculum or instructional program.
Students begin the program by undertaking a Placement Test that determines the most suitable reading level for them, based on ability rather than age or year level. The CARS diagnostic module determines each child’s strengths and weaknesses in the 12 reading strategies that underpin the entirety of the program, allowing tailored instruction in the same strategies in the STARS instructional module, which offers guided lessons and directions for teachers to make instruction easy and direct.
CARS & STARS Online is entirely digital for both teachers and students, and accessible from any relatively recent device with an internet connection. Teachers are able to monitor students’ devices in real time to make sure they remain on task with the Active Classroom feature (https://www.hb-digital.com.au/blog/2021/7/22/active-classrooms-anywhere), particularly useful during remote learning, and can easily see how long they have spent working on individual tasks. Detailed data and reports give teachers and administrators an unprecedented overview of the results and progress of individual students, groups, classrooms, levels and entire schools at the push of a button.
Backed up by research (https://www.hb-digital.com.au/supporting-research), accessible anywhere and giving teachers unprecedented insight into their students’ progress and difficulties before they become a problem, CARS & STARS Online is designed to make every student a better reader – all while making their teachers’ lives easier.
If you are interested in learning more about the CARS & STARS Online subscriptions and how they can help children to achieve better results, then sign up for a free trial to be an integral part of your child’s reading success.
