Research
The evidence behind reading technology.
Scanmarker's product decisions are grounded in the science of reading and assistive technology outcomes research. Here is the evidence base we build from.
Key statistics
1 in 5
Students has dyslexia
Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting approximately 20% of the population — with reading difficulties across a spectrum of severity.
International Dyslexia Association (2023)
70%
Of students with dyslexia are not identified before grade 3
Most students with dyslexia are not formally identified until third grade or later, often after years of grade-level struggle that affects their confidence and reading identity.
NCLD State of Learning Disabilities Report (2024)
5.3M
Students receive special education services for reading disabilities in the US
Under IDEA, over 5 million K-12 students receive special education services in categories directly related to reading and learning disabilities.
U.S. Department of Education IDEA Data Center (2023)
31%
Increase in reading rate with assistive technology
A systematic review of AT interventions found a mean 31% improvement in reading rate when AT tools including read-aloud technology were used consistently over one academic semester.
Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits (ATOB), Vol. 16, 2023
2x
Greater comprehension gains with immediate word-level audio support
Students using word-level audio support (where individual words are spoken on request) showed twice the comprehension gains versus those with paragraph-level audio support only.
Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2022
87%
Of ELL students benefit from translated read-aloud in early content learning
For English language learners in content-area subjects, access to simultaneous translation during reading tasks is associated with significantly higher content retention.
American Educational Research Association, 2023
Research context
Structured literacy and phonics instruction
The science of reading is clear: structured literacy — explicit, systematic phonics instruction — produces the best outcomes for students with dyslexia and struggling readers. The National Reading Panel (2000) and subsequent meta-analyses confirm that phonics instruction is the most effective approach for at-risk readers. Scanmarker's phonics module is designed to reinforce these principles in the real-text environment, not just in isolated phonics practice.
Independence as a learning outcome
Research on assistive technology consistently finds that the most durable academic benefit is not the accommodation itself — it is the increase in student willingness to attempt challenging tasks. A 2021 study in the Journal of Special Education Technology found that students using self-directed AT were 40% more likely to engage with above-grade-level texts than those relying on human-mediated accommodations.
Exam accommodations and standardized testing
Read-aloud accommodations are among the most commonly requested and granted IEP accommodations in the US. Research supports their use: a 2022 meta-analysis found that read-aloud accommodations close approximately 60% of the score gap between students with and without reading disabilities on content-area assessments — while having minimal effect on scores for students without reading disabilities, supporting their use as a targeted accommodation.
See outcomes in real schools
Research findings are one thing — results in actual classrooms are another. Read how schools are using Scanmarker to move the needle on reading outcomes.
Read case studies