Year after year, Microsoft continues to make improvements and innovation. A few years ago, Microsoft created Immersive Reader and it was a hit. This tool had it all: a read aloud aspect, the ability to show parts of speech, a picture dictionary, translation into 60+ languages. You could also change font size, use a line reader, split up syllables, change background color. I could go on about this free tool that’s available in so many other great programs. You could even say that this is one of the greatest educational innovations ever…but I want you to pause and think about the innovation I am about to share with you.

What if I told you there was a program built within Microsoft Teams that could track and support reading fluency. Teaching reading is always challenging since not every student responds the same way. Also doing reading fluency tests takes time and as a classroom teacher, your time is limited. A program like this would pique your interests. If you are a reading teacher, you might even start to tear up. As you know, finding meaningful formative ways to assess your students throughout the year regarding their reading is hard. Running records takes time, doing F and P’s takes time, and doing a Dibels takes time, and this time has to come from somewhere. Most of the time, it comes from your classroom teaching time or someone else is going to have to either teach your classroom or do the aforementioned programs for you.

Enter Reading Progress

Reading Progress is that tool. Microsoft created Reading Progress to work inside of Teams as an assignment. It can be that running record for you that you can go and reference later. Fluency checks as a teacher have never been more effective. As a teacher, we always worry about trying to balance the reading checks with the needs of our classroom instruction. This tool allows you to create that balance.

How does Reading Progress work you ask? Great question! By using a laptop camera and microphone, your students will record their reading on camera and submit it. As a teacher you can upload a single reading fluency passage for the class, or you can use a number of different passages for your students based on their previous reading level. The students would find their assignment in Teams and open it open and follow the directions. The assignment will prompt them through how to complete the assignment, which involves reading the passage out loud and the computer will create a recording of the reading for the teacher. As the teacher, you have the ability to either manually mark the mistakes or use auto-detect. Auto-detect is optional but what it can do is mark the mispronunciations, insertions, omission, self-corrections and repetition. The best part of Reading Progress is that as a teacher, you can have the students complete this and then you can go in and review their reading later.

Doing diagnostic tests does take time and I remember as the classroom teacher I would want to hear/see where the students were in their reading ability. By using Reading Progress, it records the students, gives basic assessments and then you can review the data when you have the time. Most importantly, you don’t lose the time in front of your students.

Check out the video below.

To access this free tool built into our Microsoft Teams, follow these directions.

If you would like to take a quick course on Reading Progress, go to the Microsoft Education Center and take the course.

As a teacher, I was always looking to save time and maximize my time teaching. Reading Progress in Microsoft Teams is a tool I would have been all over.  Since I have left the classroom, my mission has been trying to help teachers regain time teaching and I believe this tool can do that. Let me know what you think in the comments below.​​