Tales2Go Partners With MetaMetrics to Add Lexile Measures to Its Award-Winning Audio Book Service

Individual Titles on Tales2Go Will Now Have Lexile Measures to Assist Educators When Selecting Just-Right Titles for Their Students


DURHAM, NC--(Marketwired - Mar 26, 2014) - Tales2Go Inc., a leading provider of audio books for early childhood programs and primary schools, announces today a new partnership with MetaMetrics® to add Lexile® measures to the Tales2Go service. In the same way that Lexile measures help educators find the right book for a student to read, the measure can also be used as an important reference point to help find the right book for a student to listen to, in that audio books are an effective scaffold to allow students to 'read' above their actual level.

Tales2Go is a Netflix-like subscription service that streams thousands of name-brand audio book titles from popular publishers to desktops, laptops and mobile devices in the classroom and beyond, giving users instant, unlimited and simultaneous access. For the first time, a teacher can assign the same audio book to an entire class or grade.

"Adding Lexile measures to Tales2Go is a great step forward for us," said Tales2Go Co-Founder and CEO, William Weil. "The Common Core State Standards requires students to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. By unburdening students from having to decode, students can access complex text up to two full grade levels above their current reading level. Literacy experts have long understood that students need to be good listeners in order to become good readers; various research has shown there is a link between listening, vocabulary acquisition and retention and proficient reading."

"We're delighted to make Lexile measures available on the Tales2Go service," said Eleanor E. Sanford-Moore, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Research and Development. "Listening is a critical skill for 21st century college and career-ready students. Listening comprehension is critical to reading comprehension, since listening comprehension is language ability (i.e., vocabulary and fluency) and background knowledge. To become proficient readers, children need to be exposed to a rich vocabulary of words, with multiple repetitions and exposures. We're excited to partner with Tales2Go on expanding the use of Lexile measures to inform audio book selection and improve student reading ability through listening and scaffolded support."

Tales2Go supports the development of literacy skills during the most critical early childhood and elementary years, when students acquire a foundation of vocabulary and fluency necessary for academic success. Listening skills are given special emphasis within the Common Core State Standards, and are put on equal footing with reading, writing and speaking. The Tales2Go service is used differently across ages and grade levels, ranging from individual to group use with or without physical books in hand.

For more information on Tales2Go, please visit: www.tales2go.com

About Tales2Go:
Tales2Go is a Netflix-like service that streams thousands of name-brand audio book titles from leading publishers to desktops, laptops and mobile devices in the classroom and beyond. The Company has innovated on both the delivery and business model of distributing audio books to schools, early childhood programs and parents, giving users instant, unlimited and simultaneous access to its full catalog. Literacy experts have long understood that children need to be good listeners in order to become good readers since proficient reading is a combination of listening comprehension (i.e. vocabulary and fluency) and decoding skills. Tales2Go offers piloting opportunities as well as monthly and annual subscription plans, including bulk pricing for schools. More information at www.tales2go.com.

About MetaMetrics
MetaMetrics is focused on improving education for learners of all ages and ability levels. The organization develops scientific measures of academic achievement and complementary technologies that link assessment results with real-world instruction. MetaMetrics' products and services for reading (The Lexile® Framework for Reading, El Sistema Lexile® para Leer), mathematics (The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics) and writing (The Lexile® Framework for Writing) provide unique insights about academic ability and the potential for growth, enabling individuals to achieve their goals at every stage of development. Connect with the organization at: http://blog.lexile.com

Contact Information:

Tales2Go Press Contact:
Jacob Hanson
PR with Panache!
Jacob@prwithpanache.com

MetaMetrics Press Contact:
Elizabeth Lattanzio
Marketing Manager
elattanzio@lexile.com