Soliloquy Reading Program 
Last year, the Foundation was honored to award a number of grants for truly innovative programs and projects within the Whitman Hanson Regional School District.
Among these grants was the Soliloquy Reading Assistant Program. Maquan Elementary School teachers, led by grant applicant Patricia Tokarz, were awarded money to fund the Soliloquy Reading Assistant.
Soliloquy Reading Assistant is a software program that combines speech recognition and verification technology with reading research and educational science to help students develop fluency. Tokarz, a special education teacher at Maquan explained that “Fluency is one of the five key components of reading, along with Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, Vocabulary and Comprehension. This program allows students to practice oral reading independently, and provides teachers with the opportunity to monitor progress.”
The program is available at both the Maquan Elementary School and the Indian Head School, and combines cutting-edge speech recognition technology with traditional reading lessons, creating, as Tokarz explains “a supportive atmosphere for students of all reading abilities to utilize technology in order to improve their fluency. This program allows students the opportunity to improve their reading skills through a fun, interactive media.”
The program can be utilized by all students as part of the classroom curriculum and will also be used as part of the Summer Enrichment Program at Maquan.