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The Intelligent Reading Specialist
Powered by the Science of Reading
LUCA is an intelligent reading specialist that delivers phoneme-level oral reading assessment to virtual schools through any device, identifying specific skill gaps in real time without requiring scheduled 1:1 sessions.
Trusted by schools and backed by leading research institutions
LUCA is an intelligent reading specialist that listens to students read at the phoneme level through any internet-connected device. Unlike assessment tools adapted from in-person models, SoundScout was built to work without a specialist in the room, giving virtual educators the diagnostic precision they lost when the classroom went remote. Grounded in the Science of Reading, LUCA identifies the exact phonemic gaps slowing each student down , and builds a path forward, automatically.
Virtual schools opened access. But the assessment infrastructure was never redesigned to match.
“Have you ever tried to hear a miscue through a Zoom call and realized you simply could not tell if it was a /f/ or a /th/ error?”
“Have you ever gone home unsure which of your remote students is silently falling behind , not struggling out loud, just disappearing?”
“Have you ever wondered if virtual school was leaving your struggling readers invisible to the very data systems meant to catch them?”
“Have you ever had to schedule a 1:1 session just to assess one student , while 29 others waited for something meaningful to do?”
The assessment gap is not a teacher failure. It is a structural problem virtual schools inherited from in-person models never designed for remote learning.
LUCA was built to close that gap , not as a workaround, but as the specialist your students have never had in the room.
See how LUCA does this
Three capabilities working together give virtual educators the diagnostic depth that previously required a specialist in the room.
Phoneme-level precision
SoundScout isolates each student's voice through any standard microphone, catching the phoneme-level miscues , /f/ for /th/, silent blends missed entirely , that disappear in a video call.
Asynchronous diagnostics
Assessment happens during practice , no scheduled 1:1 sessions required. You get real-time skill-gap data across your entire roster, surfaced through the evidence base educators trust.
Anti-fatigue personalization
Patented StoryGen creates reading passages built around each student's actual interests , the only way to break screen fatigue with a screen. Students read more because they want to.
The educator dashboard shows you exactly where every student sits on their phonemic skill map , updated after every session, without you having to pull them aside. You see patterns across your full class before they become gaps you cannot close.
Phoneme-level data updated continuously. No waiting for a testing window to find out who is struggling.
Assessment happens during independent practice. Every reading session is also a diagnostic session.
Chromebook, tablet, laptop , any device your students already use for virtual school works with LUCA. No downloads, no plugins.
| Capability | LUCA (Virtual-Native) | Tools Adapted from In-Person |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment Depth | Phoneme-level (specialist precision) | Word-level (generalist) |
| Remote Precision | Optimized for home microphones | High error rate through video |
| Session Model | Asynchronous , no 1:1 scheduling | Requires live teacher time per student |
| Content Differentiation | Patented personalization (StoryGen) | Fixed content libraries |
NSF SBIR Grant
Federal research funding. Only 3% of applicants selected.
Carnegie Mellon University
Research partnership with the Language Technologies Institute.
U.S. Patent No. 12,394,332 B2
Proprietary phoneme-level assessment technology.
NewSchools Venture Fund
Portfolio company selected for educational impact and innovation.
SoundScout uses speech recognition specifically trained for reading assessment. It isolates each student's voice and identifies errors at the phoneme level through standard Chromebook or tablet microphones, catching the subtle miscues , a /f/ substituted for /th/, a silent blend dropped entirely , that disappear in a Zoom call.
No. Assessment happens during independent practice, asynchronously. LUCA gives you real-time diagnostic data across your entire roster without adding scheduled 1:1 sessions to an already stretched day.
LUCA runs on any web-connected device including Chromebooks, tablets, and laptops. No downloads or plugins are required. If a student can access their virtual classes, they can access LUCA.
LUCA does not require the bandwidth of a synchronous video call. Most students who can access their virtual classes can use LUCA without connectivity issues.
Yes. Students interact directly with LUCA, which provides guidance when they struggle. Families can view progress through a dedicated view, but they are not the instructors. LUCA is the specialist.
Yes. LUCA runs in any browser, so students reach it through your existing classroom links, Google Classroom, Schoology, or Canvas pages. Direct LMS integrations are on the product roadmap. Contact our team if you need a specific integration so we can prioritize your platform and district configuration.
Most reading programs were built for classrooms and adapted , imperfectly , for remote delivery. LUCA was built for distributed learning from the start. The assessment does not require a teacher in the room, the content adapts to each student in real time, and the data reaches you without a testing window. See the full comparison above.
See how LUCA delivers specialist-level reading support across your entire virtual roster. Start free today.
