Reading Coach – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Reading Coach

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app

92%

WISE Score

A private, AI-powered reading tutor that turns phonics practice into a 'choose your own adventure' story without the usual educational-app fluff.

Reading Coach

app

92%

WISE Score

A private, AI-powered reading tutor that turns phonics practice into a 'choose your own adventure' story without the usual educational-app fluff.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

Reading Coach is a rare example of AI being used for the right reasons in education. Instead of writing the essay for the kid, it acts as a patient, non-judgmental listener that helps them build the foundational skill of decoding. It's essentially a free, private tutor that doesn't get tired of hearing a seven-year-old stumble through 'pterodactyl.'

Because Microsoft has been aggressive about data privacy here—processing voice locally and keeping stories private—it’s a safe bet for intentional families. It’s not a 'game' in the sense of Roblox or Minecraft, so don't expect them to beg for it, but as a tool for 15 minutes of daily practice, it’s significantly better than the standard 'drill-and-kill' software schools usually assign.

Age Fit

Perfect for early readers (ages 5-8) building confidence, but equally useful for older kids or ESL learners who need a low-stakes environment to practice fluency without judgment.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Calm, focused, and entirely devoid of the 'gamified' anxiety or manipulative dopamine loops found in most educational apps. It centers the relationship between the learner and the text.

Imaginative

The 'choose your own adventure' AI story generation gives kids agency over the narrative, though the AI-authored text can occasionally feel a bit formulaic or 'safe'.

Safe

Enterprise-grade privacy from Microsoft Education. Voice data is processed locally on the device, and they don't use student data to train their models. No ads, no social layer, no nonsense.

Enriching

Directly targets reading fluency—the bridge between decoding and comprehension. The real-time feedback on pronunciation is a high-value use of AI that doesn't replace thinking but supports it.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Real-time feedback on pronunciation helps kids self-correct without the embarrassment of a human teacher hovering over them.
Agency-driven stories allow kids to pick characters and settings, which is a huge win for reluctant readers who find standard basal readers boring.
Privacy-first design means voice data stays on the device, solving the 'creepy AI' problem that plagues most modern ed-tech.
Targets the 'Fluency' strand of literacy, helping kids bridge the gap between sounding out words and actually understanding the story.

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What to Watch For

The AI-generated stories can sometimes have that 'uncanny valley' feel—the grammar is perfect but the soul is a little thin.
It requires a Microsoft account (personal or school), which might be a friction point if you're a Google or Apple household.
It doesn't replace comprehension conversation; the AI knows if they said the word right, but it doesn't necessarily know if they understood the plot.

Conversation Starters

"Which character did you pick for your story today, and why did they end up in that setting?"
"Were there any 'struggle words' that the coach caught that you thought you actually knew?"
"Do you like reading to the AI coach better than reading out loud in class?"
"If you could write the next chapter of that AI story yourself, what would happen next?"

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