Microsoft Reading Coach is now a standalone app and you can get it for free

Microsoft Reading Coach is a free app that was released a while ago in Microsoft Teams; the app, which was built on Reading Progress, is a tool that makes learning more fun and engaging, employing a gamification system that would allow students (and other users, as well) get all kinds of achievements.

Now, in a blog post, the Redmond-based tech giant announced it will make Microsoft Reading Coach a standalone app, and it will still be free to download, without having to access it through Microsoft Teams.

It can accessed online, on any device, including Chromebooks, and it can be downloaded as a Windows application, but it will require a Microsoft account, as the Redmond-based tech giant states:

Today, we are announcing Reading Coach as a standalone app for use in classrooms everywhere. Reading Coach is a FREE reading fluency application that provides personalized, engaging practice with safeguarded one-of-a-kind AI generated stories that keeps even the most reluctant readers coming back. It is now available for use in the classroom with a Microsoft account as a Windows application or on the web that can be accessed from any web connected device, including Chromebooks. 

Microsoft

Users can get started by accessing https://coach.microsoft.com, and following the steps there.

The app is quite popular among users for its learning games, and its fun gamification system, but the tool is still struggling to amass users, overall, despite being free.

However, this might change, as the app is standalone, and Microsoft, as usual, is adding even more exciting features to it. Plus, Microsoft Reading Coach also integrates AI capabilities, to help teachers, especially, create new stories for students that follow strict and secure guidelines.

Create a story puts the story in reader’s hands by giving them the choice of a character, setting and reading level to create a unique AI generated story each time. The AI generated story is moderated for content quality, safety and age appropriateness following Microsoft’s Responsible AI guidelines. Learners read the story in Immersive Reader accessible reading surface that has been shown to especially support struggling readers.

Microsoft

AI will also be able to analyze reading fluency, and detect which words are difficult for students to spell; based on this, the Reading Coach will come up with targeted practice lessons for each student. Microsoft says these capabilities were developed in collaboration with reading experts and are based on oral reading fluency research.

Plus, later in the Spring of 2024, teachers will be able to assign Reading Coach practice from popular Learning management systems.

You can read the whole blog post here.