Literacy-focused company Newsela announced today the release of an iOS app that will help students of all reading abilities stay up-to-date with the news through their mobile devices.

"With the free Newsela iOS app, readers can see new articles every day from such top news sources as the Associated Press, Washington Post and Scientific American, and adjust the reading level of their articles with a simple two-finger swipe,” Newsela said in a statement.

According to Newsela’s founder and CEO Matthew Gross, the app takes advantage of the benefits of technology (design, adaptivity and mobile) to ensure all students have the opportunity to be nationally and internationally aware.

"With the Newsela iOS app, we’re bringing great news content to students at the just-right reading level on a platform that feels the most natural to them,” Gross said in a statement.

Newsela is a company focused on “unlocking literacy” for all students, and is currently used in 70 percent of schools.

More and more schools are appreciating Newsela’s adjustment of trusted news sources in five different reading levels for students in grades 2-12.

"To date, more than 650,000 teachers have assigned over 100 million Newsela articles to their students. And the students have answered more than 100 million quiz questions. Newsela is used by more than 70 percent of all U.S. public schools – a number that has doubled in the last year,” Newsela said.

Aside from providing easy access to news deliverable to students of all abilities, the app also includes options for students to track their progress.

With the app, students "can browse and search Newsela’s library of leveled articles both online and offline, take quizzes, and track and view their progress in real time. Teachers and parents can also view all assignments and aggregate data.”

Read more about the app and find out how to download here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

1/20/2016