How we write and check our reading pages

Who writes the content?

Every article is written and edited by the Literacy Trail team, the same people who build the app. We sign the pages as a team because that is who wrote them. We do not invent named authors or credentials. If a page is ever reviewed by an outside reading specialist, the page will name that person and say what they reviewed.

How are the articles researched?

Each article starts from published research and public guidance: reports such as the National Reading Panel (2000), the What Works Clearinghouse practice guides, and peer-reviewed studies. Every article lists the sources it relies on, with links to the study or report itself, so a reader can check a claim. When we give a number, it comes from a named source or from our own data, and the page says which.

We describe methods in our own words. We do not copy text, word lists, passages, tables or activities from books or commercial programs, and an automated check compares our articles against the reference books we use, to catch any long phrase that matches.

Articles are written for a stated reader: teachers, parents, or both. Pages for parents are kept to plain language. We check every page for jargon, padding and the stock phrases that make writing hard to trust.

How are the word lists built?

• Words come from our lexicon of about 19,000 English words, each checked against a pronouncing dictionary and split into its letter-sound units, so a list of words where ch says /k/ never includes a word where it says /ch/.
• The note "readable after lesson N" comes from our decodability engine, which checks every letter-sound unit in a word against the order a lesson sequence teaches them.
• Words a student sees in our assessments and progress checks are left out of every public list, so practicing from a list never teaches the test.
• A list page is published only when it has enough real words and enough page-specific explanation to be useful on its own.

How do we correct errors?

If you find a mistake, such as a word in the wrong list, a wrong number, or a source that does not say what we claim, please tell us on the contact page. A person reads every message. We fix confirmed errors, and when a correction changes what an article says, we change its updated date.

What do we never do?

• We never diagnose. No page, list or tool on this site can tell you whether a student has dyslexia or any other condition. Pages about reading difficulties describe signs and next steps and point to a qualified professional for an evaluation.
• We never use program trademarks to describe our own content, and we never claim that a page is aligned with, endorsed by or part of a commercial program. Where a page names a program, it is only to say what the page relates to, with a notice that we are independent.
• We never publish items from our assessments or progress checks.
• We never present our product as the answer inside an article. An article may mention a free tool or the app once, where it helps the reader.

Who are the pages for?

Teachers, tutors, reading specialists and parents who teach reading. The pages explain methods and give practice material. They are not a substitute for the advice of a teacher or specialist who knows the student.