San Fernando, Calif. (May 5, 2008) – A study by the National Research Council indicates that the process of learning to read is lengthy and begins early in life. Additional research reveals that if students are not proficient readers by the end of the third grade, they will have difficulties throughout their school careers, perform poorly in other subjects and are less likely to complete high school. The AV Tutor™ Fundamental Center from Califone International, Inc., helps students to develop core reading and literacy skills, preparing them for continued education.

The AV Tutor Fundamental Center includes the AV Tutor and six digital cartridge programs, helping educators to apply a multi-modal learning approach with beginning readers. Released in February 2008, the AV Tutor is a handheld player/recorder that allows students to compare their pronunciation of words with prerecorded “model” examples. It offers enhanced sound quality and, being a digital device, requires little maintenance.

Ideal for supplementing classroom curriculum, speech-language therapies, foreign language acquisition, and ELD/ESL applications, the device gives students an opportunity to build reading skills independently without needing access to a desktop computer. The AV Tutor plays the chosen word and then, depending on the program, uses that word within a simple sentence.

Easily adaptable for use in learning centers found in most elementary classrooms, the AV Tutor can be used out loud for small groups or when connected with a jackbox and headphones (not included), can also be used for small group differentiation while not disturbing the rest of the class. It is designed for smaller hands, and its built-in 8-second memory enables students to record, compare and contrast their own responses to the modeled sounds before moving on to the next lesson.

Incorporating the most popular card reader programs to help students connect what they see with what they hear, the AV Tutor Fundamentals Center includes six programs, including Picture Words, Phonics, Readiness, Everyday Words #1, Survival Signs, and Basic Vocabulary #1. The AV Tutor Fundamental Center, which comes with one AV Tutor and six cartridges, costs $345.

The AV Tutor is available separately for $185.00 with each digital cartridge priced at $30. Califone will continue selling its classroom-tested 2010 and 2020 CardMaster, as well as the recently launched Reader models, the predecessors to the AV Tutor program.

Designed to meet strict standards of strength and durability, the AV Tutor Fundamentals Center comes with the unique one-year Califone warranty, covering school, library and government use, a guarantee typically not available for products purchased from consumer electronics stores.

To order, contact a Califone dealer.

More Information

Visit the Califone booth (#1231) during the International Reading Association’s 53rd Annual Convention, May 4-8, 2008, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga., to see the AV Tutor and other Califone products.

For more information on the full line of Califone products designed for the education market and safe for school and library use, call 1-800-722-0500, or visit www.califone.com to view and download the entire Califone catalog.

About Califone

Califone was founded in 1947 and continues to be a leader in the design, development and manufacturing of audiovisual and supplemental curriculum products for use in education, presentation and professional markets. The company offers a complete line of audio solutions, wireless systems and multimedia products for small, medium and large presentation needs. Califone serves millions of educators and children in the PreK through higher education school environments and has expanded to serve business and industry, houses of worship, parks and recreation, and other presentation markets as well.

Contacts

Califone, Inc.
Tim Ridgway
800-722-0500 ext. 428
timr at califone dot com
www.califone.com

C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
Charlene Blohm
608-839-9800
charlene at cblohm dot com
www.cblohm.com

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