Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group brand, is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a leader in science of reading-based solutions. Since its founding in 1984, Lexia has grown from a small home-based business in Lincoln, Massachusetts, to a company with nearly 1,000 employees currently serving more than 6.8 million students and over 620,000 educators across more than 23,000 schools nationwide.
Lexia was founded by the late Bob Lemire, an investment adviser and land-use consultant whose son had been diagnosed with dyslexia. Lemire realized many other children with reading difficulties did not have the resources and guidance he’d been able to provide for his son. He founded Lexia with the help of technology expert Dr. Littleton Meeks and Dr. Edwin Cole, a noted neurologist, head of the Reading Clinic at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and founder of several schools for students with dyslexia.
“Back then, leveraging technology for explicit, systematic, and personalized instruction was a novel concept for schools and educators. It was out on the fringes,” said Lexia President, Nick Gaehde who joined the company as its head in 2005.
Nevertheless, in the year following its founding, Lexia won a major grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to fund product research, design, and development. The company’s efforts were so successful that in 1992, it expanded its focus from students with dyslexia to all beginning and struggling readers. Over the years, it has added both classroom and professional development resources to help educators successfully deliver literacy education based on the science of reading research.
“The fact that we have remained completely focused on literacy makes us unlike anyone else,” stated Gaehde. The company has made several strategic decisions that have strengthened and refined its focus on literacy over the years. Among those strategic milestones was first joining with language learning system creator Rosetta Stone Inc. in 2013, and then becoming part of education technology and services provider Cambium Learning Group in 2020, and integrating with reading intervention provider Voyager Sopris Learning. “In terms of technology companies, Lexia is now one of the biggest literacy providers in the market,” said Gaehde.
Lexia has consistently researched the efficacy of its products for more than three decades, resulting in a 2018 “Strong” rating, the highest standard of evidence as defined by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). “Our team is highly dedicated and has provided the most effective products for students and educators in today’s classrooms,” said Gaehde. “They have consistently done an absolutely phenomenal job of providing teachers with the knowledge they need to improve student outcomes.”
Over the decades, the company has introduced technologies to make its science of reading-based approach easier to administer in classrooms. Three particularly noteworthy milestones are the company’s launch of its adaptive learning model in 2007, its introduction of the Lexia Assessment Without Testing real-time evaluation feature in 2015 (patented in 2017), and its addition of the LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) comprehensive professional learning solution as part of the Lexia brand family in 2022.
As the company has enhanced its technologies and expertise, it has upgraded its suite of Lexia products and services. Current offerings include:
- Lexia Core5 Reading, to support differentiated literacy instruction for students of all abilities in grades pre-K–5
- Lexia PowerUp Literacy, to help struggling and nearly-proficient readers in grades 6-12
- Lexia Academy professional learning courses for educators covering grades K–6 to support students’ English language development through academic conversations
- Lexia English Language Development, supports Emergent Bilingual students’ English language acquisition through academic conversations
- Lexia LETRS provides early childhood and elementary educators and administrators with comprehensive professional learning on the science of reading
- Lexia Aspire Professional Learning, introduced in 2023 to help educators understand and apply the science of reading in grades 4-8 to accelerate students’ literacy skills
Currently, the company’s major objective is further helping educators to understand and apply the science of reading. “Our top priority now is to make sure that what teachers are learning through their professional development translates into classroom practice, and that classroom practice translates into student performance,” Gaehde said.
“It always comes back to the individual,” he continued. “If you think about a second grader who started using a Lexia product back in 1984, where is that individual now? And where would they be without the support they were given? As much as we talk about the broad impact, it always comes back to the kind of impact we’ve had on individual lives.”
About Lexia
Lexia®, a Cambium Learning Group brand, is a leader in science of reading-based solutions. For 40 years, the company has focused on pre-K-12 literacy and today provides solutions for students and educators. With a complete offering of professional learning, curriculum, and embedded assessment, Lexia helps more learners read, write, and speak with confidence. For more information, visit www.lexialearning.com.
About Cambium Learning Group
Cambium Learning Group is the education essentials company, providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 educators and students. With an intentional collection of respected global brands, Cambium serves as a leader, helping millions of educators and students feel more seen, valued, and supported every day. In everything it does, the company focuses on the elements that are most essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a meaningful difference right now.
To learn more, visit www.cambiumlearning.com or follow Cambium on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The Cambium family of brands includes: Cambium Assessment, Lexia®, Learning A-Z®, Voyager Sopris Learning®, ExploreLearning®, Time4Learning®, and Kurzweil Education®.
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