EyeRAS - THE EYEGAZE READING ASSESSMENT SOLUTION

The EyeRAS System offers an innovative approach to the assessment of reading problems in children. EyeRAS allows eye movements to be recorded and measured while elementary school students read passages from standardized texts displayed on computer monitors.

Previous research has shown that the development of reading ability in children can be correlated with the duration of eye fixations and the frequency and type of saccadic eye movements during reading.

EyeRAS, however, offers several advantages in comparison to previous studies. With EyeRAS there are no attachments to the head or body. It can be used in a normal classroom setting, can be used with standardized reading tests to more accurately correlate eye movement data with reading performance, and allows the on-line recording of errors. Subsequent analysis of eye movement data allows normal and impaired readers to be compared using parameters such as fixation duration, frequency of forward saccades, frequency of reversed saccades, and accuracy in targeting text characters.

LC Technologies, in collaboration with university researchers and reading specialists, has been conducting pilot studies involving elementary school students since 1995. In addition to our past pilot studies, we are currently involved in an extensive long-range project in collaboration with an entire school district in Pennsylvania. The use of EyeRAS for assessing reading problems in children is not expected to replace standardized reading tests. It is expected, however, to supplement standardized testing by providing biological measures of cognitive processing during reading that may help differentiate types of reading disorders. In addition, EyeRAS can provide longitudinal assessments of learning during remediation programs.