KOBI Achieves ESSA Tier IV Validation: Advancing Standards in Dyslexia Education

Salt Lake City, Utah - January 16 2025 - KOBI, the innovative reading app designed specifically for children with dyslexia, has achieved ESSA Tier IV validation, marking a significant milestone in its mission to meet the highest educational standards. This recognition validates KOBI's dedication to creating effective, evidence-based tools that address the unique challenges faced by children with dyslexia and other learning differences.

Children with dyslexia often require more time and support to reach academic milestones, making it critical for educational technology to target multiple areas simultaneously. KOBI rises to this challenge by combining narrated books with phonics instruction and a progressive, individualized system for acquiring new words - all within one seamless user experience. This unique approach ensures that learners not only build confidence in reading but also develop the skills necessary for long-term success.

"Our goal with KOBI has always been to provide a solution that isn't just helpful but transformative," said Ursula Lavrenčič, CEO and co-founder of Hopalai. "I take great inspiration from Daniel Kahneman's perspective on how 'expert intuition' develops through repetition and feedback - a concept especially relevant for children with dyslexia. Repetition is key for these learners, allowing them to internalize reading skills while building confidence step by step. KOBI also eliminates the time needed for preparation of materials, and its intuitive design ensures that no expert knowledge is required for effective use. It's a gift to the parents that want their dyslexic kids to become confident readers, and it's a gift for educators, who want to complement their instruction with engaged comprehension work."

KOBI's ESSA Tier IV validation underscores its commitment to using the latest research and best practices to support children with dyslexia. By focusing on areas such as word recognition, phonological awareness, and comprehension, KOBI provides a holistic reading solution that helps children overcome reading anxiety and achieve their potential.

This achievement comes at a pivotal time for the app, which has already transformed the reading experience for thousands of children in Slovenia and is now expanding to international markets, including the United States.
To learn more about KOBI and its innovative approach to dyslexia education, visit www.kobiapp.io.

About KOBI
KOBI is an award-winning reading app created to support children with dyslexia and other learning differences. By integrating expert-designed methods, KOBI provides a personalized, engaging, and effective reading experience for children worldwide.

What is ESSA?
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a landmark U.S. education law designed to ensure all students, regardless of background or ability, have access to high-quality education. Enacted in 2015, ESSA emphasizes evidence-based interventions and accountability, encouraging schools and educational tools to demonstrate measurable results in improving learning outcomes. Achieving ESSA validation, like KOBI's Tier IV recognition, signifies that a product is grounded in a strong research framework and has a well-documented rationale for its effectiveness. This validation helps educators and parents make informed choices about adopting tools that align with the act's rigorous standards for educational impact. ESSA IV evaluation of KOBI was led by the research team at International Centre for EdTech Impact (https://www.foreduimpact.org) in partnership with LearnPlatform by Instructure (https://www.instructure.com/k12/products/learnplatform/essa-badges) and initial involvement of Edtech Recharge (https://www.edtechrecharge.com/studio) More: ESSA act (https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/laws-preschool-grade-12-education/every-student-succeeds-act-essa)

Hopalai d.o.o.
Mednarodni prehod 6, 5290 Šempeter pri Gorici, Slovenia

Presscontact:
Ursula Lavrencic
CEO & Co-Founder of Hopalai
ursula@kobiapp.io
+1 512 782 4577

Hopalai is a purpose-driven educational technology company dedicated to transforming the learning experience for children with dyslexia and other learning differences. Founded in Slovenia, Hopalai creates innovative tools that empower children, support parents, and equip educators with effective solutions to tackle literacy challenges. At the heart of our mission is KOBI, an award-winning reading app that integrates expert-designed methods to improve reading fluency, confidence, and comprehension. By combining evidence-based strategies with intuitive technology, we aim to make literacy education accessible, engaging, and impactful for every child, regardless of their starting point.
Hopalai's core philosophy revolves around creating tools that reflect the highest educational standards while being simple and intuitive to use. This balance ensures that children, parents, and educators can seamlessly adopt and benefit from our solutions. By leveraging advanced technologies like AI and speech recognition, Hopalai is not just building products; it's crafting opportunities for learners to overcome challenges and unlock their full potential.