A first look at RGR Nova

About RGR Nova

What is RGR Nova? Is it a new platform, or will it work with the programs we already use?

RGR Nova™, the Literacy Outcomes System (LitOS™), is a new platform that brings the RGR programs you already use into one connected system: Launchpad, Countdown, Blast, HD Word, Boost and Orbit. You keep the same lessons and routines you know. Teacher presentation tools, student practice, rostering, the Intelligent Diagnostic and reporting now live in one place.

Current RGR customer? See what RGR Nova means for your district and connect with your RGR Engagement Manager.

Will RGR Nova replace Countdown, Blast, HD Word or our other programs?

No. Launchpad, Countdown, Blast, HD Word, Boost and Orbit all move to RGR Nova with the same lessons and routines, in an upgraded platform experience. What goes away are the separate logins: the Grouping Matrix, presentation tools and student practice come together under one login.

Current RGR customer? See what RGR Nova means for your district and connect with your RGR Engagement Manager.

Is RGR Nova for whole-group Tier 1 instruction or for intervention?

Both. In PK–3, RGR Nova supports your whole-group Tier 1 instruction with the lessons you teach today, and it helps you group students for small-group support. RGR Nova for Intervention, Grades 4–8, adds targeted intervention across three strands: Phonics & Morphology, Language for Comprehension and Written Expression.

Is instruction still teacher-led?

Yes. RGR Nova is teacher-led, face-to-face instruction, never a self-paced computer program. Teachers lead explicit daily lessons while students work with hands-on tools like Letter Tiles, SyllaBoards™ and MorphBoards™, and with print workbooks. The technology handles grouping behind the scenes and adds 10–15 minutes of targeted digital practice to reinforce what the teacher just taught.

Will our materials change? Will printed Teacher Guides and student workbooks still be available?

For PK–3, the lessons, student workbooks and hands-on tools stay the same, and you can choose a package that includes a printed Teacher Guide. RGR Nova for Intervention, Grades 4–8, includes new Teacher Guides for its three strands, with teacher support built into every lesson.

Current RGR customer? See what RGR Nova means for your district and connect with your RGR Engagement Manager.

What grades does RGR Nova serve? What about high school?

At launch, RGR Nova serves PK–8: the PK–3 foundational programs plus RGR Nova for Intervention, Grades 4–8. Intervention is built to adapt up to grade 12, with age-respectful content for older students, and we'll share our high school timeline as it develops.

Timing, cost and purchasing

When will our classrooms move to RGR Nova? Do we have to use it now?

Not yet. Your current programs stay fully supported through the 2026–27 school year, so there are no mid-year changes. Your classrooms can move to RGR Nova for the 2027–28 school year, and your RGR Engagement Manager will plan the timing with you.

Current RGR customer? See what RGR Nova means for your district and connect with your RGR Engagement Manager.

Will RGR Nova cost us more? Is it an additional purchase?

Not if you commit to renew by Spring 2027. RGR Nova is included with your existing programs at no extra charge. RGR Nova for Intervention, Grades 4–8, is a separate purchase.

Current RGR customer? See what RGR Nova means for your district and connect with your RGR Engagement Manager.

The Grouping Matrix has been free. Is the Intelligent Diagnostic included?

Yes. The Intelligent Diagnostic is included with RGR Nova at no extra cost, and the current Grouping Matrix stays supported through the 2026–27 school year.

Current RGR customer? See what RGR Nova means for your district and connect with your RGR Engagement Manager.

Reading Playground and student practice

What happens to the Reading Playground?

For 2026–27, nothing changes. Starting in 2027–28, student practice moves inside RGR Nova, so students practice under the same login instead of on a separate site. Students still get 10–15 minutes of interactive practice and games.

Current RGR customer? See what RGR Nova means for your district and connect with your RGR Engagement Manager.

Will teachers still need to unlock Playground units by hand?

No. Because lessons and practice are connected in RGR Nova, the platform automatically unlocks and assigns practice based on the skills you just taught. Teachers stay in control and can adjust assignments anytime.

Can students see their own results?

Yes. During practice and Quick Checks, students get immediate feedback and can see the skills they're mastering, which builds confidence and ownership. During the diagnostic, scores stay hidden from students to avoid test anxiety, and teachers see the full breakdown on their dashboard.

The Intelligent Diagnostic

What replaces the Grouping Matrix?

The Intelligent Diagnostic and your Class Dashboard. Students take one adaptive diagnostic, about 30 minutes, on their own devices, and RGR Nova recommends groups and starting points as results come in. Oral reading is captured through headsets, and teachers can listen to recordings or give a quick oral or paper check whenever a student needs a closer look. Teachers can accept or adjust every recommendation.

Do we have to give the diagnostic? Can teachers choose lessons themselves?

The diagnostic isn't required. For whole-group Tier 1, you can keep moving through lessons in order, just like today. Teachers can always choose lessons and form their own groups. When you want it, the diagnostic pinpoints each student's skill gaps and recommends groups and starting points.

Should every student take the diagnostic, or only those flagged on our screener?

Either one works. You can give it only to students your universal screener flags, or give it more broadly. Because it's adaptive, proficient readers show mastery and finish quickly, and the diagnostic goes deeper only where a student shows a gap.

We already screen three times a year, so we know who's behind. What would this tell us that our screener doesn't?

A three-times-a-year screener is great for showing you which students are below benchmark, and RGR Nova includes a Lexile® measure to anchor that data. What a benchmark screener doesn't tell you is why a student is struggling or what an educator should teach next. Two students can have the same reading score and need completely different instruction. In about 30 minutes, RGR Nova's adaptive diagnostic looks beneath that overall score across phonics and morphology, language for comprehension and written expression to pinpoint the exact sub-skill where a student's reading breaks down, whether that's multisyllabic decoding or understanding complex sentences. Then, instead of handing teachers a spreadsheet, RGR Nova suggests small groups around the exact skills students are ready to learn next, maps them to a ready-to-teach lesson, and updates their skill profiles through embedded Quick Checks, so teachers don't have to wait until the next screening window to see student growth.

Can RGR Nova serve as our beginning-of-year (BOY) benchmark? How often do we assess?

RGR Nova includes a MetaMetrics® Lexile® benchmark for the beginning, middle and end of the year, alongside the adaptive diagnostic. Between benchmarks, short weekly Quick Checks keep each student's skill profile up to date without extra testing. Whether RGR Nova can replace a state-mandated universal screener depends on your state's approved list.

What if students rush or click through the diagnostic?

The diagnostic has three safeguards. Key parts require oral reading, typed spelling and sentence combining, so students can't just click answers. The scoring engine checks whether answers make sense across related skills, which filters out lucky guesses and careless slips. Teachers also see decision logs and audio recordings, so they can adjust a placement or re-check a student.

Progress monitoring, grouping and data

How does progress monitoring work?

Progress monitoring is built in, so you never have to stop instruction to run separate tests. Short weekly Quick Checks at the end of lessons and during practice update each student's skill profile automatically. A whole class can take them at once on their own devices, using headsets for oral reading. Fluency is tracked the same way, covering accuracy, rate and prosody, so no separate fluency tool is needed. For grades 4–8, comprehension progress is monitored through embedded checks in the Language for Comprehension strand, covering vocabulary depth, sentence-level syntax and connected text, alongside beginning-, middle- and end-of-year Lexile® comprehension benchmarks.

Will RGR Nova group students for me?

Yes. A few minutes after students finish the diagnostic, RGR Nova groups students who need the same skills and queues up the right lesson for each group. As students move at different speeds, it suggests group updates based on their Quick Checks, and you can move students with a click anytime.

What happens to our student data? Will Grouping Matrix data or data from other systems carry over?

Once your classrooms move to RGR Nova, student data builds from year to year. Each student's skill profile and progress history carry forward, so teachers can see how students have grown over time. Data from the current platform doesn't transfer, so export any history you want to keep before you move, as you would at the end of any school year.

Current RGR customer? See what RGR Nova means for your district and connect with your RGR Engagement Manager.

Will Clever and ClassLink still work?

Yes. RGR Nova supports Clever, ClassLink, most other student information systems, Google Sheets or CSV files, and manual rostering.

State approval and professional learning

Will RGR Nova be on our state's approved list for screening, progress monitoring or vendors?

RGR Nova is built at the skill level, so it aligns to any state's standards and scope and sequence. State approval is a top priority, and we're working through state submission windows as we prepare for our Back-to-School 2027 launch. Your RGR Engagement Manager can share where things stand in your state.

Do teachers need new professional learning?

For PK–3, the lessons and routines are the same, so experienced RGR teachers have a shorter path to get started. In-app steps guide teachers from setup through their first diagnostic, and short, self-paced modules cover every instructional routine. Professional learning is built into every lesson.

Current RGR customer? See what RGR Nova means for your district and connect with your RGR Engagement Manager.

Can administrators see professional learning completion? Will teachers get certificates?

Yes, the Admin Dashboard shows administrators which professional learning modules teachers have completed, alongside implementation and student growth data. We'll share details on completion certificates and continuing education unit (CEU) documentation closer to launch.