Literacy Leap is an adaptive reading practice platform built specifically for adult ESL learners preparing for CASAS STEPS assessments. Students work through real-world documents — forms, emails, schedules, labels, workplace memos, and more — with a supportive AI reading coach that builds comprehension through guided questioning, not answer-giving.
Built by an adult education teacher with direct experience in ESL and literacy instruction, Literacy Leap is designed around what actually works in the adult ed classroom: calm interfaces, brief interactions, real-world content, and practice that feels like preparation for life — not just a test.
Each practice session includes three adaptive reading passages aligned to CASAS STEPS Levels A through E. Students read authentic document types — the same forms, charts, signs, articles, and labels they encounter on the actual CASAS STEPS Reading test — and answer comprehension questions targeting the skills CASAS measures: finding details, identifying main ideas, making inferences, and understanding vocabulary in context.
When a student answers incorrectly, the AI reading coach (called SAGE) guides them back to the passage using Socratic questioning. SAGE never gives the answer away. Instead, it redirects the student to the evidence, narrows their focus, and — if needed — models how to connect passage evidence to meaning. Students always have the option to ask for a hint or see the answer on their own terms.
Teachers get real-time insight into student reading levels, skill progress, and areas for growth — without adding grading or prep time. Literacy Leap tracks performance across reading skills (details, main idea, inference, vocabulary) and adapts each session to the student's current level. Teachers can see which students are ready for promotion, which need support, and where the class stands overall.
Most CASAS test prep is static: PDFs, worksheets, or quiz banks with answer keys. Literacy Leap is adaptive. The platform adjusts passage difficulty within each session based on student performance. Students who are doing well get challenged with harder content. Students who are struggling get support — easier passages, familiar document types, and confidence-building questions — automatically.
The passage bank covers all five CASAS STEPS levels (A through E) with content spanning all CASAS competency areas: basic communication, consumer economics, community resources, health, employment, and government and law. Every passage is written to CASAS STEPS blueprint specifications, with metadata including Lexile estimates, DOK levels, content standards, and competency codes.
Level A targets beginning literacy and low beginning ESL learners with short, familiar document types like signs, simple forms, and labels. Level B builds on this with workplace emails, schedules, and community flyers. Level C introduces longer texts, inference questions, and more complex document formats. Level D includes workplace memos, policy documents, and multi-step forms. Level E challenges advanced learners with comparative articles, dense informational texts, and questions requiring analysis of author purpose and supporting evidence.
Literacy Leap is designed for WIOA-funded adult education programs, community colleges, and nonprofit literacy organizations that use CASAS STEPS for NRS reporting. The platform supports teachers in helping students achieve measurable skill gains on the reading skills that CASAS STEPS assesses, aligned to the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) for Adult Education.
Start a free trial or learn more at literacyleap.app.