Dictionary Squared: An Online Tutor for Accelerating High School Vocabulary Learning
Information for interested Schools
We are currently inviting new schools to assist us in our research and development efforts
with Dictionary Squared, developed by a team that includes experts in language development, word
learning, reading assessment and instruction, and educational technology from the University of South
Carolina and the University of Pittsburgh.
We need classrooms for either fall or spring implementation.
How much time does it take teachers to implement the program?
 Very little: Teachers simply assign regular usage of the program as a portion of their
students Language Arts course grade. Most teachers require students to use the site for
10-15 minutes per day, 3-5 days per week, and consider this 5-10% of the course
grade.
 Whether usage is in class or as homework is up to the discretion of the teacher, but
most teachers assign usage as homework.
 Teachers receive a weekly report of each student’s usage time and progress. They may
also login to the site at any time to watch their students’ progress in real time.
Why target vocabulary knowledge in high school students?
 Vocabulary knowledge is an important component of reading comprehension, and it is
an important predictor of academic and economic success.
 Recent studies indicate that many college students lack the vocabulary knowledge
needed for success in college and the work force.
 There are few resources available to teach vocabulary to high school students, and
there is little data supporting the effectiveness of the few resources available.
What’s so great about a web-based program?
 Students can learn anywhere and anytime they have Internet access.
 Teachers can monitor students’ usage and progress anywhere and anytime they have
Internet access.
 Teachers know their students are learning vocabulary, without having to spend class
time teaching it.
 There is no software installation necessary, and software can be continuously and
automatically updated.
Features of the existing software
 Teaches word meanings using a combination of dictionary definitions, sentence
contexts from real-world printed texts, as well as video, picture, and audio contexts
 Gives students control over which words will be studied.
 Spaces word reviews over time so that learned word meanings are not forgotten
 Includes motivational features, such as points, top-ten lists, and progress analytics
If interested please contact Dr. Margaret McKeown at the University of Pittsburgh:
mckeown@pitt.edu 412 624-7068