Eyad Darawsheh Appointed General Manager of Miqyas Al Dhad, a new and definitive reading scale for Modern Standard Arabic
DURHAM, N.C. and ABU DHABI, UAE, Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- MetaMetrics®, the developer of the Lexile® Framework for Reading, and Alef Education, a global leader in educational technology based in the UAE, are proud to introduce Miqyas Al Dhad, a groundbreaking Arabic reading scale powered by the Lexile Framework for Reading. "Miqyas" means "measurement" in English, and "Al Dhad" refers to the letter sound unique to the Arabic language, often symbolizing its linguistic and cultural identity. This new scale is designed to improve Arabic literacy across the Arab world and beyond, joining the well-established Lexile reading scales for English and Spanish.
The Miqyas Al Dhad reading scale is poised to transform Arabic literacy education by providing a universal measure of both text complexity and student reading ability in Modern Standard Arabic. By aligning books and educational materials with learners' reading levels, this innovative Framework will allow educators to create personalized learning pathways and offer actionable insights to support students in developing their Arabic reading skills.
Brad Baumgartner, CEO of MetaMetrics, said, "The development of Miqyas Al Dhad represents a significant milestone in our mission to support literacy globally. With Arabic being a rapidly growing second language in the United States and spoken by hundreds of millions across the world, this new Framework will benefit students in the Arab world as well as U.S. students. We are excited to bring the same proven, research-based approach that has been so successful for English and Spanish learners."
Miqyas Al Dhad is designed to provide a standardized measure that reflects the unique linguistic and cultural nuances of the Arab world, helping policymakers address educational challenges and accelerate the transition to a more collaborative and flexible Arabic learning system. The scale transforms the ability of policymakers and educators to provide actionable insights for parents, teachers, and learners. With text difficulty on the same scale as student ability, it's possible to target the right materials for instructional activities and reading at home, which optimizes learning Arabic at the individual level.
"We are committed to leveraging our expertise and solutions to drive the development of
the educational system, particularly in learning the Arabic language. This appointment of Eyad Darawesh as General Manager marks a significant milestone in our mission to empower Arabic speakers everywhere with the skills they need to thrive in the modern world," said Will Lock, Chief Growth Officer at Alef Education.
Eyad Darawsheh has been appointed to lead the ongoing development and adoption of Miqyas Al Dhad. He brings over 20 years of experience in education and technology across the Middle East and globally. His leadership will be instrumental in promoting the scale's use across schools and educational systems, empowering Arabic-speaking learners with a tool that links reading assessments and materials to individual learning needs.
"I am honored to lead this unparalleled initiative. It is exciting to think that we are enabling our entire ecosystem to develop and tailor exactly the right resources to learners and propel their love and competency for Arabic. Significant progress has already been made and I'm excited to join as we begin the field testing," said Eyad Darawsheh, General Manager of Miqyas Al Dhad.
About MetaMetrics, Inc.
MetaMetrics Brings Meaning to Measurement.
MetaMetrics is guided by a powerful north star—to support student growth through actionable learning measurement. Over the last 40 years, MetaMetrics' staff of educators, psychometricians, and policy leaders have developed learning frameworks that now support over 35 million students in the US. More than half of the K-12 students in the US receive Lexile® and Quantile® measures and over a hundred million pieces of content have corresponding measures. MetaMetrics was founded in 1984 with the singular goal of making measurement meaningful by matching students to learning resources using a scientific, universal scale. Today, Lexile and Quantile measures are available in all 50 states, with half of the nation receiving the measures through state accountability assessments or at the local level through partnerships with edtech companies that deliver services to schools and districts. Leveraging the most advanced AI technology and learning theory, MetaMetrics continues to innovate solutions for a wide range of applications including early reading, career readiness, and tutoring. For more information, visit MetaMetricsInc.com.
About Miqyas Al Dhad
Miqyas Al Dhad is an innovative framework designed to improve the literacy skills of K-12 Arabic speakers across the Arab world. It will provide a universal unit of measurement for the Arabic language, assessing both text complexity and student reading ability. The scale is scientifically based and developed by a team of psychometricians, researchers, and educators with extensive experience and an understanding of the unique context of the Arab world, including its various dialects and cultural nuances.
About Alef Education
Founded in 2016, Alef Education (ALEFEDT) is an award-winning AI-powered learning solutions provider that is redefining the educational experience for K-12 students and is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX). The Company has established a strong presence in the education technology sector, operating in approximately 7,000 schools across the UAE, the US, Indonesia and Morocco. Its flagship AI-integrated Alef Platform offers personalized learning experiences to more than 1.1 million registered students, enabling them to work at their own pace and reach their full potential anytime, anywhere. With a 100% penetration rate in Cycle 2 (Grades 5-8) and Cycle 3 (Grades 9-12), Alef Education has a proven track record of improving student engagement and achievement, with test scores in Indonesia increasing by 8.5% in Arabic and maths. The award-winning Alef Platform provides AI-powered learning and teaching solutions that use real-time data to drive improvements across the education system. Alef Pathways is a student-centered, self-paced supplemental math program. Abjadiyat is an Arabic language learning platform that provides engaging and interactive content from kindergarten to Grade 4. Arabits is a complete Arabic learning system for non-native speakers that helps students of all ages learn, practice, and improve their Arabic language skills using AI. Alongside supporting students throughout their educational journey, Alef Education supports 50,000 educators with tools that enrich instruction and enable high-impact interventions to improve student learning outcomes. Alef Education promotes engagement, achievement, and equity in learning, preparing students for success in an ever-evolving world. For more information, visit http://www.alefeducation.com.
Media Contact
Renee Basick, MetaMetrics, Inc, 9195473400, [email protected], https://metametricsinc.com/
SOURCE MetaMetrics, Inc
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