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State pilot shows Amira usage linked to reading gains; DPI seeks follow‑up funding options
Summary
Amira Learning’s AI reading tutor has been used by tens of thousands of North Dakota students under a state pilot. Company and DPI witnesses told the Appropriations committee usage is high and preliminary analysis shows significant NDSA reading gains among high users; DPI and the vendor discussed several funding and expansion options for the next
Representatives of Amira Learning presented outcomes from the state pilot funded through House Bill 1013 appropriations and answered lawmakers’ questions about adoption, usage and potential next‑step funding.
Joe Siedlecki, Amira Learning chief impact officer, described how the product works: a student reads aloud to the Amira avatar, the system uses speech recognition to assess reading and then provides targeted tutoring and teacher reports. Amira flags skill gaps and returns resources to teachers, while calibrating future reading selections to a student’s skill level.
Amira told legislators the program served 44,768 students in the 2023–24 school year and, as of the more recent school year data, 33,341 students had used Amira during the current year in participating districts. Amira reported more than 1.59 million minutes read in North Dakota during the current school year and more than 102 million words read overall by students in the state during the pilot period.
Amira representatives said in a matched sample evaluation of roughly 3,000 students across 27 districts, higher users in third grade (the highest‑usage quartile, roughly 18–19 minutes per week in the tool) experienced NDSA (state assessment) reading gains of about 15 points compared with low‑usage peers; similar gains were reported in fourth (about 17 points) and fifth grade (about 10 points). The vendor cited independent studies in other states (Georgia and Utah) showing effect sizes in the 0.45 range — comparable to high‑quality human tutoring in published research.
DPI superintendent Basler confirmed that DPI forward‑paid Amira with remaining ESSER funds in the prior biennium and that continuing the tool will require new appropriations when ESSER funds expire. Basler asked the committee to consider funding options in the next budget cycle; the vendor presented several price and scale options, including an expanded purchase to serve up to 35,000 students and optional add‑ons for additional library content or school success supports.
Committee members asked operational questions (district retention, usage, and whether students would recognize the program). The vendor said Amira presents as an avatar and engages students with stories and comprehension checks. Amira representatives said adoption retention from year one to year two among districts was roughly 95 percent (109 districts signed up first year, 103 continued). Amira also noted Fargo was a large district that did not continue in year two, and the vendor said releasing the state analysis publicly could increase adoption.
The department did not ask for a committee vote during the hearing; DPI and Amira agreed to provide follow‑up data and the vendor’s evaluation for committee review.
(Reporting note: adoption and impact figures cited by Amira and DPI were provided during testimony; the committee requested vendor and DPI follow‑up to verify and expand on the evaluation.)
