Our September Star of the Month is Testen, a student from Clermont, FL, who has made incredible progress with Read Live! Here is what his teacher, Ms. Gay, wrote about him:

"Testen has made tremendous progress with Read Naturally, and even more importantly, he is experiencing success and gaining confidence as a reader. He has been working with Read Naturally since February 2026, and during that time he has shown improvement in both his average cold and hot timing scores. While his reading fluency continues to develop gradually, he genuinely enjoys the material he reads and is always eager to complete his Read Naturally Live and One Minute Reader Live lessons.

One of Testen’s most remarkable accomplishments is that he has independently completed 88 One Minute Reader Live lessons. This represents more reading than he has ever done in his lifetime. We are incredibly proud of his dedication and growth, and we are grateful for the opportunity to use such an engaging and effective program.

Testen’s educational journey has been far from typical. He did not begin formal schooling until just 19 months ago, when he came to the United States for emergency kidney treatment and dialysis. At 13 years old, he was introduced to the alphabet and letter sounds for the very first time. In less than two years, he has progressed from a preschool reading level to nearly a fourth-grade level. Read Naturally has played a significant role in this growth, and he especially enjoys learning about the engaging nonfiction topics featured in the program.

As an English Language Learner (ELL), Testen is still developing his English language skills and benefits greatly from the vocabulary support provided within the program. Through Read Naturally, he has gained a stronger understanding of multiple-meaning words, morphemes, and word structure. In the coming months, we will continue to focus on strengthening his writing skills, sentence structure, and overall language development.

Thank you for providing a program that has helped Testen make meaningful progress in all areas of reading. We greatly appreciate the role Read Naturally has played in his educational journey."

Keep up the great work, Testen! 

Do you have a student like Testen? Nominating them to be a Read Naturally Star of the Month only takes a few minutes! Just share why they deserve special recognition for their hard work. 

Winners receive:

  • $50 Barnes & Noble gift card (for the student)
  • $50 Amazon gift card (for the teacher)
  • $200 Read Naturally gift card (for the school)