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    Universal Mastery

    Frequently Asked Questions: This optional section addresses the most common questions that interested parents and educators have when looking for the information on this page.
    • What percentage of students can read at grade level?
      • Research shows that over 90 percent of students can read at grade level with proper instruction focused on the actual mechanisms that enable fluent reading. The most common reason for reading difficulties is phonological deficits that quickly go away with correct instruction
    • Why do literacy rates remain low if most students can learn to read?
      • Despite conclusive research on effective literacy instruction, this research has taken a long time to trickle down into actual practices. There are many reasons, the most important being that this research originated in the field of neuroscience and cognitive psychology, whose findings and journals are not easily accessible to educators. Additionally, implementing best practices for all students is a labor-intensive process that requires significant changes to existing curricula and teaching methods.
    • What is the best literacy program to solve the literacy crisis?
      • A literacy program that can solve the literacy crisis must be based on the existing scientific consensus on how reading and writing develop, must provide a complete and structured path to mastery, and be optimized and personalized for each student. Pictures Are For Babies is designed specifically to meet these criteria.

    Literacy levels remain far lower than they should be. Even in regions with strong educational infrastructure, a large portion of the population struggles with basic written material, and only a small minority reach advanced levels of reading and writing. International assessments often obscure this by grouping all competent readers together, masking how few can truly engage with complex texts or express sophisticated ideas in writing.

    When looking at the multidisciplinary body of research integrated into Pictures Are For Babies, it becomes clear that the performance ceiling for all students is much higher than normally thought.

    • The ceiling is not biological. Research shows that over 90 percent of students can read at grade level with proper instruction. The most common reason for reading difficulties is phonological deficits that quickly go away with correct instruction.
    • The research needed to accelerate literacy acquisition has been available for decades, but has never before put together into a coherent whole.
    • Deliberate practice has always required expert guidance. Thanks to Trane, the deliberate practice engine powering Pictures Are For Babies, every student can train like a top performer.
    • Research shows acceleration is possible when high-quality, representative experience is compressed into a tighter timeline using structured feedback, gradual complexity, and expert-like modeling.

    Despite the existence of this research, most literacy programs fail to integrate even parts of it. Pictures Are For Babies is designed to bridge the gap and bring the best literacy instruction to every student. It is not interested in helping only the best performers or those whose parents can afford private tutoring or much more expensive offerings which fall short of the same level of alignment with the research. It does not aim to close small gaps or offer marginal improvements. The goal is to bring every student, regardless of background or initial ability, into full command of every aspect of literacy. Mastery is no longer reserved for a few. With the right system, it becomes the default.