Introduction
This page explains how Chronicle LLC uses artificial intelligence in Decodable Reads.
AI is a writing tool used to create practice materials. It is not a tutor, chatbot, or decision-maker. The instructor stays in charge of every session.
What AI is used for
When an instructor asks for new practice materials, we may use AI to draft:
- Short decodable stories and passages on a topic the instructor or student chooses
- Revisions that keep those stories within the phonics skills the student is ready to read
- Comprehension questions about a generated story
- Word lists, nonsense-word lists, dictation sentences, auditory and visual drills, and review materials matched to the student's current skill
- Lesson plan activities for a student or a group
What AI is not used for
- Students do not have their own AI chat and never talk to a model
- AI does not decide what a student should learn. Placement comes from an adult-administered phonics assessment, and the instructor chooses the target skill
- AI does not score the assessment, assign grades, or replace a teacher, tutor, or reading specialist
- AI is not used for advertising, marketing to children, or building a profile of a child
Who is in the room
Decodable Reads is used by adult instructors and reading specialists who generate materials for the students they serve. Where an instructor has enabled student logins, a student signs in only to read passages the instructor generated for them — students never prompt a model themselves.
How a story stays decodable
Generated stories are written from the phonics skills and allowable words for that student, then checked and revised so the text stays within what the student is ready to decode. The instructor can generate again if a story is not a good fit.
Content safeguards
We take extra steps so generated stories stay appropriate for children learning to read with an adult:
- Topic checks block profanity, slurs, sexual content, self-harm language, graphic violence, and similar requests before a story is generated
- The checks also catch attempts to disguise a blocked word by spacing out or substituting characters
- Typed topics cannot include web addresses or email addresses, and cannot contain instructions that try to override the writing instructions we send the model
- The writing instructions tell the model to produce a simple, cheerful story and to substitute an everyday topic if the request is not appropriate
- Adults see the story before the child reads it and can generate a new one
No automated filter is perfect. If a story still feels off, generate again or skip that topic. Contact us if something should not have appeared.
What is sent to the AI provider
Story generation is provided by Anthropic (Claude), a United States company, under a commercial API. Prompts may include:
- The story or activity topic entered by the instructor or student
- Target phonics skills, review skills, focus words, and allowable word lists
- Generated story text when we ask the model to revise a passage or write quiz questions
We do not send student names, ages, grades, or usernames to Anthropic. Anything typed into an open topic box is sent exactly as written, including a name or other detail an instructor or student types.
Data we store
We may store generated stories and related practice text in the product so the instructor can use them during a lesson, review progress, or request support. We do not sell this information. More detail is in our Privacy Policy.
Instructor choices
There is not a separate "AI off" mode for generation features, because personalized decodable text is how they work — a passage matched to one student's exact skills has to be written for that student. Instructors who prefer not to use AI-generated material simply do not use the generation features; the assessment, skill tracking, and lesson planning tools do not require them.
Instructors can review, correct, or delete student information at any time, as described in our Privacy Policy.
Questions
If you have questions about how AI is used in Decodable Reads, email support@decodablereads.com.