Please click on any question below to view the answer:

• Q: What are the computer requirements I need in order to use Failure Free Reading's software applications?
• A: The online version of our software is recommended, and best for modern computers and devices. In fact, many end-user problems are solved by updating your computer to the current software requirements here. Please check this document and make sure you meet the specifications before calling technical support so that we may assist you.
  
  For our Online Applications:
  
  Firewalls/security/popup/content-blocking applications need to allow saving and loading of student data to and from our online server. How to do that is addressed in this FAQ [ HERE ] for your technical staff.
  
  For Windows Users who wish to use our online software: Windows 10/11 is recommended. Internet Explorer is no longer supported.
  
  Mac Users are best served with OS X 10.10 or newer, which include Safari versions 9 and above. OS X 10.6 and newer work best with the newer version of our software, but older versions are no longer supported since Adobe Flash is no longer available.
  
  iPad/iPhone Users can now use the new version of our application as of October 2014.
  
  If you are using an Android Smartphone, the older native (called: UC) browser does not have everything it needs to use our new online application. Newer models come with an updatable version of Google Chrome which will work fine. You can install Google Chrome for free from the Google Play store to use our online application. Android Tablets also require this but may already have Google Chrome pre-installed when purchased.
  
  Google Chromebooks no longer require Adobe Flash for access. Older chromebooks are no longer supported since Adobe Flash is no longer available.
  
  For all desktop/laptop systems: Mozilla Firefox is supported and should be version 31 or newer. Recent versions of Google Chrome are also supported, but should be at least version 25 or newer.
  
  We no longer develop for Adobe Flash, as it is no longer available for download. More information about the end of Adobe Flash is available from the Adobe Web site [ HERE ]

• Q: How do we set up our firewalls and other security applications such as popup and content blockers for FFR?
• A: This is a setup requirement of our program which must be addressed.
  
  New Servers Added!!!
  
  In order to meet the growing demands of you, our customers, we now have multiple live IP addresses (see below) which all need to be allowed through your firewall and security programs to have the best user experience.
  
  ***HARD DRIVE-BACKUPS AND REIMAGING NOTE:*** If your institution is using a program to overwrite daily changes on a machine such as 'Deep Freeze' or other re-imaging software, you will have to make these changes, and then update the backup software to include the security updates in this FAQ so that it does not undo your changes. [Failure Free Reading is not affiliated in any way with Deep Freeze, which is a product of Faronics Corporation]
  
  Schools and other institutions, even home computers, have security applications that in some way block internet access to installed applications and web sites. In order to use our online program, it is a requirement to make certain that there is nothing blocking this, your investment for your students. Most modern web browsers block popup windows by default now for example.
  
  Most problems in connecting or saving data with Failure Free Online can be alleviated in advance by allowing, or "whitelisting" (the opposite of blacklisting) these addresses through your local firewalls, pc security applications, content blockers (which freeze program access when specific words are detected) and popup blockers that keep windows from opening, and any other security applications so that teachers and students can access our online software applications successfully.
  
  Parental Controls ARE a Personal Firewall, so if you install one, you need to be aware that you may need to allow our program (and other programs) to work through the firewall. And for those who are unaware, Windows also comes with a System Firewall built-in. Some schools use the built-in one to block applications and web access, so be aware that these can get in the way of your students' working with our program properly.
  
  If your institution believes you have a legitimate issue with our online applications-- Please be sure to first make sure through your tech support department that these addresses are not being blocked by ANY of the above listed security applications before attempting to contact us. Once all security program blockages are cleared up, any real support issues may then be addressed.
  
  Addresses needing to be allowed through your security applications/blockers for complete two-way communication:
• Please be sure to have both ports 80 and 443 open for the program to connect.
  
  Address: https://www.failurefreeonline.com
  Address: https://www.failurefreereading.com
  Address: https://www.failurefree.com
  
  Address: 72.167.41.157
  Address: 72.167.133.208
  Address: 72.167.135.118
  Address: 184.168.28.49
  Address: 184.168.29.73
  Address: 184.168.29.7
  Address: 208.109.34.24
  
  You will need to add these to your trusted sites in your browser...
  
  Microsoft Internet Explorer Trusted Sites Example:
  
  This exists in the Internet Options -> Security -> Trusted Sites section.
  
  For the failurefree.com/failurefreeonline.com addresses:
  
  https://*.failurefree.com
  https://*.failurefreeonline.com
  https://*.failurefreereading.com
  
  
  Microsoft Edge browser is affected at the time of this writing by the changes to Internet Explorer 11's trusted sites.
  
  If you wish to use our online store to make purchases, you will also need to make sure it is not blocked either.
  
  The addresses needing to be allowed for our online store are as follows:
  
  Address: https://www.failurefreestore.com
  Address: https://www.myreadingstore.com
  
  Address: 206.246.179.30
  
  
  Safari browser - Unblock Media (Audio & Video) Clips:
  
  Recent versions (Safari 11 / 2017 and newer) of Apple's Safari browser added a "security feature" to block the automatic playing of video and audio files in order to keep general websites from annoying users. The playing of sound and video is a feature of our program that needs to be re-enabled for you to use our program effectively. This feature, if not unblocked for FailureFree.com, will stop the program from loading and freeze your browser.
  
  Resolve this in Safari by using the Safari Preferences option in the menu.
  
  There are 2 ways to resolve this on your Mac:
  
  (These instructions are safe for Failure Free Reading owned Websites. There are no malware/viruses or damaging applications in any part of our program, and as with the other firewall security issues that can happen, this must be unblocked in order to allow your users to see and hear our video & audio content.)
  
  
  The first method: (If the option "Settings For this Website" is available)
  
  Navigate in Safari to www.FailureFreeOnline.com
  
  Go to the top bar menu and select: Safari -> Settings for This Website
  
  • Change the "Auto-Play" dropbox to "Allow All Auto-Play"
  
  • Uncheck "Enable content blockers" (See the rest of this document regarding content blockers.)
  
  • Set the option labeled: "Pop-up Windows" to "Allow" if you have that option. (Our program lessons launch as pop-up windows.)
  
  
  
  
  
  The second method: (If the option "Settings For this Website" is NOT available -- same result but requires more 'clicks')
  
  Go to the top bar menu and select: Safari -> Preferences
  
  
  
  
  
  Go to this location in the new window: Websites -> Auto-Play
  
  
  
  
  
  • Change the dropbox for FailureFreeOnline.com to "Allow All Auto-Play" instead of "Stop Media with Sound"
  
  • If the "Content Blockers" section has any application listed, Allow/Unblock for FailureFreeOnline.com.
  
  • If the "Pop-up Windows" section has any application listed, Allow/Unblock for FailureFreeOnline.com.
  
  
  If you used either of these above methods, Safari is now unblocked for web content at Failure Free Reading. iOS Devices also require unblocking our media content in Safari, but should already unblock us if you use Google Chrome on iOS without you having to make any security program updates. Addiitonal blockers like 'Block-Site' can still get in the way of your user experience with our program of course.
  
  
  How to unblock email addresses so we may communicate with you or your organization:
  
  Our technical/setup emailings will be coming to you from (any email address) and specifically from for our main correspondences with you or your organization. Please make sure that your email program or security applications do not block these addresses so you can receive passwords or software setup information.
  
  Feel free to copy and paste this list and these instructions from this page into an email to your tech department.
  
  Notes: In institutions with high security rules, computer internet security programs on local machines can block online software services as well, or otherwise impede them from performing properly. Communication must be allowed two-way through your firewalls with our servers to be able to save and load students' scores.
  
  Please understand that security and firewall issues are neither caused by us nor anything we can solve on our end, but security policies set by your own schools to limit access to the internet, so this must be completed by your institution's tech services.

• Q: What is Failure Free Reading's primary purpose?
• A: The uniquely intensive language scaffolds in our programs give students with severe reading difficulties the opportunity to immediately experience comprehension success, and fluency.
  
  For many students, this is for the first time ever. This experience of success establishes self-efficacy (task-specific confidence), a necessary condition for engagement.
  
  Without sustained engagement, no real learning can occur.

• Q: How is Failure Free Reading different from other reading interventions?
• A: For many students, Failure Free Reading works when nothing else will, or has.
  
  Most reading interventions are designed for struggling readers, or those scoring between the 20th and 50th percentiles on standardized tests.
  
  Failure Free Reading's highly-structured language instruction is designed for students scoring below this range. The program provides special scaffolds, a non-threatening environment, and the privacy that the very lowest-achieving students generally need in order to build essential language skills, and confidence.

• Q: What kinds of outcomes can educators expect with Failure Free Reading?
• A: Students begin experiencing comprehension and engagement from the first lesson. They complete the program with sufficient vocabulary, comprehension and fluency necessary for successful participation in remedial and/or core instruction.
  
  Attitudinally, Failure Free Reading takes the blame off both teachers and students. Too often it is assumed that if students can't read it's because they don't want to or they were poorly taught. Teachers tend to blame the students for not trying. Parents blame the teachers for not teaching.
  
  Why? Because they're frustrated and don't know who else to blame. This is wrong because the real culprits are materials and methods that fail to meet the needs of the lowest-achieving readers.

• Q: How long do students use the programs?
• A: It all depends on each student's circumstances.
  
  Most students will complete their intervention in one school year. Others are done after a semester, while some students with specific disabilities may continue to use the program for more than one year because of their greater need for structure and repetition.

• Q: Isn't Failure Free Reading just the Look-Say method all over again?
• A: No! Failure Free is actually a highly-theraputic approach to language development.
  
  It was initially designed for special needs students, and has been proven in independent research studies to produce significant gains for at-risk students, ELLs, and other students stuck at the emergent reading stage.

• Q: Why is Failure Free Reading so repetitious?
• A: The average student needs to see a word somewhere between 25 to 45 times prior to independent recognition. Researchers have found nonreaders need much more contact.
  
  Some educators may experience the level of repetition in Failure Free Reading as tedious, but to fragile, at-risk learners, and special education pupils with limited cognitive abilities and extremely limited vocabularies, this high level of repetition is essential to learning. Students are not bored because they are working at their level of level of frustration. Boredom in Failure Free Reading is an indication of inappropriate placement.

• Q: How is vocabulary related to reading comprehension?
• A: Research is clear that vocabulary predicts reading ability, and it should be explicitly taught. Limited exposure to language puts many low-income children at a terrible disadvantage. Such children might know 3,000 words by age 6, while a high-income child might have a vocabulary of 20,000 words. This gap tends to widen the longer students are in school.
  
  Unfortunately, while vocabulary instruction has been demonstrated to improve word knowledge and comprehension, teachers spend little time teaching or reinforcing new vocabulary. At-risk students especially need to be systematically exposed to a large volume of words within meaningful contexts, and to challenging language.

• Q: Is Failure Free Reading a 'whole language' intervention?
• A: Absolutely not!
  
  Whole language materials are simply too complex for low-literacy students. They lack the necessary background experiences to relate to the many different story themes, and they don't have the language base to understand the new terms and idiomatic expressions found in traditional whole language stories.

• Q: Why is Failure Free Reading so effective with LD students?
• A: The program provides the high levels of structure and repetition that many LD children need.
  
  As Hargis (1982) stated in his book Teaching Reading to Handicapped Children, "Teachers often complain about inconsistent responses from students who have severe reading problems. 'They seem to know the words one day but not the next.'
  
  This observation reflects a problem of children not introduced to words in meaningful context with sufficient repetition and who have not as yet been able to do any meaningful reading - often after years in school... They fall into this predicament because there are no published materials with sufficient controls to permit meaningful activities."
  
  Gates found that as the IQ drops, the need for repetition proportionately increases. Students with IQ's in the fifties and sixties need to see words hundreds of times before they can independently recognize them.
  
  This is why Failure Free Reading stresses multiple exposures in multiple contexts. They can't succeed without it.

• Q: What can I do to improve the reading and vocabulary of my older non-readers?
• A: Combining explicit vocabulary instruction with a direct reading application is highly effective.
  
  "Steve Stahl and Marilyn Fairbanks (1986) summarized research on explicit methods of teaching or promoting vocabulary growth. The general conclusion was that "vocabulary instruction" has a very strong effect ... Programs which combine direct explanation of words with reading ... are the most effective."
  
  This is the why Failure Free Reading is first and foremost a highly structured language development program that directly teaches reading.