Every California Classroom is a Literacy Classroom
Real-World Literacy Lessons for California
California tests every student on listening. Listening is also how students build the vocabulary and background knowledge they use when they read and write.
LingoLift, formerly Listenwise, turns real stories from NPR, PBS, and more into discussion, reading, and writing. For every student in grades 2-12, from newcomers to your strongest readers.
Listening is where literacy starts
California has always treated listening as a core skill, and that’s why so many classrooms here have adopted Listenwise.
CAASPP’s ELA test includes a listening section for every student. ELPAC gives listening and speaking together half the weight of an English learner’s overall score.
The reasons go beyond testing. Students can’t retell what they didn’t understand, and they can’t write about ideas they’ve never heard. A good story give sthe whole class the words, the background knowledge, and something to say.
Listening is how students get into reading, writing, and speaking.
Stories that spark conversation
One story, and the whole room has something to say. Every lesson is built on real video and audio from established publishers like NPR and PBS: news, science, history and stories students want to finish. Students hear authentic English, read along with a transcript, then talk and write about what they heard. The newcomer and the strongest reader start from the same story.
For English learners: practice in ELPAC’s combined formats
ELPAC doesn’t test skills one at a time. Students listen and then speak, by retelling a story or summarizing a presentation, and they read and then write. LingoLift lessons follow the same pattern.
That matters even more now. Under AB2555, a 4 on ELPAC is now the only requirement to reclassify. Statewide, students are further along in spoken English than in written: 30.2% of English learners reached Level 4 in Oral Language in 2024-2025, compared with just 6.9% in Written Language.
Where LingoLift fits for California’s English learners
- Designated ELD
Activities are tagged by proficiency level and grade, so you can find the right starting point for Emerging, Expanding and Bridging students. - Integrated ELD
Students practice language inside the science, social studies, math, and ELA content you already teach. - Newly reclassified students
Whole-class lessons support students who are now in general education classes and still building academic English. - Long-term English learners
Real-world content that respects what a fourteen-year-old is actually interested in. - Newcomers
Over 100 lessons from survival English through intermediate, with instructions in students home languages.
What California teachers get with LingoLift
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Stories that spark conversation
Real video and audio from established publishers like NPR and PBS, not synthetic narration.
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3,000+ lesson library
ELA, ESL, social studies, science, math and SEL for grades 2–12, supporting CA CCSS-aligned instruction.
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Built for mixed classrooms
Activities are tagged to proficiency level and grade, so every student starts from the same story at their own level.
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From listening to literacy
Read-along captions and transcripts on everything, writing prompts and interactive activities in every lesson, and pronunciation practice.
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Instructions in the home language
Activity instructions in students’ home languages so no one has to guess at the task.
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Free for teachers, ready for districts
Teachers can start free for whole-class use. Districts get SSO and student rostering.
Testimonials
The best part: California teachers love it.
Hear from California teachers using Listenwise, LingoLift’s predecessor.
Effective with varied student populations
The lessons are real-world, timely, and lend themselves to high-quality classroom discussions. Students have agency to listen to a lesson at their own pace, repeat or review as necessary, and answer both comprehension and opinion questions. … I find them effective with varied student populations.
Closing the achievement gap
Our teachers have integrated Listenwise into core content courses and resource classrooms, using it as part of anticipatory sets, to explore unit topics, and to activate and build prior knowledge … It is exciting to see progress in closing the achievement gap in listening skills!
Gives students real practice
Listening test scores are one of the notoriously difficult scores to raise…Listenwise provides for this domain and gives students real practice in this area.
Proud 3-year user
Listenwise is such a valuable asset to my learning. I use it everyday with my students, especially my English Language Learners. Listenwise is very reflective of what they may experience on the state-mandated ELPAC test. I am proud to be a 3-year user of Listenwise. Thank you for creating such a wonderful program!
Listening is essential to reclassification
The reason I think that listening comprehension is essential to reaching that reclassification is that intertwines all 4 domains. If we are great listeners we are able to process more information, and we’re able to speak, we’re able to read, we’re able to write.
Rise in CAASP scores and confidence
My ELL learners and students reading below grade level were able to access the material much easier and build their background knowledge for the class discussions. We saw a rise in our CAASP scores for this school year and in students confidence. Students learned how to take notes while listening and how to navigate a listening lesson (pausing, restarting, and relistening).
Ourstanding program
Outstanding program for exposure to essential vocabulary and current events and improving listening skills to retain information. Does not increase teacher workload.
Strategies for every California classroom
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Start with a five-minute listen.
Open class with a short story, then take two minutes to talk about it. Done regularly, this builds a listening habit for the whole class.
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Listen first, then read along.
Students hear the story once for the gist, then follow the read-along transcript to connect sound to print.
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Retell it to a partner.
Pairs retell or summarize what they heard. Every student practices academic language, and English learners practice the listen-then-speak pairing ELPAC uses.
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Talk, then write.
Use the discussion as the plan for writing. Students write about ideas they’ve already said out loud.
Bring LingoLift to your California district
We’ll build a plan around your classrooms, your designated and integrated ELD programs, and your reclassification timeline.
Already a Listenwise district? Your teachers can keep using Listenwise through the 2026–27 school year. We’ll help you move to LingoLift when you’re ready. Learn more.
Frequently Asked
Common Questions
Is LingoLift the same as Listenwise?
LingoLift is the next chapter of Listenwise. It’s the same company, the same lessons and the same listening-first approach, rebuilt for all four literacy skills.
Is LingoLift CAASPP or ELPAC prep?
Not directly. It’s everyday practice listening, discussing, reading and writing about real content, the same skills both tests ask students to use.
Does LingoLift work for high school and long-term English learners?
Yes. LingoLift’s stories come from real-world sources like NPR and PBS, so secondary students get content that respects their age and intelligence, not material written for younger students. That matters most for long-term EBs, who are often stuck with repetitive, remedial practice.
How does LingoLift support newcomers?
LingoLift includes 100+ newcomer lessons specifically designed for students at the pre-production and beginning levels, bridging into intermediate. Transcripts and adjustable playback speed help newcomers follow along. We’re adding more newcomer lessons all the time. Learn more about how we support English learners here, and our recommendations for teachers in our ultimate guide on teaching newcomers.
Is LingoLift only for English learners?
No. It’s built for mixed classrooms. Newcomers, students who need extra support with reading, and on-level readers all work from the same story.
Does my Listenwise login still work?
Yes! Nothing about your current account has changed. Learn more here.
Does LingoLift teach phonics?
No. LingoLift builds comprehension, vocabulary, and background knowledge for students in grades 2-12.
Is LingoLift free for teachers?
Yes! LingoLift is free for teachers to use for whole-class instruction. For SSO and student rostering, talk to us about a LingoLift plan for your school or district.
Still have questions?
Join our community and chat with us!
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