About Critical Reading Journeys
The Problem We're Solving
Picture a third-grader who finished Harry Potter over the summer. She reads fluently, comprehends complex plots, and asks insightful questions. But in class? She's completing the same worksheets as students still learning to decode.
She's not struggling. She's stagnating.
Advanced readers can spend years on mastered skills, rarely experiencing the intellectual challenge that develops critical thinking and deep comprehension.
Our Solution
Critical Reading Journeys provides what these students actually need: structured conversations about texts that push them to think at levels matching their abilities.
Through AI-guided dialogue, students progress through four phases with each text:
Understand → Analyze → Evaluate → Create
The AI adapts to each response—scaffolding when needed, advancing when ready—providing individualized instruction that's effective but impossible for teachers to deliver at scale.
What Makes Us Different
We're not a comprehension quiz app. We're a cognitive development platform using AI to facilitate the kind of thoughtful dialogue that changes how students think.
Why It Matters
When advanced learners lack appropriate challenge, their development can halt. They miss critical windows for building:
- Analytical thinking skills
- Evidence-based reasoning
- Metacognitive awareness
- Persistence through productive struggle
The result? Students who cruise through elementary school hit a wall later when they've never developed rigorous thinking habits.
Our Founder
Joel McIntosh has spent 35 years ensuring exceptional learners get instruction matching their needs.
His journey:
- High school English teacher watching gifted students disengage
- Project director of federal gifted education initiatives at Baylor University
- Founder of Prufrock Press (1988-2021)—the nation's leading publisher for gifted education, reaching 100,000+ educators with 400+ research-based titles
- Current board member: Hammill Institute on Disabilities and NAGC publications committee
The turning point: After decades publishing about differentiation, Joel recognized teachers needed systems that differentiate automatically. AI made that possible.
Through Altura Education, he's building what he wished had existed throughout his career.
Research Foundation
CRJ isn't an experiment—it's established research delivered through modern technology.
Built on:
- Anderson & Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy
- NAGC Gifted Programming Standards
- Science of Reading principles
- Dialogic reading research
- Metacognitive strategy instruction
Every prompt and progression reflects decades of research on how advanced learners develop as critical thinkers.
Where We Are Today
Currently in beta with eight experienced educators nationwide.
Our platform:
- 144 curated texts across six text types
- Four distinct AI Buddies
- Comprehensive teacher reports on critical thinking growth
- Privacy-first design (FERPA & COPPA compliant)
Early results: Students engage deeply. Teachers gain specific data on critical thinking development. Advanced readers finally encounter the challenge they need.
Our Mission
To ensure advanced readers develop sophisticated comprehension, critical thinking, and metacognitive awareness—regardless of their classroom context.
Our Vision
Every advanced learner deserves instruction that challenges them to think deeply, not just read more.
We're building a future where:
- AI empowers teachers to provide true differentiation
- "Reading above grade level" means engaging with complex ideas
- Students develop as critical thinkers who can navigate complexity
Reading is the foundation of learning.
Critical thinking is the foundation of wisdom.
One journey at a time, we're helping students build both.
Get Started
Interested in learning more? We'd love to hear from you.
Email us at support@readingjourneys.com to:
- Schedule a demo
- Request a sample journey
- Join our beta waitlist
- Ask questions about CRJ