The Future of Reading Education

Transcription

1 The Future of Reading Education Lexia Reading stands as one of the most rigorously researched, independently evaluated, and respected reading programs in the world. A Summary of Published Research

2 Lexia Reading Works Research demonstrates that the technology-based Lexia Reading program makes a measurable difference in students reading success. In multiple studies published in peer-reviewed journals, Lexia Reading has been found to accelerate the development of critical foundational literacy skills in the early grades. Lexia s Strategies for Older Students has also been shown to be effective in remediating struggling readers. Key findings: The Lexia Reading program improved reading scores for students in preschool, elementary, and middle schools. The lowest-performing students benefited the most from using Lexia Reading. Title I students using Lexia Reading closed the reading gap after only six months of intervention. ELL students using Lexia Reading showed gains in early reading skills. Rigorous scientific standards were followed in conducting the studies and included the use of control groups, pretesting/posttesting, standardized and norm-referenced reading tests, and stringent statistical data analysis. For a more detailed look at the research and findings, please visit or call

3 Table of Contents Building Early Literacy Skills 4 Supporting English Language Learners 7 Closing the Gap for Title I Students 8 Helping Adolescent Readers Advance 9 Additional Resources 9 About Lexia Reading 10 Committed to Research Excellence 11

4 Building Early Literacy Skills The three studies that follow were published in Reading Psychology and show that Lexia Reading improves early literacy skills when used in conjunction with classroom reading instruction. The studies were conducted in an urban Massachusetts school district. Kindergarten Study 2008 Kindergartners using Lexia Reading significantly outperformed students in the control group on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, Level PR (Pre-Reading), which measures phonological awareness, letter-sound correspondence, and listening comprehension. Gates-MacGinitie Mean NCE Scores Kindergarten Study 2008 Mean NCE Scores Lexia, 54.2 Control, Effect size: 0.48 Lexia (n=26) Control (n=45) Group differences were more pronounced for low performers. Kindergarten Study 2008 Mean NCE Scores (Low Performers) Gates-MacGinitie Mean NCE Scores Lexia, 55.8 Control, 41.6 Macaruso, P., & Walker, A. (2008). The efficacy of computer-assisted instruction for advancing literacy skills in kindergarten children. Reading Psychology, 29, Effect size: 1.56 Lexia (n=12) Control (n=12) 4

5 Building Early Literacy Skills Kindergarten Study 2011 GRADE Test Standard Scores Kindergarten Study 2011 Low Performers Total Test Scores Lexia, 98.7 Control, 94.1 In a subsequent Kindergarten study, focusing on low performers, students using Lexia Reading made significantly greater gains than a control group on the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE ), Level K. The test measures phonological awareness, early literacy skills, letter-sound correspondence, listening comprehension, and word reading. 75 Effect size: 0.64 Lexia (n=47) Control (n=19) Kindergarten Study 2011 Low Performers Word Reading Scores Group differences were notable for the word reading subtest. GRADE Test Raw Scores Lexia, 8.7 Control, Effect size: 0.85 Lexia (n=47) Control (n=19) Macaruso, P., & Rodman, A. (2011). Efficacy of computer-assisted instruction for the development of early literacy skills in young children. Reading Psychology, 32,

6 Building Early Literacy Skills Preschool Study 2011 Preschool students using Lexia Reading made significantly greater gains than the control group on the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE), Level P, used to assess phonological awareness, visual skills, conceptual knowledge, and listening comprehension. GRADE Test Standard Scores Preschool Study 2011 Total Test Scores Lexia, Control, Effect size: 0.69 Lexia (n=19) Control (n=19) The greatest gains were made in phonological awareness. Preschool Study 2011 Phonological Awareness Scores GRADE Test Raw Scores Lexia, 15.8 Control, 12.6 Macaruso, P., & Rodman, A. (2011). Efficacy of computer-assisted instruction for the development of early literacy skills in young children. Reading Psychology, 32, Effect size: 1.02 Lexia (n=19) Control (n=19) 6

7 This study, published in 2011 in the Bilingual Research Journal, demonstrates that Lexia Reading supports English Language Learners (ELL students) in acquiring foundational literacy skills. The study was conducted in Kindergarten classes using a bilingual education model in a rural Texas district, where all students received reading instruction based on a core, phonics-based curriculum. Supporting English Language Learners GRADE Test Standard Scores ELL 2011 Total Test Scores Lexia, Control, 93.4 Students who used the Lexia Reading program in addition to core reading instruction showed greater gains than a control group in overall reading, phonological awareness, and word reading. The Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE), Level K, was used as the reading measure. 90 Effect size: 0.36 Lexia (n=29) Control (n=37) ELL 2011 Word Reading Raw Scores ELL 2011 Phonological Awareness Scores 22 GRADE Test Raw Scores Lexia, 19.4 Control, 15 Effect size: Lexia (n=29) Control (n=37) 10 Effect size: 0.69 Lexia (n=29) Control (n=37) Macaruso, P., & Rodman, A. (2011). Benefits of computer-assisted instruction to support reading acquisition in English Language Learners. Bilingual Research Journal, 34,

8 Closing the Gap Lexia Reading supports literacy gains among at-risk elementary students, as documented in a study published in 2006 in the Journal of Research in Reading. The study followed first graders in an urban school district in Massachusetts, where Lexia Reading was used to supplement a core, phonics-based reading program. Title I students in the Lexia Reading group made significantly greater gains than Title I students in a control group on the Gates- MacGinitie Reading Test, Level BR (Beginning Reading), which measures letter-sound correspondences for consonants and vowels, and basic story words. Gates-MacGinitie Mean NCE Scores First Grade Title I Students Lexia Title Control Title Effect size: 0.88 Lexia (n=15) Control (n=15) Moreover, Title I students in the Lexia Reading group closed the performance gap when compared at post-test to non-title I students in the Lexia Reading group. Gates-MacGinitie Mean NCE Scores First Grade Lexia Reading Group Lexia non-title Lexia Title Macaruso, P., Hook, P. E., & McCabe, R. (2006). The efficacy of computer-based supplementary phonics programs for advancing reading skills in at-risk elementary students. Journal of Research in Reading, 29, Title I (n=15), Non-Title I (n=68) 8

9 A study published in 2009 in the European Journal of Special Needs Education shows the effectiveness of Lexia Reading beyond the elementary level. This study tracked the performance of sixthand seventh-grade remedial reading students in a Utah school district, where Lexia Reading s Strategies for Older Students supplemented intense phonics-based reading instruction. Helping Adolescent Readers Advance Woodcock-Johnson III Mean Standard Score Word-Attack Gains Middle School Word Attack Gain Scores Lexia, 3.9 Effect size: 0.78 Control, -2.4 Lexia (n=32) Control (n=15) Students in the Lexia Reading group made significant gains relative to a control group on the Reading Word Attack subtest, a measure of decoding skills, from the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement. Macaruso, P., & Rodman, A. (2009). Benefits of computer-assisted instruction for struggling readers in middle school. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 24, Additional Resources for Educational Research/ Educational Technology Institute for Education Sciences The National Center for Education Research: ies.ed.gov/ncer National Reading Panel: The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard Center on Instruction Research-Based Instruction: Reading Rockets: 9

10 About Lexia Reading More than one million students across the U.S. and in countries around the world use Lexia Reading. Designed as an essential component of every reading curriculum, Lexia Reading provides individualized learning and norm-referenced performance data without interrupting the flow of instruction to administer a test. This scalable, research-validated, technology-based system predicts students year-end performance and provides teachers with data-driven action plans to help differentiate instruction. Lexia Reading advances reading skill development for all students pre K through grade 4, and helps intensify and accelerate learning for at-risk students in grades

11 Committed to Research Excellence Lexia Learning remains committed to rigorous scientific evaluation of its reading program and continues to work with academic consultants, school administrators, teachers, and specialists to study the effectiveness of Lexia Reading through ongoing research studies. For a closer look at the studies summarized in this document, or for more information about Lexia Learning and its products, please visit or call

12 The Future of Reading Education 200 Baker Avenue Concord, MA MKRES12