Abstract

“This study examined silent reading rates (SRRs) in relation to students’ estimated academic vocabulary grade levels (EVGLs) and comprehension accuracy (Comprehension Items Correct; compIC). Analyses were based on data from 288,934 students in grades 2-12 who completed an adaptive silent reading assessment that yielded measures of the three variables of interest. Silent reading rate was measured while students read five 150- to 300-word passages. Each student’s initial passage difficulty was aligned with their EVGL. Each passage was followed by five comprehension questions, such that in total, students could answer up to 25 comprehension items correctly. Two-level Multilevel Models (MLMs) were fitted to evaluate SRR in relation to EVGL, compIC, and their interactions. The final MLM included the random intercept and three random slopes for the two level-1 predictors (school-mean-centered EVGL as the focal predictor and school-mean-centered compIC as the moderator) and their interactions. Results indicated that: (a) the fixed effect of higher EVGL on SRR was positive and significant, (b) the fixed effect of higher compIC on SRR was negative and significant, and (c) there was a significant interaction indicating that the relationship between school-mean-centered EVGL and SRR grew stronger as school-mean-centered compIC increased. These results suggest that vocabulary knowledge and SRR increase in concert among students with good comprehension, whereas SRRs measured in the absence of good comprehension are less meaningful and may indicate inadequate skills or insufficient motivation to fully comprehend what is being read.”

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This report describes the reading progress achieved by Reading Plus students who were enrolled in grades 2 through 12. Its focus is on students who completed the Reading Plus InSight silent reading assessment on at least two occasions and completed between about 20 or 40 Reading Plus lessons (~8 or16 hours) during four- to twelve-week implementation periods after schools were closed due to COVID-19 (from March 15 to the end of June, 2020). 

Study Design:

This report describes the reading progress achieved by Reading Plus students who were enrolled in grades 2 through 12. Its focus is on students who completed the Reading Plus InSight silent reading assessment on at least two occasions and completed between about 20 or 40 Reading Plus lessons (~8 or16 hours) during four- to twelve-week implementation periods after schools were closed due to COVID-19 (from March 15 to the end of June, 2020).

Key Results:

Referring to the March-June, 2020 matched comparison samples were created for three additional 4-to-12-week time periods. These matched samples comprised of students who completed the same amount of Reading Plus instruction over a similar 4-to-12-week period (between August 2019 and February 2020; between March and June 2019; or between August 2018 and February 2019). Students in each of these matched groups achieved nearly identical reading proficiency gains.

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Summary of Findings:

Despite nationwide school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students in all tier groups who engaged in the recommended amount of Reading Plus instruction over the course of the 2019-2020 school year achieved expected growth on par with prior year results. Reading Plus students significantly increased their capacity to comprehend increasingly complex texts. Students who completed more Reading Plus lessons achieved significantly larger gains than their peers who engaged in little or no Reading Plus lessons.

Study Design:

This report describes the reading progress achieved by Reading Plus students who were enrolled in grades 2 through 12 during the 2019-2020 school year. The focus of the report is on students who completed the Reading Plus InSight silent reading assessment on at least two occasions, once near the start of the school year and again during the spring, so that growth over the school year could be measured.

Students Excluded

Students for whom valid reading rates could not be calculated.

Key Results:

More intensive use of Reading Plus is recommended for students who are reading below grade level and need to catch up with their peers.

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This report describes the reading progress achieved by Reading Plus students who were enrolled in grades 2 through 12 during the 2018-2019 school year.

Key Results:

The results of this study show that students in all grade levels who engaged in Reading Plus instruction over the course of the 2018-2019 school year significantly increased their capacity to comprehend increasingly complex texts, developed their capacity to understand higher levels of general academic vocabulary, and improved their reading efficiency. Students who completed more Reading Plus lessons achieved significantly larger gains than their peers who engaged in little or no Reading Plus practice. The results also show that the students who engaged in more Reading Plus instruction developed more reading confidence and increased their interest in reading. This in turn increases the likelihood that they will continue to use reading as a means to expand their knowledge, to be entertained, and to seek inspiration.

The post National Proficiency Gains 2018-2019 School Year appeared first on Reading Plus.

This report describes the reading progress achieved by Reading Plus students who were enrolled in grades 2 through 12 during the 2018-2019 school year. The focus of the report is on students who completed the Reading Plus InSight silent reading assessment on at least two occasions, once near the start of the school year and again during the spring, so that growth over the school year could be measured.

Key Results:

The results of this study show that students in all grade levels who engaged in Reading Plus instruction over the course of the 2018-2019 school year significantly increased their capacity to comprehend increasingly complex texts, developed their capacity to understand higher levels of general academic vocabulary, and improved their reading efficiency. Students who completed more Reading Plus lessons achieved significantly larger gains than their peers who engaged in little or no Reading Plus practice. The results also show that the students who engaged in more Reading Plus instruction developed more reading confidence and increased their interest in reading. This in turn increases the likelihood that they will continue to use reading as a means to expand their knowledge, to be entertained, and to seek inspiration.

The post All Tier National Results: 2018-2019 School Year appeared first on Reading Plus.

This study reviewed the reading proficiency growth achieved by Reading Plus students in grades 2 through 12 during the 2018-2019 school year. The study focused on students who completed the InSight silent reading assessment on at least two occasions, once near the start of the school year and again during the spring, so that growth over the school year could be measured.

Study Design:

Included in the study were students (n = 259,140) who completed the InSight assessment in the fall of 2018 and spring of 2019. Among these were 46,007 elementary (grades 2 through 5), 133,543 middle (grades 6 through 8), and 79,590 high school (grades 9 through 12) students.

Reading proficiency growth was evaluated in relation to the amount of Reading Plus practice students completed. Within each grade group (elementary, middle, and high school), reading proficiency growth was also evaluated separately for each Reading Proficiency Tier group:

• Tier I – Students with Fall 2018 Reading Proficiency Index scores at/above grade level (recommended Reading Plus instruction: 20 hours)
• Tier II – elementary and middle school students with Fall 2018 Reading Proficiency Index scores 1-2 grade levels below grade level, and high school students reading at a middle school level (recommended Reading Plus instruction: 40 hours)
• Tier III – elementary and middle school students with Fall 2018 Reading Proficiency Index scores 3 or more grade levels below grade level, and high school students reading at an elementary school level (recommended Reading Plus instruction: 60 hours)

Key Results:

Across all grade groups and Reading Proficiency Tier groups, students who engaged in more Reading Plus instruction during the school year achieved reading proficiency gains that were significantly larger than those achieved by students who completed fewer or no lessons. The results also showed that students who engaged in more Reading Plus instruction developed more reading confidence and increased their interest in reading.

This study reviewed the reading proficiency growth achieved by Reading Plus students in grades 2 through 12 during the 2018-2019 school year. The study focused on students who completed the InSight silent reading assessment on at least two occasions, once near the start of the school year and again during the spring, so that growth over the school year could be measured.

Study Design:

Included in the study were students (n = 259,140) who completed the InSight assessment in the fall of 2018 and spring of 2019. Among these were 46,007 elementary (grades 2 through 5), 133,543 middle (grades 6 through 8), and 79,590 high school (grades 9 through 12) students.

Reading proficiency growth was evaluated in relation to the amount of Reading Plus practice students completed. Within each grade group (elementary, middle, and high school), reading proficiency growth was also evaluated separately for each Reading Proficiency Tier group:

• Tier I – Students with Fall 2018 Reading Proficiency Index scores at/above grade level (recommended Reading Plus instruction: 20 hours)
• Tier II – elementary and middle school students with Fall 2018 Reading Proficiency Index scores 1-2 grade levels below grade level, and high school students reading at a middle school level (recommended Reading Plus instruction: 40 hours)
• Tier III – elementary and middle school students with Fall 2018 Reading Proficiency Index scores 3 or more grade levels below grade level, and high school students reading at an elementary school level (recommended Reading Plus instruction: 60 hours)

Key Results:

Across all grade groups and Reading Proficiency Tier groups, students who engaged in more Reading Plus instruction during the school year achieved reading proficiency gains that were significantly larger than those achieved by students who completed fewer or no lessons. The results also showed that students who engaged in more Reading Plus instruction developed more reading confidence and increased their interest in reading.

The post Reading Proficiency Growth National Results for the 2018-2019 School Year appeared first on Reading Plus.

This report focuses on a comparison between the Reading Plus InSight assessment and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers English Language Arts/Literacy assessment (PARCC ELA) as well as the impact of the Reading Plus instructional intervention on student performance on the PARCC ELA assessment.

Study Design:

This school district study included students in grades 3-11 with valid PARCC ELA and InSight assessment data from spring 2018 (n = 2,121), and students in grades 4-11 who had valid PARCC ELA scores from spring 2017 and spring 2018 (n = 2,287).

Key Results:

The Reading Plus InSight assessment and the PARCC ELA assessment are strongly correlated and have equivalent expectations for proficiency, which makes InSight a strong predictor of PARCC ELA performance.

Students who completed at least 80 Reading Plus lessons consistently had the highest percentage rate of advancement to a higher PARCC ELA performance level assessment when compared to students who used Reading Plus less frequently.

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This study evaluated the effect of Reading Plus practice on the results achieved by lower- and higher-performing General Education students on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test 2.0 (FCAT). The FCAT is the standardized state test that was administered to Florida public school students in Grades 3 through 10 in 2014 and prior years.

Study Design:

Included in the study were general education students (i.e., not receiving services for ELL or SPED) in grades 4-10 with valid 2013 and 2014 FCAT data (n = 104,475). Of these, 74% were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and 61% completed reading practice lessons.

This study evaluated the changes in performance levels between the spring 2013 and spring 2014 administrations of the FCAT in relation to starting level on the FCAT and the amount of reading practice students engaged in. Reading practice was quantified in terms of the number of reading practice lessons completed.

Key Results:

Of the elementary, middle, and high school students who scored below satisfactory (below FCAT level 3) in reading in 2013, a significantly larger percentage of students who engaged in Reading Plus practice achieved satisfactory levels (FCAT level 3) or higher in 2014 as compared to students who did not engage in Reading Plus practice.

Students who had already achieved FCAT Level 3 (satisfactory) or higher at the end of the 2013 school year, and then completed at least 100 Reading Plus lessons (~30 hours), were significantly more likely to advance to Level 4 (above satisfactory) or Level 5 (mastery of most challenging content) on the FCAT at the end of the 2014 school year.

The post Raising the Reading Achievement of Both Low- & High-Performing Students appeared first on Reading Plus.

Students with low comprehension, slow silent reading rates, and/or an impoverished vocabulary may not be ready for efficiency building in Reading Plus. Nevertheless, the program includes a wealth of texts that offer these challenged readers the critical practice they need to improve their comprehension, vocabulary, and stamina.

This study looks at how these low-performing students, deemed “Borderline” or “Not Ready,” progressed in Reading Plus during the first two months of the 2013-14 school year. We were especially interested in how the Borderline and Not Ready groups of students advanced when they were exposed to substantial amounts of text on a consistent basis, and how this progress compared to students who were deemed “Ready.”

Study Design:

We tracked the progress of more than 30,000 students in grades 2 through 12 who completed InSight, the Reading Plus reading assessment, and completed 40 or more reading practice lessons (about 10 hours) during the first two months of the school year. Of special interest was growth in comprehension level and efficiency in the Not Ready (n = 1,621), Borderline (n = 6,987), and Ready (n = 21,702) students.

Key Results:

All students increased their comprehension levels, with the largest increases measured in Not Ready and Borderline students (average comprehension gains of 17.8% and 9.6% respectively). All students also increased their reading efficiency, with the largest increases measured in the Borderline and Ready students (average silent reading rate gains of 30 and 44 words per minute respectively).

These encouraging results indicate that even low-performing readers can benefit from Reading Plus practice. Students in all three groups increased capacity to read more complex text efficiently. Further, these gains were made in a short period of time (approximately 10 hours). All this suggests that closing the gap between where students are in their reading development and where they are expected to be (according to Common Core standards) is an achievable goal when they are provided with consistent and well-designed opportunities to read.

The post Low-performing Readers: Results of Two Months of Reading Plus Practice appeared first on Reading Plus.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools conducted an independent analysis of interventions used within their district. The analysis examined students in grades 3 through 10 who were at different levels of ability. The analysis was conducted to determine the effectiveness of programs in improving students’ reading and/or math FCAT scores.

The results showed that Reading Plus had a significant positive effect for students of all ability levels and at all grade levels. This report was also conducted for the 2010-2011 school year with nearly identical results, leading Miami-Dade Public Schools to state that Reading Plus was found to have a consistent beneficial impact on the achievement of the students who used the program.

“The application was found to have a consistent beneficial impact on the achievement of the students who used it.”

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The study examined a large-scale implementation of Reading Plus to validate the effects as well as the feasibility of deployment of Reading Plus within a wide range of school settings. A total of 16,143 students from grades 4 through 10 in 23 schools in Regions II and III in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools participated in the study.

Results indicated that students participating in Reading Plus for a minimum of 40 or more lessons over approximately six months made significantly greater gains on both the criterion-referenced and norm-referenced reading tests that are part of the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) than students who did not participate in the program. Positive results also were demonstrated for various subpopulations often considered at risk for reading difficulties. African-American, Latino-American, special education, and learning disabled students who participated in the Reading Plus intervention demonstrated significantly and substantially greater gains in measures of reading achievement on both the CRT and NRT portions of the FCAT than students not participating in the intervention.

“Results indicated that students participating in Reading Plus for a minimum of 40 or more lessons over approximately six months made significantly greater gains than students who did not participate in the program.”

The post The Relationship Between a Silent Reading Fluency Instructional Protocol on Students’ Reading Comprehension and Achievement appeared first on Reading Plus.