Federal Funds + ESSA Evidence: Why PowerUp Delivers Both

For district leaders investing federal dollars in secondary literacy, the stakes are high, and the standards are clear. ESSA requires interventions funded through Title I, Title III, and other federal programs meet defined evidence tiers to qualify as “evidence-based” under federal law. For students in grades 6–12, that requirement matters more than ever, and the program you choose needs to be able to prove it.

Lexia® PowerUp® Literacy meets ESSA’s Strong Evidence criteria at Tier 1, the highest federal standard, and it’s one of the most rigorously researched secondary literacy programs available.

The evidence is specific to older students: PowerUp is proven to be up to five times as effective as the average middle school intervention. Students using PowerUp showed a 35% improvement in reading skills in just one school year, with the program designed to help students in grades 6–12 achieve multiple years of literacy growth within a single academic year. Results are consistent across diverse secondary school contexts and student populations.

That means district administrators can move forward with confidence, knowing their federal funding decision is backed by Tier 1 evidence, documented for compliance, and targeted at the students who need accelerated literacy support most.

Lexia® provides the research summaries and evidence documentation your team needs to support funding narratives and compliance reporting.