Additive Impact of Lexia® English Language Development™ and Lexia® Core5® Reading on WIDA ACCESS and MCAS ELA

Purpose: Promoting the academic success and literacy achievement of students who are multilingual learners requires supporting both their reading skills and their English language proficiency. Past research has demonstrated that Lexia® Core5® Reading has a positive impact on learning outcomes for these students, and an increasing number of studies show that these learning outcomes can be enhanced through the use of other Lexia programs, specifically, Lexia® English Language Development™. The aim of this study was to further examine how the use of Lexia English and Core5 in combination impacts the learning outcomes of multilingual learners in grades 1-5 on standardized English language and literacy assessments. 

Method: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in one Massachusetts school district during the 2022–23 school year. Scores on the 2023 WIDA ACCESS English language proficiency assessment (ACCESS) and the 2023 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System English Language Arts assessment (MCAS ELA) were compared for students who used both Lexia English and Core5 with those in the same districts who only used Core5. Analyses were conducted by matching dual program users and Core5-only users based on their prior year overall ACCESS score, grade, special education status, and language program enrollment during the 2022–23 school year. All analyses controlled for student demographic characteristics, prior achievement, and school and language program enrollment. 

Key Findings:  Multilingual learners who used Lexia English and Core5 made greater progress in Core5 compared to Core5-only users. Students in grades 1–5 who are multilingual learners who used Lexia English and Core5 together scored significantly higher on all domains of ACCESS (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) than students who used Core5 alone. Multilingual learners who used Lexia English and Core5 together were significantly more likely than Core5-only users to progress to a higher proficiency level on the overall WIDA ACCESS. Multilingual learners in grades 3–5 who used Lexia English and Core5 together scored significantly higher on their end-of-year English literacy assessment (MCAS ELA) than students who used Core5 only.