Evidence of Reading Growth Following 3 Months of Lexia® Core5® Reading Use

PURPOSE: Numerous studies have shown benefits of Lexia® Core5® Reading when implemented over a full school year. However, there are instances in which Core5 is used for shorter periods of time. For example, a district may decide to pilot Core5 for a few months or may purchase the program in the middle of a school year. This small-scale study asked whether use of Core5 can provide benefits for students when used over a three-month period of time.

METHOD: For this study, Lexia® researchers partnered with an elementary school located in an economically disadvantaged urban school district. Participants were 127 students in grades 3–5 who used Core5 for three months during the second half of the school year. Reading gains were examined via student progress in Core5, as well as through performance on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium’s English Language Arts (SBAC ELA) summative test taken near the end of the school year.

KEY FINDINGS

• After using Core5 for three months, 23% of students in an economically disadvantaged school advanced through at least one grade level of material in the program.
• Following Core5 use, students classified as proficient on the Smarter Balanced English Language Arts assessment increased by 13%.