Supporting Struggling and Non-Proficient Middle School Readers with the Lexia^® PowerUp Literacy^® Program

PURPOSE: According to 2019 national data, more than 60% of eighth-grade students fail to meet proficient reading standards. Clearly, these students need effective interventions to bolster their reading performance. This study examined whether the use of PowerUp can advance the reading performance of non-proficient readers.

METHOD: In this experimental study, supplemental reading classes in middle school were randomly assigned to use Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® or serve as control classes in which a traditional curriculum was used. A standardized test of reading achievement was given as a pretest and posttest to assess the benefits of using PowerUp in the treatment classes.

KEY FINDINGS

• Students who used PowerUp scored significantly higher than control students on a standardized test of reading achievement.
• PowerUp students scored 40+ scaled points higher than control students on the reading achievement test.
• PowerUp students gained the equivalent of 10 percentile points more than control students on the reading achievement test.
• Benefits of using PowerUp were found equally across subgroups—Black/African American, White/Caucasian, general education, and special education students.
• PowerUp was found to be 3X as effective as the average middle school reading intervention.