BOSTON, Oct. 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New research shows that middle and high school students identified as struggling readers were 1.5 times more likely to achieve proficient scores on an independent reading assessment when they completed the Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® (PowerUp) instructional program. Additionally, 99% of all students who completed PowerUp scored as proficient on the assessment.
Analyses were conducted on more than 1,000 students in grades six through 10 in a mid-size U.S. school district, who used PowerUp for at least 10 weeks during the 2018-19 school year. The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP) Growth™ Reading, a computer-adaptive progress monitoring tool, was used to evaluate reading performance. Reading proficiency was determined by whether students scored at or above the 40th percentile rank. Students were evaluated in the fall, with those scoring as non-proficient being designated as struggling readers, and then again in the spring in order to assess their progress.
“Analyses showed that students who finished the year working at higher levels in the program had higher Spring MAP Reading Proficiency rates,” said Lexia Chief Learning Officer Dr. Liz Brooke. “These findings show that students’ achievement in PowerUp by the end of the year is a good indicator of proficiency and that progress in PowerUp is a significant predictor of higher literacy scores.”
Developed to address the decades-long gap in reading proficiency across the nation, Lexia PowerUp Literacy is designed to enhance English language arts instruction for struggling readers in grades six and above. Blending personalized, online student-driven instruction with offline teacher-delivered lessons and activities, the program accelerates the development of both fundamental literacy skills and higher-order thinking skills through adaptive learning paths. With a range of engaging texts, instructional videos and game-based motivational elements, the program is designed to help students take ownership of their learning, acknowledging their growing autonomy and building their confidence. Additionally, embedded progress monitoring, actionable data and targeted lessons empower teachers to deliver the exact instruction each student needs.
“PowerUp uses age-appropriate content and motivational elements to cover fundamental skills typically addressed in grades K-2 while simultaneously building more advanced literacy skills,” said Brooke. “Struggling readers in grades 6-12 require substantial intervention to achieve literacy gains, and these MAP results indicate that PowerUp helps teachers provide that much-needed support.”
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About Lexia Learning
Lexia Learning, a Rosetta Stone company, empowers educators through adaptive assessment and personalized instruction. For more than 30 years, the company has been on the leading edge of research and product development as it relates to student reading skills. With a robust offering that includes solutions for differentiated instruction, personalized learning, and assessment, Lexia Learning provides educators with the tools to intensify and accelerate literacy skills development for students of all abilities. For more information, visit www.lexialearning.com.
About Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) is dedicated to changing people’s lives through the power of language and literacy education. The company’s innovative digital solutions drive positive learning outcomes for the inspired learner at home or in schools and workplaces around the world.
Founded in 1992, Rosetta Stone’s language division uses cloud-based solutions to help all types of learners read, write, and speak more than 30 languages. Lexia Learning, Rosetta Stone's literacy education division, was founded more than 30 years ago and is a leader in the literacy education space. Today, Lexia helps students build fundamental reading skills through its rigorously researched, independently evaluated, and widely respected instruction and assessment programs.
For more information, visit www.rosettastone.com. “Rosetta Stone” is a registered trademark or trademark of Rosetta Stone Ltd. in the United States and other countries.