At a glance
- Program: Read 180®
- Subjects: Literacy Curriculum, Intervention Curriculum
- Report Type: Efficacy Study
- Grade Level: Elementary, Middle
- Region: West
- District Urbanicity: Suburban
- District Size: Medium
- Implementation Model: 80+ Minutes
READ 180 Next Generation students in Lakeside Union School District experience significant improvement on the Reading Inventory.
Lakeside Union School District (LUSD), located in East San Diego County, CA, enrolls approximately 5,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade in seven elementary schools and two middle schools. The district enrollment is approximately 62% white, 28% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1% Asian, 1% Filipino, 1% Pacific Islander, and 4% two or more races. Approximately 47% of the district enrollment consists of low-income students, 5% English learners, and 4% redesignated English fluent students.
LUSD began implementing READ 180 Next Generation and System 44® during the 2011–2012 school year with the goal of supporting their struggling students. LUSD adopted System 44 for the 2013–2014 school year. LUSD implements READ 180 and System 44 as a multitiered, blended learning model during an English Language Arts block that lasts for at least 90 minutes daily in elementary schools. One middle school uses READ 180 stand-alone as an elective for a 50-minute period of two rotations—instructional software and independent reading only. A second middle school utilizes a 90-minute multitiered, blended learning model with READ 180 and System 44.
A total of 245 students in Grades 4–7 who were enrolled in READ 180 during the 2012–2013 school year and 224 students in Grades 4–8 who were enrolled in READ 180 during the 2013–2014 school year were included in this evaluation. All students completed the Reading Inventory® as a pretest during the fall and as a posttest during the spring.
During the 2012–2013 school year, on average, students completed a total of 67 READ 180 sessions and 3.1 sessions per week. The following year, on average, students completed a total of 67 READ 180 sessions and 2.8 sessions per week.
During the 2012–2013 school year, students demonstrated a significant average Lexile® gain of 131L on the Reading Inventory from 562L at pretest to 693L at posttest. Sixty-two percent of students exceeded average annual growth from fall to spring. Students showed forward momentum in change in performance band status over the course of the year. There was a 14% decrease in the number of students at the Below Basic level at the end of the year, a 16% decrease in the number of students at the Basic level at the end of the year, and a 28% increase in the number of students at the Proficient level at the end of the year. See Graph 1.
GRAPH 1. Lakeside Union School District READ 180 Next Generation Students, Grades 4–7 (N=245)
Change in Reading Inventory Performance Level, 2012–2013
Note. In Spring 2013, 49% of students were Proficient and 2% were Advanced.
During the 2013–2014 school year, students demonstrated a significant average Lexile gain of 145L on the Reading Inventory from 522L at pretest to 667L at posttest. Sixty-three percent of students exceeded average annual growth from fall to spring. Students showed forward momentum in change in performance band status over the course of the year. There was an 18% decrease in the number of students at the Below Basic level at the end of the year, a 10% decrease in the number of students at the Basic level at the end of the year, and a 27% increase in the number of students at the Proficient level at the end of the year. See Graph 2.
GRAPH 2. Lakeside Union School District READ 180 Students, Grades 4–8 (N=224)
Change in Reading Inventory Performance Level, 2013–2014
Note. In Spring 2014, 35% of students were Proficient and 0% were Advanced.
Reading Inventory gains experienced by READ 180 students in Lakeside Union School District demonstrate the efficacy of READ 180 for accelerating students toward grade-level proficiency in reading. In both years of this evaluation, significantly more students scored Proficient on the Reading Inventory in the spring than had scored Proficient in the fall. By implementing READ 180 in elementary schools and middle schools with fidelity, LUSD has helped set their struggling readers on a path for success in school, college, and career.