10/9/2024
Effects of Lexia LETRS Professional Learning—with or without Coaching—on Reading Instruction
PURPOSE: There are ongoing debates about whether professional development (PD) for educators of early reading derives benefits from the support and guidance of PD coaching. To address this debate, researchers compared educator responses, classroom instruction, and student learning in classrooms where educators received Lexia® LETRS® training with or without PD coaching.
METHOD: In this quasi-experimental study, educators who received LETRS training with PD coaching were recruited from schools that were part of Michigan’s Reading First program. These schools included a literacy coach in their PD program who assisted in delivering content and supported educators’ understanding and use of effective practices. Educators in the LETRS training without the PD coaching condition were recruited from schools that were also eligible for the Reading First program but did not have literacy coaches dedicated to working with the educators.
KEY FINDINGS
- Educators reported LETRS deepened their understanding of reading subject matter and led them to change their instruction regardless of whether they received coaching.
- LETRS plus coaching classrooms delivered more phonics instruction than LETRS classrooms without coaching.
- Students in LETRS plus coaching classrooms made greater fall-to-spring gains in word decoding than students in LETRS without coaching classrooms.
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