2/23/2020

Efficacy of the Lexia^® PowerUp Literacy^® Program: State Test Score Improvements for Struggling and Non-Proficient Readers

PURPOSE: According to 2019 national data, only about 30% of eighth-grade students are able to read proficiently. Thus, most middle school students are in need of interventions designed to enhance their reading ability. This study asked whether use of Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® can help the reading performance of middle school students.

METHOD: In this experimental study, supplemental reading classes in middle school were randomly assigned to use PowerUp or serve as control classes in which a traditional curriculum was used. Performance on an end-of-year, summative state assessment of reading was examined to assess whether use of PowerUp was beneficial for students in treatment classes.

KEY FINDINGS

• Students who used PowerUp significantly outperformed control students on the end-of-year state reading assessment.
• PowerUp students gained an average of six points more than control students on the state assessment.
• PowerUp students gained the equivalent of more than 20 percentile points over control students on the state assessment.
• PowerUp was found to be nearly five times as effective as the average middle school reading intervention.