9/5/2019

Effectiveness of Lexia® Core5® Reading in the LEAP Pilot Network

PURPOSE: In 2014, less than 15% of Chicago Public School students were identified as “college ready.” In an effort to address this situation, LEAP innovations launched its Pilot Network to pair Chicago-area schools with edtech products in year-long pilot programs designed to promote learning through differentiated instruction. Core5 was one of 19 (out of 150) products deemed eligible for piloting in the first year of the LEAP initiative.

METHOD: Using a quasi-experimental design, LEAP researchers evaluated the effectiveness of Core5 in two pilot studies. Students in grades 3-5 were assessed with MAP Growth Reading in the spring before the pilot year and in the spring after the pilot ended. Statistical matching was used to create comparison groups as similar as possible to Core5 students. Effects of Core5 were estimated with multilevel models controlling for student demographics and baseline test scores.

KEY FINDINGS

• In LEAP Pilot Network’s first year, Core5 was one of only two edtech programs that showed a statistically significant impact on students’ MAP scores.
• Following promising results of the first pilot year, Core5 was chosen more than any other program by schools participating in the second pilot year.
• Core5 also showed significant effects in the second pilot year. A typical Core5 student scored 11 percentile points higher than a similar student in the comparison group on the MAP test