6/15/2020

Research Brief: Impact of Lexia® Core5® Reading on Black/African American Students

PURPOSE: Black/African American students often enter elementary school with relatively weak early literacy skills, and opportunity gaps can widen as children continue in school. According to national reports, only about 20% of Black/African American students show proficient reading skills in grade 4. There is an urgent need to identify effective forms of reading instruction for them. This report summarizes studies showing benefits of Lexia Core5 Reading for Black/African American students.

METHODS: The studies summarized in this brief used quasi-experimental designs, along with correlational approaches and longitudinal investigations of Black/African American students using Core5. The measures consist of progress within the program and performance on standardized reading tests. 

KEY FINDINGS

• In a large national sample, Black/African American students showed considerable progress in Core5, with a 46% improvement in students working on skills in/above grade level.
• Correlations demonstrate a close correspondence between Black/African American students’ performance in Core5 and their scores on standardized reading tests.
• Two studies showed Black/African American students in schools using Core5 outperformed their peers on standardized reading tests.
• Black/African American students who used Core5 for two years ended the second-year scoring above the national average on a standardized reading test.
• In contrast to other interventions that sometimes inadvertently widen achievement gaps, Black/African American students who use Core5 made gains on par with students from other racial backgrounds.