Research Brief: Impact of Using Lexia® English Language Development® on the California English Language Proficiency Assessment

PURPOSE: Since 2010, the number of Emergent Bilinguals has increased greatly in the United States. To succeed in school, these students need instruction that emphasizes academic language. Lexia English is designed to support English language development in Emergent Bilinguals through academic conversations. This study asked whether use of Lexia English has a positive impact on language development for Emergent Bilinguals.

METHOD: In this quasi-experimental study, Lexia partnered with a California school district to assess the impact of using Lexia English on performance on the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC). The sample consisted of 2,034 Emergent Bilinguals in grades K-5 across 21 schools. A comparison was made between students who used Lexia English and those who did not. The relationship between use of Lexia English and ELPAC scores was examined after controlling for demographic characteristics and school differences.

KEY FINDINGS

• Emergent Bilinguals who used Lexia English scored 15 points higher than non-Lexia English users – a significant difference – on the overall ELPAC across grades K-5.
• All Emergent Bilinguals benefited from using Lexia English, with the largest differences observed for students who spoke South Asian languages at home and those who spoke Spanish at home.
• Lexia English users scored 18 points higher on the oral domain than non-Lexia English users which is consistent with Lexia English’s emphasis on supporting English language development through academic conversations.
• The estimated effect size of using Lexia English was 0.20, which is comparable to effect sizes found for other programs designed for Emergent Bilinguals.