10/17/2024

Transforming Middle School Literacy with A Single Change

Challenge:

• Growing/too many literacy skills gaps in the middle school grades.

Solution: Lexia® PowerUp

Stafford County Public Schools, a large suburban district serving over 31,000 students, has seen incredible success with Lexia PowerUp Literacy. Beginning with a pilot at Shirley Helm Middle School, students showed more independence, self-esteem, and even higher NWEA MAP Skills scores, thanks to their work in PowerUp.

Following the pilot, use of PowerUp was expanded to all middle schools in the district—and the positive results kept coming.

Reading specialists like Nancy Sindle report that students showed more independence, higher self-esteem, and even higher MAP test scores after starting to use PowerUp.

According to Sindle, the age-appropriate content is a better fit for middle school students ready to transition out of Core5; the students are ready for a more mature learning experience.

She appreciated how educators could benefit from detailed, real-time progress reports, which give them a view into student progress and help them identify which students need additional support.

The data showed positive progress across word study, grammar, and comprehension, with 90% of students moving into intermediate or advanced skills in the comprehension zone.

As students improve their skills in each area, they have an easier time in civics and science, drawing conclusions, and inference, according to Sindle.

Shifting to a new product in middle school helped students have a brand-new and engaging experience appropriate for their maturity level—and one that’s been proven to support their overall educational goals.