Special Education Students 2008–2009 Lexile Study
2008-2009 Lexile Study | 1
Special Education Students 2008-2009 Lexile Study
Number of States
2
Number of Districts
2
Number of Schools
57
Special Ed Students
601
High School Special Ed Students
111
Middle School Special Ed Students
185
Elementary School Special Ed Students
305
Achieve3000® Solutions KidBiz3000™ and TeenBiz3000®: The First Web-based, differentiated literacy solutions that reach every student at his or her Lexile® level. Powered by a proprietary software engine that distributes grade–appropriate assignments to the entire class but tailors them according to each student’s reading level, Achieve3000 Solutions enable teachers to move their students up surely and steadily, level by level. These research–based solutions extend teachers’ reach without increasing workloads or time demands and are proven to accelerate reading comprehension, fluency, writing proficiency, vocabulary development, and high‐stakes test scores.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 2
Executive Summary KidBiz3000 and TeenBiz3000 Special Education students more than doubled their expected growth norms in reading performance as measured by Lexiles.
Students exceeded their “expected” Lexile gains by 75 points.
Key Findings: • Special Education students at all grade levels made significant gains compared to gains expected with “normal” instruction, more than double the expected growth norms. • Special Education students who completed at least one reading session per week made the highest Lexile gains on average, more than two-and-a-half times the expected growth norms. • The quality of the work and the number of reading sessions that students submit on Achieve3000 are statistically significant predictors of their Lexile performance.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 3
National Elementary School Results Elementary Special Education students more than doubled their expected growth norms in reading performance as measured by Lexiles.
Students exceeded their “expected” Lexile gains by 82 points.
National Middle School Results Middle School Special Education students more than doubled their expected growth norms in reading performance as measured by Lexiles.
Students exceeded their “expected” Lexile gains by 68 points.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 4
National High School Results High School Special Education students made nearly two-and-a-half times their expected growth norms in reading performance as measured by Lexiles.
Students exceeded their “expected” Lexile gains by 68 points.
Results that Count: Achieve3000 Increases Student Performance Across the Grades Methodology Lexile Measurement of Reading Growth: To determine the effects of KidBiz and TeenBiz on the literacy development of students, Achieve3000 designed a study measuring their Lexile growth using the LevelSet™ pre-test and post-test assessments. LevelSet, developed in partnership with MetaMetrics, delivers a Lexile score for the student. The actual growth achieved is compared to the expected yearly growth norms, a MetaMetrics calculation2.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 5
Elementary School Results by Grade Level
4th grade Special Education students exceeded their “expected” Lexile gains by 96 points All grades and populations made gains over and above the gains expected with regular instruction
Middle School Results by Grade Level
7th grade Special Education students exceeded their “expected” Lexile gains by 90 points All grades and populations made gains over and above the gains expected with regular instruction
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 6
High School Results by Grade Level
10th grade Special Education students exceeded their “expected” Lexile gains by 100 points All grades and populations made gains over and above the gains expected with regular instruction
The Assessment Measure Developed by Achieve3000 in conjunction with MetaMetrics Inc., LevelSet offers a scientific means of matching students to informational texts.
LevelSet is administered up to three times yearly – an initial assessment to establish a baseline score (based on the Lexile Framework®) at the beginning of the school year, an interim assessment halfway through the school year, and a post-assessment at the end of the school year – providing a summative measurement of student progress. The Lexile Framework is a scientific approach to reading and text measurement that has become the most widely adopted reading measure in use today. Developed by MetaMetrics Inc., Lexile measures are the result of more than 20 years of ongoing research. A key advantage of the Lexile scale is that the Lexile Framework measures both text and reader using the same scale. This means that the ability to comprehend and the material being comprehended are being evaluated by the same criteria, lending it greater scientific validity.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 7
Effect of Frequency of Program Use on Lexile Gains Number of Reading Sessions Completed Achieve3000 found a significant relationship between the number of reading sessions completed on Achieve3000 Solutions and students’ nonfiction Lexile/reading growth. Students who used the program at least once weekly made the highest Lexile gains, more than two-and-a-half times the expected growth norms. These findings were consistent for all students, regardless of grade level.
Frequency of Usage Results for ALL Special Education Students
The number of reading sessions that a Special Education student completes on Achieve3000 is a predictor of his or her Lexile performance gains.3
Special Education students using the program at least once weekly: Average Lexile gain of 174 points 111 Lexile point gain above the average expected growth; this is more than two-anda-half times the average expected growth
Special Education students using the program less than once weekly: Average Lexile gain of 116 points 53 Lexile point gain above the average expected growth; this is nearly double the average expected growth
In order to assess the effect of the frequency of use on students’ Lexile gains, Achieve3000 assigned each student from within its study to one of the following categories: Group 1 (1–39): Fewer than 40 reading sessions completed over the 10-month school year; fewer than one reading session weekly. Group 2 (40+): 40 or more reading sessions completed over the 10-month school year; one or more reading sessions weekly.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 8
Effect of Quality of Program Use on Lexile Gains Reading Activity Scores In addition to analyzing the frequency of use, Achieve3000 also analyzed the quality of program use. The multiple choice activity is a critical component of the Five-Step Literacy Routine and is a simple indicator of the degree to which students are applying themselves to the program. This formative assessment allows progress monitoring of overall understanding of the text read.
Quality of Usage Results for Special Education Students
Special Education students averaging less than 65% or greater than 90%:
Special Education students averaging between 65% and 90%, inclusive:
Average Lexile gain of 124 points 61 Lexile point gain above the average expected growth; this is nearly double the average expected growth
Average Lexile gain of 154 points 91 Lexile point gain above the average expected growth; this is nearly two-anda-half times the average expected growth
To assess the effect of the quality of use on students’ Lexile gains, Achieve3000 assigned each student from within its study to one of the following categories: Group 1 (Less than 65% or greater than 90%): Students who averaged less than 65% or greater than 90% on the multiple choice portion of the Five-Step Literacy Routine. Group 2 (Between 65% and 90%, inclusive): Students who averaged between 65% and 90%, inclusive, on the multiple choice portion of the Five-Step Literacy Routine. A score within this range typically indicates that the student is applying himself to his work and reading in his instructional zone. Achieve3000 recommends that teachers monitor student scores to ensure performance in this range.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 9
Reading Connections: Explicit Reading Comprehension Strategy Instruction and Application Achieve3000 provides explicit instruction on the seven key comprehension strategies for informational text. Two new features of the program, the lesson plans and the Reading Connections, help address this need. The lesson plans that provide this direct, explicit instruction are available within the Teacher Resources Center, and one lesson plan is always attached to the daily article. Within each article, students are encouraged to apply the strategies of summarization and generating questions.
Special Education Results
Key Findings: • Special Education students completing 15 or more Reading Connections over the course of the school year averaged Lexile gains of 160 points, more than oneand-a-half times the expected Lexile gains.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 10
Graded Thought Questions: The Reading-Writing Connection Research shows a direct connection between reading and writing. Writing instruction helps improve reading comprehension. The Thought Question is the fourth step in the Five-Step Literacy Routine and purposefully engages students in a formal writing process that allows them to apply knowledge they have acquired and express their thoughts through writing.
Special Education Results
Key Findings: • Special Education students who completed five or more Thought Questions averaged gains of 187 Lexile points, nearly triple the expected Lexile gains of 67 points for the school year.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 11
After School Usage Research on adolescent literacy suggests that the amount of reading students do during out-of-school hours is an accurate predictor of their in-school academic achievement. If after-school programs can motivate young people to read more and explore their interests through reading, this research suggests that academic performance will improve.
57% of Achieve3000 Special Education students across the nation logged in after school hours. These students logged on 5,952 times after school during the 2008-2009 school year.
59% of Elementary School-level Special Education students using Achieve3000 across the nation logged in after school hours. These students logged on 1,495 times after school during the 2008-2009 school year.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 12
59% of Middle School-level Special Education students using Achieve3000 across the nation logged in after school hours. These students logged on 4,088 times after school during the 20082009 school year.
50% of High School-level Special Education students using Achieve3000 across the nation logged in after school hours. These students logged on 369 times after school during the 2008-2009 school year.
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 12
Appendix Referring to Page 7: Effect of Frequency of Program Use on Lexile Gains When a comparison of means was performed between the two usage categories (1–39, 40+), a statistically significant difference was found between each group (p = .05). Students completing forty or more reading sessions made significantly higher Lexile gains.
Independent Samples Test – Lexile Gains t-test for Equality of Means
Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed
Sig. (2-tailed)
Mean Difference
Std. Error Difference
599
.000
-57.734
14.981
-87.155
-28.312
469.232
.000
-57.734
15.085
-87.377
-28.090
t
df
-3.854 -3.827
95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
Group Statistics
Actual Lexile Gain
Completed Reading Sessions
N
Mean
Std. Deviation
Std. Error Mean
1-39
373
115.88
176.238
9.125
40+
228
173.62
181.384
12.012
Special Education Students
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2008-2009 Lexile Study | 13 Referring to Page 8: Effect of Quality of Program Use on Lexile Gains When a comparison of means was performed between the two usage categories (less than 65 or greater than 90%, between 65% and 90% inclusive) a statistically significant difference was found between the usage groups (p = .05). The students who averaged between 65% and 90%, inclusive, on their activities made significantly higher Lexile gains.
Independent Samples Test – Lexile Gains t-test for Equality of Means
Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed
Sig. (2-tailed)
Mean Difference
Std. Error Difference
599
.047
-29.284
14.714
-58.181
-.386
567.570
.048
-29.284
14.805
-58.364
-.204
t
df
-1.990 -1.978
95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
Group Statistics Average Activity Score Actual Lexile Gain
Less than 65% or greater than 90%
Between 65% and 90%, inclusive
Special Education Students
N
Mean
Std. Deviation
Std. Error Mean
324
124.29
173.106
9.617
277
153.57
187.347
11.257
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