Impact of a Longitudinal Blended Learning Reading Program in a Low-Socioeconomic-Status Public School

• In Event: Critical Issues in Literacy Research 5

Abstract

This three-year longitudinal study investigated the benefits of a blended learning reading program implemented in a public school from a low SES school district. Sixty-eight students began the program in kindergarten and continued through the end of second grade. Based on their performance on a standardized reading test, students showed significant advances in standard scores across years. Growth was evident despite the fact that the students showed a significant drop in performance (summer slide) from the end of each school year to the beginning of the next school year. Overall, this study showed that a blended learning program can support reading growth across years for public school students from a low SES background.

Authors

• Shani Wilkes, Lexia Learning Systems

• Paul Macaruso, Community College of Rhode Island

• Sarah Winifred Franzen, Lexia Learning Systems