Investigating Computerized Reading Instruction in COVID and Pre-COVID Times

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Solicited Content: COVID-19 Related

Abstract

The ability to read with comprehension is a crucial skill for any student to be successful in academics, and yet the National Assessment of Educational Progress reveals that 63% of fourth grade U.S. students scored below proficient in reading in 2017 (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). Educators are turning to computer software to help decrease deficits and help students meet reading goals, especially with limited budgets in school districts (Schmid et al., 2008). However, only one of six reading programs studied significantly improved student literacy scores, with a per student average cost of $100 per license for first graders and $96 for fourth graders (Campuzano et al., 2009). The effectiveness of computerized reading instruction is highly relevant in our current times given COVID-19 and the shift to virtual learning across the nation. Computerized instruction has the potential to benefit students who are learning to read, helping young children to learn letters, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary and comprehension (Baron et al., 2019; Cassady et al., 2018; Fehr et al., 2012; Kegel & Bus, 2012; Saine et al., 2011; Shamir et al., 2010; Wild, 2009).

The goal of this work is to examine the effects of computerized instruction in elementary school children in the context of COVID-19 school closure and pre-COVID-19 times. Specifically, this project will investigate how the program i-Ready may facilitate reading skills during COVID-19 school closure and pre-COVID in person learning. Moreover, this project will explore differences in reading skills between children who used i-Ready during the COVID-19 pandemic (i-Ready engaged) and those that did not (i-Ready non-engaged) and whether there are developmental differences in the effectiveness of computerized instruction.

This work will also give insight into the gap in reading achievement between economically advantaged and disadvantaged students. Research on academic loss during summer vacation shows this gap increases in the summer and remains the same during the school year (von Hippel & Hamrock, 2019).

Existing district reading and i-Ready data from children in grades 1st through 4th in a rural elementary school will be used. Enrollment is approximately 395 primarily Caucasian students, and 51.6% of the school’s population is economically disadvantaged, as determined by those who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Data from the January, 2020 i-Ready Diagnostic (prior to COVID-19) forms a baseline of student scores from grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade from the 2019-2020 school year. In the 2020-2021 school year, those students are in grades 1st through 4th. The scores from the September, 2020 i-Ready Diagnostic will be used, comparing students’ scores who used i-Ready during the COVID-19 closure (i-Ready engaged group) with those who did not (i-Ready non-engaged group). Data in from the January, 2021 i-Ready Diagnostic will be used to determine the long term impact of the use of the i-Ready instructional program, following the same two groups across the four grade levels.

Except for the January 2021 i-Ready assessment, all data are in the district system. The remaining work consists of obtaining IRB approval and conducting data analyses.

Authors

• Benjamin J Bourassa, Concordia University
  Presenting Author

• Kathleen Noel Kannass, Concordia University Wisconsin
  Non-Presenting Author