Research is needed to address the possible benefits of blended learning as a form of reading instruction in elementary schools. Blended learning combines teacher-led instruction with digital technology. We had an opportunity to evaluate the effects of blended learning for students in kindergarten through fifth grade within a charter school network. Administrators in three schools chose to adopt a blended learning program during the 2016–2017 school year. There were 2217 students in the treatment schools. Treatment students were compared to 1504 students in three control schools where the standard form of instruction was maintained. Prior to implementation of blended learning, treatment students performed significantly below control students on a standardized reading test. At the end of the school year, treatment students showed greater gains on the reading test than control students and group differences disappeared. Further analyses revealed that reading gains were uniform across grades and ethnic categories. These outcomes point to the viability of using blended learning for reading instruction in elementary schools.
In the context of trying to improve reading proficiency in elementary school students, this study investigated the use of digital technology as part of a blended learning program, Core5, in kindergarten and first grade classes. A quasi‐experimental design compared 283 treatment students instructed in schools using Core5 with 237 control students in schools using traditional instruction in an urban school district. At the beginning of the school year, all students were pretested with Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), a commonly used reading assessment. During the school year, the treatment schools implemented Core5, which includes the online component and offline teacher‐led lessons. The English Language Arts curriculum was evaluated and found to be similar across treatment and control schools. At the end of the school year, all students were post‐tested with DIBELS. Results from propensity score analyses showed that treatment students outperformed control students and that the discrepancy between treatment and control groups on post‐test scores was more pronounced when students had lower pretest scores. These outcomes point to the value of using Core5 for reading instruction in early elementary grades.
This three-year longitudinal study tracked the reading performance of 68 kindergarten students from low SES backgrounds. These students received instruction with a blended learning program --Lexia V R Core5 V R Reading-from the start of kindergarten through second grade. During each school year the students made significant gains on a standardized reading test. However, performance on the test declined significantly from the spring of one school year to the fall of the next, indicative of a substantial summer slide. Yet, further comparisons revealed that performance from the fall of one school year to the fall of the next showed significant improvement, pointing to the benefits of school-based instruction to help overcome the summer slide. More than 90% of low performers who started kindergarten scoring below average on the standardized test finished second grade scoring average or better. Benefits of Lexia Core5 V R Reading to support reading growth in elementary school students from low SES backgrounds are discussed.
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