.png?width=350&height=60&name=Readable%20English%20Logo%20(1).png "Readable English")
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Elementary School Reading Gains Using Readable English
Overview
This experimental study measured the effectiveness of Readable English, a structured literacy program that builds reading fluency, comprehension, and written expression for 855 underperforming 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. Using Readable English, teachers help students better understand text by explicit and systematic instruction of phonology (phonemic awareness, phonics, phonological awareness), decoding, spelling, vocabulary, syntax (grammar, sentence structure), and comprehension strategies.
METHODS
This experimental study measured the efficacy of two different multiple component reading programs for students in grades three, four, and five. Students received 45-60 instructional hours in either Readable English or Amplify CKLA during their regular ELA class. All students were pre-and post-tested using EasyCBM Grade Level Reading Benchmarks. Students scoring at/below the 30th percentile on either benchmark were also assessed with the WRMT-3 Passage Reading Comprehension and Oral Reading Fluency measures.
Results
Students who received Readable English instruction significantly outperformed students in the typical practice condition on all measures of reading fluency and comprehension. The intervention condition’s EasyCBM benchmark reading rate (m = 29.6 WCPM), reading accuracy (m = 3.1%), and comprehension (m = 1.9) growth far surpassed the control group’s reading rate (m = 17.4 WCPM), accuracy (m = 0.7%), and comprehension (m = 0.7). WRMT-3 ORF showed students in the Readable English intervention condition (m = 13.4 growth scale values [GSV]; m = 1.0 grade equivalency) outscored students in the control condition (m = 7.8 GSV; m = 0.5 grade equivalency). WRMT-3 Passage Comprehension showed Readable English students (m = 11.0 3 GSV; m = 0.9 grade equivalency) far surpassed control condition students (m = 4.4 GSV; m = 0.3 grade equivalency).
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Conclusions
In a school year with the significant challenges of pandemic instructional interruptions and learning loss, students in grades 3-5 who received Readable English instruction closed reading gaps. The meaningful gains in reading rate and accuracy experienced by students in the intervention group should give exponential word reading volume dividends to students able to read text faster and more accurately going forward, helping them become more skilled readers. Readable English shows potential as a powerful tool to accelerate reading growth.
Reference
Coggins, J. (2023). Using Readable English Leads to Reading Gains for Rural Elementary Students: An Experimental Study. PLoSONE 18(7): e0288292. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0288292
Status: Peer-reviewed, published.
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