At a glance
- Programs: Read 180®, System 44®
- Subjects: Literacy Curriculum, Intervention Curriculum
- Report Type: Efficacy Study
- Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
- Region: West
- District Urbanicity: Suburban, Rural
- District Size: Large
- Implementation Model: 80+ Minutes
Read 180 now incorporates the comprehensive foundational literacy skills scope and sequence from System 44.
70% of students exceed average annual growth from fall to spring after using READ 180.
Lodi Unified School District (LUSD), located in San Joaquin County, CA, is a Pre-K to Adult district that enrolls approximately 30,000 students. There are 33 elementary schools, seven middle schools, four comprehensive high schools, and two continuation high schools. In addition, the district offers elementary and middle community day schools and several alternative schools to serve their preschool through adult population.
LUSD adopted READ 180 Next Generation beginning in the 2011–2012 school year for Grades 7–12 and expanded to Grades 4–12 for the 2012–2013 school year. The district placed struggling readers beginning in the third grade in a 45–60 minute System 44 class. In Grades 4–12, the teachers implement a 90-minute model that blends READ 180 and System 44 instruction. The district has invested in providing ongoing support for teachers and administrators via coaching days and monthly cadre meetings. The coaching days are used to strengthen the implementation of the programs, and the monthly meetings provide additional support to ensure that best practices are being used to positively affect student achievement.
For the 2012–2013 school year, 87% of the students participating in the study were receiving free or reduced-price lunch, 61% were English learners, and 22% were students with disabilities. For the 2013–2014 school year, 87% of the students participating in the study were receiving free or reduced-price lunch, 55% were English learners, and 29% were students with disabilities.
During the 2012–2013 school year, on average, students completed a total of 99 READ 180 sessions at approximately three sessions per week. After one year of instruction, students demonstrated a significant mean Lexile® gain of 139L: the average score increased from 574L at pretest to 713L at posttest. Seventy percent of students exceeded average annual growth on Reading Inventory® from fall to spring. Students showed forward momentum in change in performance band status over the course of the year. In particular, there was a 26% decrease in the number of students at the Below Basic level and 10% increase in the number of students at the Proficient level at the end of the year. See Graph 1.
GRAPH 1. Lodi Unified School District READ 180 Students, Grades 7–12 (N=1,032)
Change in Reading Inventory Performance Level, 2012–2013
Note. The average number of days between Reading Inventory tests was 262. In Spring 2013, 11% of students were Proficient and 0% were Advanced.
During the 2013–2014 school year, on average, students completed a total of 99 READ 180 Next Generation sessions at three sessions per week. After one year of instruction, students demonstrated a significant mean Lexile gain of 119L: the average score increased from 571L at pretest to 690L at posttest. Sixty-one percent of students exceeded average annual growth from fall to spring. Students also showed forward momentum in change in performance band status over the course of the year. There was a 22% decrease in the number of students at the Below Basic level and a 10% increase in the number of students at the Proficient level at the end of the year. See Graph 2.
GRAPH 2. Lodi Unified School District Students, Grades 4–12 (N=1,209)
Change in Reading Inventory Performance Level, 2013–2014
Note. The average number of days between Reading Inventory tests was 248. In Spring 2014, 13% of students were Proficient and 1% were Advanced.
Due to the successful outcomes from implementing READ 180 Next Generation and System 44 Next Generation during the prior two school years, LUSD expanded this multitiered intervention to serve students with disabilities in Grades 4–6 during the 2014–2015 school year.