Efficacy Research

Impact of i-Ready on Massachusetts End-of-Year Assessments

Overview

Published: March 2022

i-Ready Personalized Instruction, along with the i-Ready Inform (formerly i-Ready Diagnostic), is designed to supplement classroom instruction and support students in reaching grade-level benchmarks. How do those metrics translate to state testing? This research explores the impact of i-Ready on students in Grade 5 as it relates to the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), Massachusetts' state testing system. Results for both mathematics and English language arts showed that even students who did not use i-Ready Personalized Instruction as recommended scored higher on the MCAS. Explore the nuances of the data and the detailed conclusions of the report.

Program:i-Ready Personalized Instruction for Mathematics, i-Ready Personalized Instruction for Reading
ESSA Level:2—Moderate
Subject:Mathematics, Literacy
Demographic:Black, Latino, Students with Disabilities, White
Grades:5
Study Year:2020–2021
State:Massachusetts

Meet the Authors

Madison A. Holzman, Ph.D.

Madison Holzman, Ph.D., is an associate director at Curriculum Associates. She guides the research agenda for teacher-led reading research and conducts research evaluating the impact of Curriculum Associates’ programs on key student outcomes. Previously, she provided assessment consultation in higher education and taught graduate-level courses. She earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Slippery Rock University, an M.Ed. in College Student Personnel Administration, and a Ph.D. in Assessment and Measurement from James Madison University.

Molly K. Duncan, Ph.D.

Molly Duncan is a research scientist on the Efficacy and Implementation research team at Curriculum Associates. She studies the efficacy of Curriculum Associates’ programs and how they are used in real classrooms. She is especially interested in designing rigorous quasi-experimental studies that meet the criteria for ESSA Tier 2 (moderate) evidence and in studying early literacy. Prior to joining Curriculum Associates, Molly worked in program evaluation for a large public school district and earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Georgia State University.