Efficacy Research

Impact of i-Ready Personalized Instruction on MCAS English Language Arts Scores in Grades 4 and 5

Overview

  • Subject: Literacy
  • ESSA Level: 2 - Moderate
  • Grades: 4–5
  • Study Year: 2021–2022
  • Program: i-Ready Personalized Instruction for Reading

Published December 2023

This study analyzed the impact of using i-Ready Personalized Instruction on Grades 4 and 5 students’ scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System English language arts assessments (MCAS ELA) in 2021–2022. Two different treatment groups of students were examined. The first treatment group included students who had used any amount of Personalized Instruction. This portion of the analysis indicated that any use of Personalized Instruction was associated with higher MCAS ELA scores compared to similar students who did not use Personalized Instruction. The second treatment group included only students who met Curriculum Associates’ guidance for Personalized Instruction usage. This portion of the analysis indicated that use of Personalized Instruction according to guidance is associated with improved MCAS ELA scores for Grade 4 students. However, results were not significant in Grade 5.

Meet the Author

Molly K. Duncan, Ph.D.

Author

Curriculum Associates

Molly Duncan, Ph.D., is a research scientist at Curriculum Associates. She studies the efficacy of Curriculum Associates products and how they’re used in real classrooms. Previously, she worked in program evaluation at a large public school district and in university research labs focused on early reading and writing. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Georgia State University.