State leaders have long recognized the value of statewide tests. Many had well-developed testing systems long before the No Child Left Behind Act, signed in 2002, required annual assessments in grades 3-8. Another sign of that recognition is the recent plethora of new state testing requirements for K-3 students. But would states continue to test…

A better understanding of factors influencing who receives disability support services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 Accommodation Plan from the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (504 plan) and when is needed. This study used administrative data from11,405 students enrolled in 121 Baltimore City Schools (51% male; 85%…

Early education of young children is important in preparing them for the future. Over the years, many organizations have developed programs to help young children from low-income households to help resolve the issue of poverty and educate children as young as three years old. Today, prekindergarten remains an important aspect in the United States…

This study was designed to investigate whether teacher literacy content knowledge affects student achievement in Texas schools. Teacher participants from Texas public schools completed a three-part survey. In Parts 1 and 2, teachers completed a demographic section and teacher knowledge of foundational reading skills. The survey consisted of…

Background: Dyslexia is a specific reading disability characterized by word recognition difficulties that can qualify a student for special education services under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA; 2004; Yudin, 2015). As of 2024, 49 US states have legislation defining dyslexia and enumerating for schools…

Family engagement in schooling has academic benefits for students and has been cited in decreasing the achievement gap. Half of all study district first-grade students did not meet benchmark goals on continuous text reading assessments. Further, first-grade treatment school students performed below published benchmarks on measures of sight word…

The ongoing cycle of educational reform in America has led policymakers and educational leaders to prioritize test-based results and de-prioritize noncognitive skills, equitable outcomes, and crucial socio-emotional aspects of schooling (Lynch et al., 2009). Despite the equitable goals outlined in previous education policy reforms, intended…

This study examined the impact of the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education's (IMSE) Orton-Gillingham Plus (OG+) program on early literacy outcomes in a Title I school district in Michigan during the 2022-2023 school year. Learning Experience Design (LXD) Research employed a quasi-experimental study design with 397 kindergarten and first-grade…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the problem of how classroom teachers of grades 1-5 described their experiences with school-based SEL interventions to identify potential links between students' content knowledge learned through school-based SEL interventions and students' aggressive and antisocial classroom…

Academic achievement and absenteeism are two areas that schools are held accountable. Helping families and communities understand the correlation between achievement and attendance is an essential part of improving attendance. The purpose of this research study was to compare student attendance and academic achievement on the CASE Benchmark exams…

Although research related to the Science of Reading has documented the positive effects of explicit, systematic reading instruction for all students, students from historically marginalized groups often experience differential opportunities to learn and are likely to perform lower than their peers on large scale measures of reading achievement.…

This Brief provides an overview of issues related to the inclusion of students with disabilities and English learners with disabilities in early grade (that is, K-2) assessments and offers strategies for improved practices.

LXD Research analyzed data from 945 students in kindergarten who were Below or Well Below Benchmark at the beginning of the year and participated in using the Phonological Awareness (PA) Lessons Deluxe Package as an intervention in CA in Fall 2021. The product is a Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention for grades K-2 that includes lessons and…

Learners' foundational math skills obtained in the elementary grades profoundly impact their preparation for learning math in the upper grades. However, there is a deficiency in the foundational math skills necessary to be proficient in math and equivalent with their peers at grade level (Burton, 2018). In the elementary classrooms of kindergarten…

This article contributes to the literature on school turnaround by examining the effect of the North Carolina Transformation (NCT) initiative, which was implemented in 75 low-performing schools after the state's efforts to turn around the lowest performing schools under Race to the Top ended, on student reading score growth in grades K-3. Reading…