New Evidence for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Rating Reiterates i-Ready® Instruction’s Impact on Driving Student Outcomes

A research study from Curriculum Associates recently received a Moderate (i.e., Tier 2) rating from Evidence for ESSA. The study demonstrated that students who used i-Ready Personalized Instruction gained significantly more points on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) in English Language Arts and Mathematics than those who did not use i-Ready Personalized Instruction.

Evidence for ESSA is intended to provide educators with reliable, easy-to-use information on programs and practices that meet the standards of evidence in the ESSA. This classification of Moderate by the organization, out of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins School of Education, demonstrates that i-Ready meets the standards of evidence in the ESSA as well as reinforces the validity of the program in driving significant positive student outcomes on rigorous state tests.

“Educators want—and need—to feel confident in the programs they are using to support their instruction and, in turn, student achievement,” said Dr. Kristen Huff, vice president of assessment and research at Curriculum Associates. “This latest third-party validation underscores the power of i-Ready Personalized Instruction and its ability to effectively support the teaching and learning process throughout the school year.”

Curriculum Associates’ research study meets the Moderate rating, defined as a “quasi-experimental (i.e., matched), well-conducted study showing significant positive student outcomes with a multisite (i.e., schools, districts, states) sample of at least 350 students,” according to the Evidence for ESSA website.

The study, Impact of i-Ready® Personalized Instruction on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System Achievement for Grade 5 in English Language Arts and Mathematics, evaluated the impact of i-Ready Personalized Instruction usage on achievement in ELA and Mathematics as measured by the MCAS for Grade 5 students in six Massachusetts districts during the 2020–2021 school year. Students who used i-Ready Personalized Instruction and students who completed the i-Ready Diagnostic but did not use i-Ready Personalized Instruction were matched to create similar instruction and comparison groups.

To learn more about i-Ready, visit CurriculumAssociates.com/i-Ready. To read the Curriculum Associates study, visit CurriculumAssociates.com/Research-and-Efficacy/i-Ready-MCAS-Impact.

American Consortium for Equity in Education

The American Consortium for Equity in Education, publisher of the "Equity & Access" journal, celebrates and connects the educators, associations, community partners and industry leaders who are working to solve problems and create a more equitable environment for historically underserved pre K-12 students throughout the United States.