BROOKLYN, NY (July 20, 2023) — Today, Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, shared a research brief on national end-of-school-year (EOY) reading data for K–3 students. The data reveal that while schools across the country have made progress in reading scores among earlier elementary grades (K–2), gains among third graders remains comparatively slow.

According to newly released EOY data from the 2022–23 school year, students in grades K–2 demonstrated progress compared to the 2021–22 school years, with the greatest gains among Black and Hispanic students. At the same time, third graders exhibited the least improvement from two years ago and no improvement from the prior year’s third grade cohort. The slower improvements in grade 3 suggest a persistent impact on the cohort of students most affected by lost instructional time during the pandemic.

Learning to read by the end of third grade is an important indicator of future academic success. Susan Lambert, chief academic officer of elementary humanities at Amplify, says the data demonstrates how literacy rates in the United States remain a crisis today, with too many students urgently needing support. “We need to help this generation of young students get on track in reading,” Lambert says. “The struggles of students who fall behind will not go away on their own. The older these students become, the longer it will take them to catch up.”

Despite some progress, America still faces an early literacy crisis. To best support educators, Amplify recommends that schools and districts invest in reliable universal screeners, high-quality core curriculum aligned with the Science of Reading, evidence-based interventions, and ongoing professional development.

The report compares mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition benchmark data from the 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23 school years. Approximately 300,000 students from a matched set of 1,400 schools across 43 states are represented from the 2 million students nationwide assessed with mCLASS. The schools in the source data are slightly more likely to be in large urban metropolitan areas than the nation overall.

The data was collected using the mCLASS platform, which automates the data collection of Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). DIBELS is a widely-used series of short tests developed by the University of Oregon that assess K–8 literacy. It is an observational assessment collected by teachers interacting with students one-on-one, either live or over video. DIBELS is typically administered three times a year (beginning, middle, and end of year) and is used to identify reading difficulty, monitor progress, and inform instruction, especially for struggling readers.

About Amplify
A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our captivating core and supplemental programs in literacy, math, and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves. Our formative assessment products turn data into practical instructional support to help all students build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs provide teachers with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify reaches more than 10 million students in all 50 states. To learn more, visit amplify.com.

Media Contact
Kristine Frech
media@amplify.com

(Brooklyn, NY – August 3, 2021) Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, released a research brief on end-of-year K–3 reading data, revealing many students have begun to recover from lost literacy instruction due to COVID-19. However, there are still more students at risk of not learning to read than pre-pandemic, especially students who are Black or Hispanic.

As many students returned to the classroom in the spring, schools made progress in reducing the number of students who were at the greatest risk of not learning how to read. While these gains are important for overcoming instructional loss, the percentage of students at risk of not reading across grades K–3 is still higher than the 2019–20 school year due to pandemic disruptions. Moreover, these remaining instructional losses have widened the national gaps in early reading skills between Black and Hispanic students and their white counterparts.

“To catch up to the learning levels of pre-pandemic cohorts of students, we must accelerate learning. For that, students require instruction that targets their needs more than ever. Teachers should be empowered by quality assessments to understand the specific areas in which students could benefit from support,” said Gina Biancarosa, professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences in the College of Education at the University of Oregon. “Once their unique strengths and needs have been identified, we can spend time supporting students in targeted while continuing to deliver grade-level core instruction. Working in tandem, targeted and grade-level instruction can reach individual students equitably and help to make up for the lost opportunities to learn of the last year plus.”

“The age group in which our research was conducted is critical. We know that the older the students are, the longer it is going to take to catch them up,” said Susan Lambert, chief academic officer of elementary humanities at Amplify. “Based on these findings, schools and districts should anticipate recovery taking one to two years. Along with grade-level, core instruction, monitoring is essential to track individual student progress and provide the personalized support that will help all students become confident readers.”

The report highlights the effects of COVID-19 disruptions by comparing Amplify mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition benchmark data from the 2019–20 and 2020–21 school years. Approximately 400,000 students in a matched set of over 1,400 schools in 41 states are represented. The schools in the source data are more likely to be in large urban metropolitan areas.

The data was collected using the mCLASS platform, which automates the data collection of DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). DIBELS is a widely used series of short tests that assess K-8 literacy developed by the University of Oregon. DIBELS is an observational assessment, collected by teachers interacting directly with students one-on-one, either live or over video. DIBELS is typically administered three times a year (beginning, middle, and end of year), and is used to identify reading difficulty, monitor progress, and inform instruction, especially for struggling readers.

About Amplify

A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our captivating core and supplemental programs in ELA, math, and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves. Our formative assessment products turn data into practical instructional support to help all students build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs provide teachers with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify serves more than seven million students in all 50 states.

Contact:
Molly McCue
media@amplify.com

BROOKLYN, NY (February 16, 2022) — Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, released a research brief on middle-of-school-year reading data. It shows good news that K–5 students are recovering from the loss of literacy instruction caused by COVID-19. However, it also shows that in every elementary grade, there are still more students at risk of not learning to read than there were before the pandemic. The cohorts of students currently in kindergarten, grade1, and grade 2 are furthest behind compared to their pre-pandemic counterparts; Black and Hispanic students currently in those three early grades are still suffering disproportionately from COVID-related instructional loss.

The latest data show that as elementary students have returned to in-class instruction, schools have made terrific progress toward recovering the instruction they missed during the pandemic. However, at the middle of the 2021–22 school year, in every elementary grade (K–5), the number of students at risk of not reading is still higher than it was at the same point in the 2019–20 school year. The number of at-risk students has risen the most in the youngest grades (K–2), and in those grades, nationally, the gaps in early reading skills between Black and Hispanic students and their white counterparts are now wider than they were before the pandemic.

Susan Lambert, chief academic officer of elementary humanities at Amplify, says the data in this report is a clarion call to help this generation of young students get on track in reading. “It’s really an all-hands on deck moment,” she says. “But aiming for recovery is the wrong goal, because pre-pandemic literacy rates were already a problem. Literacy instruction for the K–2 age group has always been critical. Now we’re seeing second grade students who have spent their entire school lives in the pandemic losing the most instructional time at the most important moments for learning to read. The struggles of students who have fallen behind are not going to go away on their own. If we don’t address them, those struggles will compound. The older these students become, the longer it will take them to catch up.”

What should be done to help these students? “There are many things schools are addressing right now: morale of teachers, well-being of children, reducing the spread of the virus, and helping kids catch up,” Lambert says. “With reading, teacher-student relationships matter. Teaching practices should be evidence-based. High quality instructional materials, grounded in the Science of Reading, should be used daily. Instructional content should develop both word recognition and language skills. Learning must be regularly monitored and learning gaps addressed immediately.”

Lambert is optimistic about how much progress can be made. “When kids get good instruction based in the Science of Reading, outcomes improve. When students receive that instruction in the early grades, 95 percent of them can develop as proficient readers regardless of their background.”

Lambert calls for both accelerating student literacy outcomes through quality grade-level instruction and for targeted instruction and interventions to close existing gaps.

She specifically recommends that each district make a two-year, highly integrated plan for the population of kids that are at high risk. Those integrated plans should ensure that schools:

• Administer benchmark assessments three times per year to monitor levels of risk for reading difficulties.
• Spend more time on literacy instruction, and make sure it is evidence-based instruction (based in the Science of Reading).
• Organize the daily calendar to include time beyond grade-level instruction.
• Be creative about scheduling and staffing to ensure this time is prioritized.
• Support instructional staff in gaining knowledge about the Science of Reading.

The report highlights the effects of COVID-19 disruptions by comparing Amplify mCLASS with DIBELS® 8th Edition benchmark data from the 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021-22 school years. Approximately 400,000 students in a matched set of more than 1,300 schools in 37 states are represented. The schools in the source data are slightly more likely to be in large urban metropolitan areas than the nation overall.

The data was collected using the mCLASS platform, which automates the data collection of DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). DIBELS is a widely-used series of short tests that assess K–8 literacy developed by the University of Oregon. DIBELS is an observational assessment collected by teachers interacting with students one-on-one, either live or over video. DIBELS is typically administered three times a year (beginning, middle, and end of year), and is used to identify reading difficulty, monitor progress, and inform instruction, especially for struggling readers.

About Amplify
A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our captivating core and supplemental programs in ELA, math, and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves. Our formative assessment products turn data into practical instructional support to help all students build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs provide teachers with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify serves more than 10 million students in all 50 states.

Contact:
Molly McCue
media@amplify.com

BROOKLYN, NY (October 21, 2022) — Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, released a research brief about national beginning-of-school-year (BOY) reading data today. While students in elementary grades are making progress toward early literacy levels that pre-date the pandemic, only about half of students in grade three are on track for learning to read, and nearly a third are in the highest risk category. In kindergarten, half of the nation’s students are starting school already in need of intensive intervention in early literacy skills.

Compared to where they were before pandemic disruptions, more of today’s elementary students are still in the highest risk category for not learning to read. Moreover, students in grades that did not experience the disruptions as acutely are showing gaps, with only about one-third of kindergarteners and less than half of first graders starting the year on track for core instruction in early literacy.

“The data in this report are another signal that we need to do even more to support teachers so they can help this generation of young students get on track in reading,” says Susan Lambert, chief academic officer of elementary humanities at Amplify. “We won’t see early literacy improve beyond pre-pandemic proficiencies if we don’t make changes across our educational system. It is a crisis that can be turned around — with focused efforts on evidenced-based practices.”

Literacy rates in the United States remain a crisis today, with many students urgently needing support. The good news: research-based reading instruction reduces the need for intervention and enables children to move forward as capable, confident learners. When students receive instruction based in the Science of Reading, outcomes improve. When that instruction takes place in the early grades, research shows that most students can be taught to read at or approaching grade level. Schools and districts need to invest in reliable universal screeners, high-quality core curriculum, evidence-based interventions, and professional development for educators based in the Science of Reading.

The report compares mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition benchmark data from the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 school years. Approximately 300,000 students in a matched set of 1,400 schools in 43 states are represented. The schools in the source data are slightly more likely to be in large urban metropolitan areas than the nation overall.

The data was collected using the mCLASS platform, which automates the data collection of DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). DIBELS is a widely-used series of short tests developed by the University of Oregon that assess K–8 literacy. DIBELS is an observational assessment collected by teachers interacting with students one-on-one, either live or over video. DIBELS is typically administered three times a year (beginning, middle, and end of year), and is used to identify reading difficulty, monitor progress, and inform instruction, especially for struggling readers.

About Amplify
A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our core and supplemental programs in ELA, math, and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves. Our formative assessment products help teachers identify the targeted instruction students need to build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs and services provide educators with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify serves more than 10 million students in all 50 states. For more information, visit amplify.com.

Media Contact
Kristine Frech
media@amplify.com

BROOKLYN, NY (February 27, 2023) — Today, Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, published a research brief on national middle-of-school-year (MOY) reading data. The data show that students across the country continue to make meaningful progress in early literacy. These successes are especially evident in the lower elementary grades. Further, the measurable disparities in achievement between Black and Hispanic students and their white and Asian peers have narrowed since the prior year. Despite this progress, in every elementary grade, the students at the greatest risk for not learning to read are performing worse than they were in the middle of the 2019–2020 school year. In particular, third graders, the cohort of students with the most impacted instructional time from the pandemic, experienced no improvement from the prior school year, signaling the importance of uninterrupted instructional time that is based in the Science of Reading.

“Literacy is a fundamental human right, and evidence-based literacy instruction is an imperative for lifelong success,” says Susan Lambert, chief academic officer of elementary humanities at Amplify. “Our nation’s students have experienced unprecedented learning disruptions over the last three years. The way forward is clear — evidence-based practices, like the Science of Reading, must guide our nation’s literacy recovery to help all of our children become confident readers.”

Despite recent progress, literacy rates in the United States remain a crisis today. There are still too many students at risk of failing to read proficiently by the end of the third grade, an important indicator of future academic success. Educators serving students in grades K–3 need continued support to help students that are most at risk. Schools and districts can invest in a reliable universal screener, high-quality core curriculum based in the Science of Reading, evidence-based interventions and ongoing professional development to ensure educators have the tools they need to support students.

The research brief compares mCLASS® with DIBELS® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) 8th Edition benchmark data from the 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 and 2022–23 school years. From more than 2 million students assessed with mCLASS, approximately 300,000 students in a matched set of 1,400 schools in 43 states are represented. The schools in the source data are slightly more likely to be in large urban metropolitan areas than the nation overall.

The data was collected using the mCLASS platform, which automates the data collection of DIBELS®. DIBELS is a widely-used series of short tests developed by the University of Oregon that assess K–8 literacy. It is an observational assessment collected by teachers interacting with students one-on-one, either live or over video. DIBELS is typically administered three times a year (beginning, middle and end of year), and it is used to identify reading difficulty, monitor progress and inform instruction, especially for struggling readers.

About Amplify
A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our core and supplemental programs in ELA, math and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves. Our formative assessment products help teachers identify the targeted instruction students need to build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs and services provide educators with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify serves more than 15 million students in all 50 states and on six continents. For more information, visit amplify.com.

Media Contact
Kristine Frech
media@amplify.com

BROOKLYN, NY (November 9, 2023) — Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, released a research brief about national beginning-of-school-year (BOY) reading data today. Elementary school students are progressing toward early literacy levels that predate the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest data show more students across grades K–3 performing at levels on track for learning to read and ready for core instruction.

Measurable disparities in achievement between Black and Hispanic students and their Asian and white peers remain significant, but have narrowed in kindergarten and grade 1 since 2021–22. Among kindergarteners, the most recent data (2023–24) show increases of 12 percentage points for Black students and 13 percentage points for Hispanic students who are on track for learning to read. In first grade, the data show increases of 11 percentage points for Black students and 10 percentage points for Hispanic students who are on track for learning to read.

Despite the increase in the percentage of students on track, only half of K–3 students are prepared to read at grade level at the start of the school year, with 30 to 40 percent beginning the year needing intensive early literacy intervention. Students starting first, second, and third grade in 2023 are performing worse than their counterparts from 2019, the last academic year before the pandemic, while kindergarteners outperform their peers from the fall of 2019.

“The earliest grades are the most critical time for literacy development,” says Susan Lambert, chief academic officer of elementary humanities at Amplify. “Educators need data from BOY assessments to develop plans and allocate resources for students who are most at risk for not learning to read.”

Research-based reading instruction reduces the need for intervention and enables children to progress as capable, confident learners. Educators serving all students, and especially students in grades K–3 first learning to read, need data-driven insights into reading development, instructional practices based on the Science of Reading, and support helping students who require more targeted instruction and intervention to catch up.

Methodology
The report compares mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition benchmark data from the 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23 and 2023–24 school years. From more than 2 million students assessed with mCLASS, approximately 200,000 students in a matched set of 1,400 schools in 43 states are represented. The schools in the source data are slightly more likely to be in large urban metropolitan areas than the nation overall.

The data was collected using the mCLASS platform, which automates the data collection of Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). DIBELS is a widely-used series of short tests developed by the University of Oregon that assess K–8 literacy. DIBELS is an observational assessment collected by teachers interacting with students one-on-one, either live or over video. DIBELS is typically administered three times a year (beginning, middle and end of year) and is used to identify reading difficulty, monitor progress, and inform instruction, especially for struggling readers.

About Amplify
A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our captivating core and supplemental programs in literacy, math, and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively, and for themselves. Our formative assessment products turn data into practical instructional support to help all students build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs provide teachers with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify reaches more than 15 million students in all 50 states. To learn more, visit amplify.com.

Media Contact
Kristine Frech
media@amplify.com