Pennsylvania’s West Jefferson Hills School District achieves reading gains with Amplify CKLA

Programs:

Amplify CKLA, mCLASS®, and Boost Reading

State:

Pennsylvania

Grade level:

Grades K–5

Demographics: 

• Approximately 3,300 students
• Approximately 20% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch
• District demographics: 
  • 88% White
  • 5.1% Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander
  • 2.4% Black
  • 1.8% Hispanic/Latino
  • 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native

Study year:

Two-year implementation for the 2021–22 and 2022–23 school years

Overview

During the 2019–20 school year, educators in West Jefferson Hills School District identified a need for a different approach to literacy instruction. After researching the Science of Reading and visiting Erie Public Schools, a district already using Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA), West Jefferson Hills piloted both Amplify CKLA and a traditional basal program across district classrooms. Teachers piloting the basal program asked to switch to the Amplify CKLA pilot, and stakeholders observed that Amplify CKLA embodied everything they had been trained on: knowledge building, foundational skills, and a complete, coherent approach.

At the start of the 2021–22 school year, West Jefferson Hills implemented Amplify CKLA districtwide across K–5 and paired it with mCLASS assessment and Boost Reading. Following implementation, students scored in the 98th and 99th national percentiles among their peers, and district leaders reported that gains were sustained from the pilot classrooms forward.

Key takeaways

• West Jefferson Hills piloted Amplify CKLA across K–5 classrooms before implementing the program district-wide at the start of the 2021–22 school year.
• Following the first two years of implementation, students scored in the 98th and 99th percentiles among their peers nationwide.
• Students who had previously struggled with reading thrived with Amplify CKLA’s knowledge-building approach, and teachers reported renewed confidence and enthusiasm for literacy instruction.