Brooklyn, NY (September 26, 2019) Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, announced substantial new enhancements to Amplify Science, its core science program authored by the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. Teachers can now prepare and present lessons with Classroom Slides for grades K–5; review and grade student work with an intuitive Classwork tool in grades 6–8; and use new digital Spanish-language resources, accessibility supports, and additional hands-on activities. In addition, Amplify rolled out Amplify Science Transitional Kindergarten, a new program designed to introduce young students to real-world phenomena and jumpstart a lifelong love of science. 

Based on feedback from teachers, which the Amplify team gathers on a regular basis through a variety of channels, the new elements available as part of Amplify Science this 2019-2020 school year include:

• Classroom Slides, fully editable time-saving supports for teachers, with lesson visuals, activity instructions, animations, investigation setup videos, technology support and more.
• Classwork, a feedback and grading tool that gives teachers easy access to unreviewed work, student portfolios and groups based on student performance.
• New digital Spanish-language supports (available as purchased add-on licenses) that enable educators to toggle between English versions online. Educators can also select which resources students can see. 
• New accessibility supports, including screen-readable content, keyboard navigation improvements and read-aloud support for assessments.
• Hands-on Flextensions, new additional investigations that give teachers the flexibility to incorporate more hands-on focused activities into select units, if time permits.

The company also debuted Amplify Science Transitional Kindergarten, a new program from UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science that is developmentally and pedagogically appropriate and designed to foster a lifelong love of science in young students.

Looking ahead to Back to School 2020, Amplify is already hard at work on Classroom Slides for grades 6–8 and more enhancements to the digital platform that make planning and delivering instruction even easier.

“One of the best parts about working with K–8 educators is listening to how they actually use our program, taking their feedback seriously, and doing something with it,” said Steven Zavari, senior vice president and general manager of science curriculum at Amplify. “We are already hearing great things about the Classroom Slides and other new features available this school year, and we can’t wait to share more details with educators soon about what’s coming next year.”

Amplify Science is a breakthrough K–8 curriculum designed from the ground up for the Next Generation Science Standards by the curriculum experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. In each Amplify Science unit, students inhabit the role of a scientist or engineer to investigate a real-world problem, using relevant, 21st-century contexts to investigate scientific phenomena. Educators who adopt Amplify Science receive a comprehensive curriculum that includes literacy-rich activities, hands-on investigations, digital simulations, embedded assessments and robust teacher supports. Amplify Science for grades 6–8 was the only program to receive all-green ratings on EdReports.org in 2019. The K-5 program is currently in review by EdReports.

Currently in use by more than two million students, Amplify Science has been adopted by the New York City Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools, Denver Public Schools, San Francisco Unified School District, Seattle Public Schools, the KIPP charter network, and hundreds of other districts across the country.

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 students at every skill level build a strong foundation in early reading and math. Our programs provide teachers with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of all their students. Today, Amplify serves five million students in all 50 states. 

For more information, visit Amplify.com.

Contact: media@amplify.com

BROOKLYN, N.Y., May 18, 2022 — Amplify, a next-generation publisher of curriculum and assessment, announced today that it has acquired the curriculum and instructional technology of Desmos, the acclaimed developer of digital math tools and curriculum. The deal is the culmination of a close partnership between Amplify and Desmos over the past two years. Desmos’ world-renowned calculators will remain independent as part of a separate Public Benefit Corporation called Desmos Studio that will focus on the development of free, best-in-class online calculators and other tools.

The Amplify and Desmos curriculum teams will now deeply integrate the technology and content they’ve both been developing and piloting for several years. The resulting combined program, based on IM K–12 Math™, will bring together Amplify’s proven ability to deliver the highest quality STEM curriculum to millions of students, and the groundbreaking digital tools and instructional approach of Desmos. Desmos technology will also power new modes of creative, collaborative learning in the next generation of Amplify’s science and literacy core programs.

Now a part of Amplify, teacher.desmos.com will be called Desmos Classroom and will continue to provide free lesson-building tools and lessons to teachers around the world. Users can expect more instructional content, professional learning resources, and classroom learning tools, continuing to enhance Desmos Classroom as the most powerful free resource for math educators.

“We have admired Desmos for more than a decade, watching them sail from strength to strength on a current of excellence and teacher enthusiasm. The past two years of working closely together reinforced a shared vision for improving math education,” said Larry Berger, Amplify’s chief executive officer. “We will now merge our math curriculum development efforts, with the goal of building a new kind of teaching and learning experience that helps every student love learning math and gain access to math’s power and beauty.”

Desmos Studio will become a separate Public Benefit Corporation led by original Founder and Chief Executive Officer Eli Luberoff, and will continue to build and grow the Desmos suite of calculators and other tools, and the community that relies on them. The calculators will remain free to teachers and students globally and available for companies to license for use in their products. Its partnerships with over 75 organizations around the world will provide Desmos Studio with the resources to continue intensive research and development around Desmos calculators and other tools long into the future.

“We chose this unique deal with Amplify because, in our years working together, it’s become clear that Amplify shares our pedagogical vision and our commitment to quality, and recognizes what’s made Desmos special. We know that Amplify’s exceptional team can help us continue to improve while bringing our curriculum and activities to as many teachers and students as possible,” said Eli Luberoff, founder and chief executive officer of Desmos. “As an independent entity, Desmos Studio will continue to improve the calculators that teachers and students know and love. The Desmos calculator is now embedded in math classrooms across the world, and for that reason should be managed as a resource for the public good, which means keeping it free for educators and students while continuously improving it for years to come.”

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 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.

About Desmos
Desmos wants to build a world where every student learns math and loves learning math, where a student’s access to the power and beauty of math doesn’t depend on their place of birth, race, ethnicity, gender, or any other aspect of their identity. Our free suite of calculators are used annually by millions of teachers and students around the world, and our activities and curriculum power the daily work of hundreds of thousands of teachers and millions of students. For more information, visit desmos.com.

Contact: media@amplify.com

BROOKLYN, NY (October 31, 2023) — 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–5 students in several districts engaged in Amplify Tutoring. The data reveal that students who received high-dosage tutoring were more likely to make outsized gains in reading and narrow skills gaps on a nationally normed reading assessment compared to similarly at-risk peers who attended the same schools but did not participate in tutoring.

According to the data, during the 2022–23 school year, students who scored well-below or below benchmark on the nationally-normed mCLASS® DIBELS 8th Edition assessment (an indicator that students are not on track for grade-level reading proficiency) and attended Amplify Tutoring sessions regularly demonstrated significant growth.

Compelling growth was demonstrated in districts using both Amplify’s tutors and district-sourced tutors from the local community to deliver mCLASS Intervention lessons for elementary tutoring programs with coaching and training provided by Amplify.

• Within a single semester in a Midwest urban district, 36% of K–2 students and 37% of grade 3–5 students who scored well-below or below benchmark at the beginning of the semester and regularly attended Amplify Tutoring achieved above-average or well-above-average growth compared to national norms on mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition. In comparison, only 25% of similarly at-risk readers in the same schools who did not participate saw gap-closing growth during the same semester.
• In a large, urban district in the West, 58% of the K–2 students who started the semester scoring well-below benchmark or below benchmark on mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition and attended full-service Amplify Tutoring sessions more than twice a week, on average, made above-average or well-above-average growth, compared to national norms. Comparatively, only 42% of similarly at-risk peers who attended the same schools but did not participate in Amplify Tutoring made gap-closing growth.
• In a large, urban Northeast district implementing Amplify Tutoring’s full-service solution for kindergarten through 5th grade students, 23% of at-risk readers who participated in Amplify Tutoring at least once per week changed risk levels by moving from well-below and below benchmark at the beginning of year to at or above benchmark by the end of the year. In comparison, only 14% of similarly at-risk peers in the same schools who were not participating in Amplify Tutoring changed performance level.

In the state of Texas, students who participated in small-group tutoring using mCLASS Intervention lessons were more likely to achieve above-average or well-above-average reading growth on mCLASS Texas Edition, compared to similarly at-risk Texas students not accessing Amplify Tutoring materials. In addition, the thousands of Texas students with access to Amplify Tutoring materials were more likely to raise their reading proficiency level from mid-year to the end of year, as measured by their benchmark composite scores on mCLASS Texas Edition, compared to similar Texas students without access to the materials.

“Providing post-pandemic support to students and educators around the country has been our purpose and privilege,” said Alanna Phelan, vice president of Amplify Tutoring. ”High-impact tutoring is another important way Amplify can fulfill its goal of supporting students in becoming confident, proficient readers and extending the reach of classroom teachers.”

Amplify launched its tutoring program in the summer of 2020. By providing high-quality instructional materials, training and ongoing coaching for tutors hired by districts, as well as hiring and managing tutors directly, the program has since scaled to serve over 200,000 students and is a trusted tutoring partner to hundreds of school districts and states nationally.

Students are engaged in Amplify Tutoring in various ways based on each local education agency’s needs. Models include:

• full-service tutoring programs that include sessions with trained Amplify-provided tutors administering lessons virtually to students throughout the school day, outside core instructional time, with an emphasis on creating a consistent, positive student-tutor relationship. Tutors and school/district leaders receive consistent coaching and program management from Amplify staff to support program quality and student success.
• equipping school staff, community partners and other tutoring providers with research-backed tutoring materials, training and program management.
• consultancies with local education agencies to design and launch high-impact tutoring programs.

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 educators 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

BROOKLYN, NY (November 29, 2023) — Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, released the results of a second year-long study on the impact of Boost Reading, a personalized learning program for elementary grades powered by the Science of Reading. Students in grades K–5—including English/multilingual learners—who used Boost Reading for 30 minutes a week significantly outperformed their peers. Students at risk for reading difficulty who used Boost Reading were 26 percent more likely than students not using Boost Reading to meet or exceed grade-level benchmarks by the end of the school year.

The study compared more than 43,000 K–5 students who used Boost Reading for at least 30 minutes a week with a group of more than 130,000 students who did not use Boost Reading, matched on key student and school characteristics. Educators measured student reading skills using DIBELS® 8th Edition, the gold-standard early reading assessment developed by the University of Oregon.

A digital, student-driven program for grades K–5, Boost Reading enables educators to support every reader in their classrooms through its adaptive technology and powerful storytelling. Boost Reading aligns with Amplify’s other early literacy programs and pairs with Boost Lectura to provide personalized English and Spanish instructional parity.

“Seeing such clear and compelling outcomes for two years in a row is just the kind of promising data we could all use as we continue to navigate a post-COVID world,” said Melissa Ulan, senior vice president of the literacy suite at Amplify. “When educators have research-backed tools to personalize instruction, they are able to meet the needs of every student and drive significant growth in reading skills. The data confirm it.”

The research is rigorous: This national study from the 2021–22 school year meets the Every Student Succeeds Act’s (ESSA) Tier 2 Moderate Evidence criteria, showing significant and positive effects on student outcomes. Notably, 62 percent of at-risk English/multilingual kindergarten students in the Boost Reading group finished the year at benchmark or above, compared to 47 percent of students in the comparison group.

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 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 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. For more information, visit amplify.com.

Media Contact
Kristine Frech
media@amplify.com

BROOKLYN, NY (December 23) – Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, today announced that its mCLASS® system has been approved by the California Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel (RDRSSP) as one of only three recommended screeners for identifying K–2 students with reading difficulties in English and Spanish. Of the three, mCLASS is the only approved screener with a dual language report that compares Spanish and English assessment results and offers instructional guidance on transferable skills across languages. 

mCLASS DIBELS® 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura combine to create an all-in-one system of universal screening, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, and instruction, grounded in the Science of Reading for grades K–6 in both English and Spanish. They are brief, easy-to-use measures and provide teachers with clear next steps for developing confident readers. 

“We are thrilled that California has recognized the value of mCLASS in supporting educators in identifying and addressing students’ literacy needs,” said Melissa Ulan, executive vice president for literacy at Amplify. “Through direct observation of students and detailed reports, mCLASS helps teachers better understand student performance and develop strategies that meet them where they are, closing gaps and strengthening each student’s foundational literacy skills.”

The RDRSSP, which comprises literacy experts with extensive experience evaluating early literacy screening tools, praised the mCLASS program for: 

• Strong research foundation: mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura were developed in partnership with the University of Oregon, a leading research institution in literacy assessment. Strong reliability and validity evidence shows that these assessments can effectively assess students in key skills linked to dyslexia and broader reading difficulty.
• Cultural and linguistic responsiveness: The program effectively addresses the diverse dialects spoken by California students, including offering assessments in both English and Spanish, with the unique flexibility of allowing students to take the English test with a Spanish-speaking proctor. 
• Efficient and effective screening: The gating and discontinuation rules—the criteria within an assessment that determines when to stop administering more test items to a student—ensure that assessments are appropriately targeted, preventing unnecessary or prolonged testing. 
• Actionable insights: mCLASS allows educators to interpret and act on data in real-time with instant instructional guidance based on screening and progress monitoring results. In just one click, teachers can access differentiated skill-based groups and targeted resources to better support their students.

With this approval, California school districts can begin reviewing mCLASS as their state-approved K–2 screener for use in the 2025-2026 school year. 

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 – (3/15/19): Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, announced today that it is expanding its offerings in the supplemental curriculum market with a new, highly engaging personalized reading program for grades K-8, Amplify Reading.

Based on the latest research on how children learn to read, Amplify Reading was designed with an advisory board of leading researchers and practitioners in the fields of early literacy and reading comprehension, including Jane Oakhill, Bruce McCandliss, Tim Shanahan, Kelly Cartwright, Art Graesser, Heidi Anne E. Mesmer, and Elfrieda Hiebert.

“Amplify Reading uniquely combines compelling, age-appropriate storylines with skill-appropriate instruction and practice driven by powerful adaptive technology,” said Melissa Ulan, senior vice president, Product, at Amplify. “Educators are seeing amazing reading progress with the program, in large part because students enjoy the characters and plot lines so much that teachers actually have to beg them to stop playing. We’re excited that the full K–8 program is now available for all educators to bring to their classrooms.”

Storytelling is at the heart of Amplify Reading, whether in an imaginative game world where a character that students create (called a Curioso) grows as their reading skills grow (grades K–1) or as a rebel fighter in a dystopian graphic novel (grades 6–8). The program was created with reading experts, game designers, educators, and students to be hyper-engaging and uses a patented algorithm to offer innovative adaptive instruction. This technology, combined with the engaging story world, ensures that students are working on the skills they need at the right time while embedded in an age-appropriate narrative. The program contains more than 50 research-based games mapped to specific reading skills and standards, authentic texts allowing students to apply their new reading skills, and robust teacher support tools, including an easy reporting dashboard and PDFs for additional teacher-led instruction.

“This program is extremely engaging and interactive for each student,” said Brittany, a 2nd-grade teacher in Utah who used an early version of Amplify Reading. “They begged to get on Amplify Reading, and they cried when it was time to log off! This program is a great addition to our curriculum.”

Amplify entered the core curriculum market in 2012 with the launch of Amplify CKLA, a knowledge-based elementary language arts program. It launched its middle school Amplify ELA program in 2014 and its K–8 Amplify Science program in 2017. Amplify introduced pilot versions of supplemental digital reading programs for grades K–2 and 6–8 for the 2017–2018 school year (the 6–8 version was formerly called Amplify Close Reading). The full Amplify Reading program now offers reading instruction and practice for all K–8 reading standards.

Amplify also offers mCLASS: Amplify Reading Edition, which combines its gold-standard assessment program, mCLASS, with adaptive instruction through Amplify Reading. mCLASS: Amplify Reading Edition is a seamlessly integrated early literacy solution with universal screening and personalized learning designed to support all students in learning to read on grade level by the end of elementary school. Amplify Reading is also compatible with Amplify’s K–5 ELA core curriculum, Amplify CKLA. Amplify Reading’s flexible, student-driven structure can be used in a number of ways to supplement Amplify CKLA’s core instruction—from reinforcing a unit’s key skills, to offering additional support, to providing academic enrichment.

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 four million students in all 50 states. For more information, visit amplify.com.

Contact: media@amplify.com

BROOKLYN, N.Y.–Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, released the results of a year-long study on the impact of Amplify Reading, a data-based personalized learning program for K–5 built on the Science of Reading. Across all grades, Amplify Reading students outperformed non-Amplify Reading students after using the program during the 2020–21 school year, with particularly striking outcomes for students identified as ‘at-risk’ for not reaching grade-level benchmarks.

The study compared more than 50,000 K–5 students who used Amplify Reading for 30 minutes per week during the 2020–21 school year with a group of over 160,000 students who did not use Amplify Reading, matched on key student and school characteristics across the United States. Students were measured by educators using mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition, the gold-standard literacy assessment developed by the University of Oregon. Students who used Amplify Reading in all grades made significantly greater gains from the beginning to end of year in word reading, oral reading fluency and comprehension. Additionally, Amplify Reading students who began the year ‘at risk’ were 36% more likely to end the year at or above benchmark compared to a matched comparison group of students who did not use Amplify Reading. Students made these gains during the 2020–21 school year despite interrupted instruction and other challenges related to the pandemic.

“Amplify Reading consistently drives student growth, even in inconsistent times,” said Melissa Ulan, senior vice president and general manager of supplementals at Amplify. “Given the enormous toll COVID disruptions have taken on our early literacy learners, it’s heartening to see students clearly making gains, especially our most academically vulnerable students, so that educators can implement the most effective strategies to catch students up and accelerate growth.”

The research study, which meets the Every Student Succeeds Act’s (ESSA) Tier 2 Moderate Evidence showed significant and positive effects on student reading outcomes for all grade levels. Notably, 65% of kindergarten students in the Amplify Reading group finished the year on track for reading success, compared to 50% of the comparison group. Across all grades, Amplify Reading students outperformed non-Amplify Reading students, with 59% finishing the year at benchmark compared to 52% of students in the comparison group.

Students were considered on track for reading success if their mCLASS DIBELS composite score was at benchmark or above.

Amplify Reading is a reading acceleration program for grades K–5 that leverages the power of compelling storytelling to engage students in personalized reading instruction and practice. Whether students are just learning to read or mastering comprehension, Amplify Reading presents the skills that they need, at a pace that supports their individual development. It provides students with targeted and engaging instruction and practice in the key skills that students need to become successful readers: Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Decoding, Fluency, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Close Reading.

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 14 million students in all 50 states. For more information, visit amplify.com.

Contacts
Kristine Frech
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 (December 11, 2023) – Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, announced the results of an independent study by the nonprofit research, development, and service agency WestEd. The results show that Amplify Science K–5 improves students’ proficiency with science and enriches their science vocabulary knowledge and usage. In addition, it shows that by using an integrated science and literacy curriculum, teachers in the early grades can dedicate significantly more instructional time to science while fostering the development of students’ reading skills.

WestEd researchers found that:

• First grade students in classrooms that used Amplify Science significantly outperformed students in comparison classrooms on NGSS-focused three-dimensional learning and science vocabulary.
• Students in classrooms that used Amplify Science performed similarly to students in comparison classrooms on a standardized assessment of reading at the end of the school year.

The study is among the first randomized controlled trials of curriculum for the NGSS in K–3 classrooms. The research focused on science instruction in 82 first-grade classrooms across three districts serving diverse populations. The report noted that most of the participating schools were Title I schools.

Amplify Science is the leading phenomena-based curriculum for grades K–8. The program blends hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools to empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers. Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify. As the Lawrence’s first curriculum designed to address three-dimensional science standards, Amplify Science reflects state-of-the-art practices in science teaching and learning. Each unit of Amplify Science engages students in a relevant, real-world problem where they investigate scientific phenomena, engage in collaboration and discussion, and develop models or explanations in order to arrive at solutions.

“We are thrilled to share this efficacy study of our NGSS-designed Amplify Science curriculum,” said Matt Reed, vice president of science at Amplify. “Students deserve access to high-quality, engaging, and equitable science instructional materials in elementary school. And most importantly, those materials must actually work. We hope these findings encourage elementary schools to adopt programs like Amplify Science that meet this high bar while also supporting the school’s literacy goals.”

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.

About WestEd

WestEd is a nonpartisan, nonprofit agency that provides a range of services—research and evaluation, professional learning, technical assistance, and policy guidance—for education and other communities. Working to promote success for every learner is WestEd’s main goal, and a steadfast commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is central to that work. To learn more, visit WestEd.org.

Contact: Kristine Frech; media@amplify.com

BROOKLYN, NY (October 31, 2024) – Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, today released a research brief on beginning-of-school-year reading data for K–3 students. Findings reveal that recent gains in K–3 early literacy have stalled overall, and that the youngest learners are demonstrating concerning instructional loss over the summer. Students progressing from kindergarten to first grade are the most vulnerable because they have received the least amount of explicit instruction to reinforce foundational reading skills: as many as one in four students return from their summer break no longer on track for core instruction. 

The report compares K–3 literacy data from the past six school years to analyze the effect of instructional loss on student learning. Across grades K–3, the number of students at risk for not learning to read has yet to improve more than pre-pandemic levels, and only half of students are on track to read at grade level. 

“What this really points to is the importance of quality core instruction for young students. Quality instruction should be systematic, cumulative, and explicit. And of course, reading instruction should be informed by assessment data,” said Susan Lambert, chief academic officer of elementary humanities at Amplify. “This data helps educators identify strengths and areas for growth, enabling them to provide strong foundational support for their youngest students.”

In the report, Amplify outlines recommendations for educators as they begin the school year. Schools and districts can support students by:

• Ensuring that all students receive quality instruction grounded in evidence-based practices such as the Science of Reading
• Identifying students who need additional support and developing a plan for addressing their needs
• Allocating resources for additional support and implementing those plans
• Regularly monitoring progress for students and making adjustments as needed

“Schools and districts should consider explicit instructional practices that provide more frequent opportunities for students to reinforce their reading skills,” continued Lambert. “The good news is that when evidence-based instruction takes place in the earliest possible grades, research shows that most students can be taught to read at or approaching grade level.”

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 (February 26, 2024) – Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, today released a research brief on the latest K-2 middle-of-school-year literacy data. Findings reveal that while this year’s kindergarten cohort has returned to pre-pandemic literacy readiness levels, overall progress remains slow. Only 56 percent of students are on track for learning to read, and 29 percent of students are far behind.

“The return of our youngest students to pre-pandemic reading levels is encouraging—but that said, broad literacy trends in the United States are still concerning,” said Susan Lambert, chief academic officer, elementary humanities, at Amplify. “This is a moment to celebrate, but also a call to action: To prepare students for life-long success, we need all students exceeding pre-pandemic early reading levels. By regularly monitoring student progress via tools like middle-of-year data, educators can respond earlier when their students need support.”

The research brief outlines how middle-of-year data is uniquely positioned to help schools plan for instructional changes and implement those changes before the following school year.

Progress monitoring—identifying, supporting, and tracking outcomes—is one strategy schools can engage in when working with students who are the most at-risk for not learning to read. Using that data, they can provide differentiated support, developing foundational reading skills based on each student’s progress and proficiency.

Amplify encourages districts and schools to analyze middle-of-year data by school, grade, and classroom and create plans that:

• Ensure all students receive quality instruction grounded in the Science of Reading
• Identify students that need additional support and develop a plan for addressing their needs
• Allocate resources for additional support and implement those plans
• Regularly monitor progress for students and make adjustments as needed

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