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NORC at the University Chicago

Magnetic Reading Evaluation

Four elementary age children looking at a book in a library
Examining the impact of an evidence-based reading comprehension program for grades 3 through 5
  • Client
    Curriculum Associates
  • Dates
    October 2023 – May 2024

Problem

The impact of Magnetic Reading on elementary reading achievement is unclear.

Magnetic Reading is a reading comprehension program for students in grades 3 through 5. It is built on four evidence-based teaching principles:

  • Knowledge-rich learning
  • Culturally and linguistically responsive teaching
  • Scaffolds to support differences between learners
  • Data to inform instruction

Magnetic Reading students participate in the teacher-led reading program for 30-45 minutes daily as a component of their literacy instruction. Curriculum Associates, which launched Magnetic Reading in the fall of 2021, wanted to assess its impact on the reading achievement of students in grades 3 through 5.

Solution

NORC used a comparison group design to examine the effects of Magnetic Reading.

NORC conducted a comparison group design study that compared the reading achievement of students in grades 3 to 5 in schools that used Magnetic Reading with that of similarly aged students in schools that did not use it. It included four treatment and 30 comparison elementary schools across Iowa. We assigned students to either the treatment or comparison group based on school usage of the intervention. Using administrative data, we created matched groups of treatment and comparison students who had similar student characteristics and academic achievement before the study. We then used a multi-level model to examine their Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) English Language Assessments (ELA) test scores to estimate the effect of the curriculum.

Result

Our study found that Magnetic Reading had positive effects on elementary reading achievement.

NORC found that Magnetic Reading improved reading scores, as measured by the ISASP ELA test. More specifically, students attending a school with Magnetic Reading scored an average of 8.4 points higher on the ISASP ELA test compared to similar students in schools where Magnetic Reading was not used.

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