This study examined Newsela’s effect on student reading performance in over 2,500 California schools. Newsela is an instructional content platform that brings together engaging, accessible content with integrated assessments and insights for teachers. Reading achievement on the California Smarter Balanced state assessment in Newsela schools was compared to matched comparison schools not using Newsela.
The impact of actively using Newsela was estimated to increase the proportion of students at or above standards in ELA, a result equivalent to nearly five additional weeks of instructional time. Engaging readers in ELA and social studies classrooms with personalized articles improves student achievement at the school level across a wide variety of school types and student populations.
Study type: school level
| Demographic characteristics of Newsela schools in the study sample | |
|---|---|
| Economically Disadvantaged (FRPL program) | 58.1% |
| African American | 5.3% |
| Hispanic | 48.3% |
| English Language Learners | 24.1% |
Did outcomes vary by characteristics of the students or classroom?
