Evaluation of the Reading Plus 2000 and Visagraph System as a Remedial Program for Academically ‘At Risk’ Sixth and Eighth Grade Students: A Pilot Study

Summary of Findings:

The study was conducted at Shields Elementary School in Chicago. At-risk students were assigned to receive instruction with an earlier version of Reading Plus. Students received three sessions per week for a total of 40 sessions, in addition to their regular classroom instruction.

Results showed that students in the sixth and eighth grades who received training with Reading Plus made significant improvements (p<.001) with a gain of 0.9 and 2.3 levels in their GLE as measured by the Visagraph, respectively. In addition, the sixth and eighth graders had a significant average ITBS gain of 1 year 5 months (p<.001) as compared to the school’s average student gain of 1 year 1 month. Beyond the reading gains, students also improved in visual skills, reducing instances in which the two eyes performed differently in terms of binocular coordination (p<.0005).

“Each 6th and 8th grade group saw average ITBS reading gains of 1 year 5 months for this educationally disadvantaged group compared with 1 year and 1 month gain for the school’s average student population.”