Headsprout Early Reading has a statistically significant positive effect on the oral language of at-risk preschool children¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3·i2medium
Currency · newest study 2009 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i2 In a randomized controlled trial with 62 Head Start preschoolers, Headsprout Early Reading produced a statistically significant positive effect on oral language (TOLD-P:3), with an effect size of 0.57 and an improvement index of +22 percentile points. → What Works Clearinghouse 2009
Evidence¶
What Works Clearinghouse 2009¶
What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. (2009). Headsprout® Early Reading (WWC Intervention Report). https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/211
q3 · i2 · causal · r2
Randomized controlled trial (Huffstetter, 2005) reviewed by the WWC: 62 four-year-old Head Start children randomly assigned to Headsprout Reading Basics or a math-software comparison for 30 minutes daily over 8 weeks. The WWC-calculated effect size on the TOLD-P:3 was 0.57, "Statistically significant", improvement index +22.
"The authors report, and the WWC confirms, a statistically significant positive effect of Headsprout® Early Reading on oral language of children in this study."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Oral Language — outcome: instruction changes it
Related Claims¶
- Headsprout Early Reading has a statistically significant positive effect on the print knowledge of at-risk preschool children — related
- Literacy Express has positive effects on oral language for preschool children, with significant effects in two of three studies — related
- Waterford Early Reading Level One™ shows no discernible effects on preschool children's oral language — related
- Doors to Discovery™ shows potentially positive effects on preschool oral language (PPVT-III effect size 0.27, not statistically significant) — related
- Bright Beginnings shows no discernible effects on preschool oral language (domain average effect size 0.15, not statistically significant) — related
- A WWC expert panel distilled recent research into seven recommendations for preschool educators on preparing young children for school — related
- Head Start has potentially positive effects on general reading achievement for 3- and 4-year-old children, based on parent-rated emergent literacy — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
headsprout-positive-oral-language-preschool |
title |
Headsprout Early Reading has a statistically significant positive effect on the oral language of at-risk preschool children |
description |
Headsprout Early Reading has a statistically significant positive effect on the oral language of at-risk preschool children |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2009 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-07 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — what-works-clearinghouse-2009 |
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