In a 2013 Denver RCT, LLI showed a statistically significant positive effect on BAS reading achievement, a negative but non-significant difference on DRA2, and a positive but non-significant difference on STAR for female students in grades 1–2¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r2 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2017 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 For Fountas & Pinnell BAS, the WWC found a positive and statistically significant difference between the intervention and comparison groups for the combined K–2 sample, with effect size 0.29. → Leveled Literacy Intervention 2017 q3 i? For DRA2, the combined K–2 sample showed a negative but not statistically significant difference that was not substantively important. → Leveled Literacy Intervention 2017 q3 i? For the combined female students in grades 1 and 2 on STAR Early Literacy, the WWC found a positive but not statistically significant difference that was substantively important. → Leveled Literacy Intervention 2017

Evidence¶

Leveled Literacy Intervention 2017¶

Leveled Literacy Intervention. (2017). What Works Clearinghouse Beginning Reading intervention report. U.S. Department of Education. http://www.fountasandpinnell.com/intervention/

q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r2

Randomized controlled trial of LLI in 13 urban elementary and K–8 schools in Denver, Colorado, with 163 LLI and 157 comparison students. Results varied by outcome measure; the report states that "For DRA2, the authors reported positive and statistically significant findings for students in kindergarten and no statistically significant findings for students in grades 1 and 2." The BAS domain average effect size was 0.29 and the DRA2 average was –0.02.

"For DRA2, the authors reported positive and statistically significant findings for students in kindergarten and no statistically significant findings for students in grades 1 and 2."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — moderator: an instructional effect differs by group

Related Claims¶

• In the 2010 RCT, LLI produced a statistically significant positive effect on reading fluency for grades 1–2 (effect size 0.27, improvement index +11) — related
• In a 2010 RCT in Georgia and New York, LLI produced a statistically significant positive effect on general reading achievement (effect size 0.35, improvement index +14) — related
• In the 2013 RCT, subgroup findings for female students in grades 1–2 on the STAR Early Literacy Assessment were positive but not statistically significant, yet large enough to be considered substantively important — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• In the 2010 RCT, LLI showed no discernible effects on alphabetics (domain average effect size 0.13, not statistically significant) — related
• LLI improves reading outcomes for struggling K-2 readers with an average effect size of +0.13 across two studies — related
• In a Denver study, LLI showed very positive outcomes on the DRA2 in kindergarten but not in first or second grade, for an effect size of +0.10 — related
• Teachers in the Gallagher (2010) evaluation responded positively to LLI, though some found the lesson design too fast-paced — related
• Leveled Literacy Intervention has positive effects on general reading achievement, potentially positive effects on reading fluency, and no discernible effects on alphabetics for beginning readers in grades K–2 — a broader claim this one bears on