Waterford Early Reading Level One™ shows no discernible effects on preschool children's oral language¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3·i0negligible
Currency · newest study 2007 · 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 i0 In a randomized controlled trial, Waterford Early Reading Level One™ produced no statistically significant effects on oral language measures (PPVT-III and Comprehension) relative to business-as-usual, with a domain average effect size of 0.01. → What Works Clearinghouse 2007
Evidence¶
What Works Clearinghouse 2007¶
What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. (2007). WWC Intervention Report: Waterford Early Reading Level One™. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/541
q3 · i0 · causal · r2
Randomized controlled trial of 27 Head Start classrooms in southeastern New York; WWC re-analysis used unique classrooms (19 classrooms/263 children for PPVT-III and 19/270 for Comprehension). Both oral language measures were "found no significant effects"; domain average effect size 0.01, improvement index 0 percentile points (range –3 to +3).
"Fischel et al. (in press) analyzed the differences between the Waterford Early Reading Level One™ and business-as-usual comparison groups for two measures in this outcome domain [the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III) and Comprehension] and found no significant effects; the WWC confirmed this."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Oral Language — outcome: instruction changes it
Related Claims¶
- Waterford Early Reading Level One™ shows no discernible effects on preschool children's print knowledge — related
- Waterford Early Reading Level One™ and Let's Begin with the Letter People® produce similar outcomes in oral language and print knowledge — related
- Headsprout Early Reading has a statistically significant positive effect on the oral language of at-risk preschool children — related
- A WWC expert panel distilled recent research into seven recommendations for preschool educators on preparing young children for school — related
- Ready, Set, Leap!® has no significant effect on preschool oral language (domain average effect size 0.02) — related
- Bright Beginnings shows no discernible effects on preschool oral language (domain average effect size 0.15, not statistically significant) — related
- Pre-K Mathematics with DLM Early Childhood Express Math shows no discernible effects on preschool oral language — related
- Curiosity Corner shows no discernible effects on preschool oral language outcomes across two studies meeting WWC standards — related
- Doors to Discovery™ shows potentially positive effects on preschool oral language (PPVT-III effect size 0.27, not statistically significant) — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
waterford-level-one-no-discernible-oral-language-effects |
title |
Waterford Early Reading Level One™ shows no discernible effects on preschool children's oral language |
description |
Waterford Early Reading Level One™ shows no discernible effects on preschool children's oral language |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2007 |
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-2007 |
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