ReadWorks¶
Product or Programme · All products and programmes
Evidence · 9 claims (9 for) · 2 studies (1 associational, 1 qualitative),q1–q2· 0 of 2 report an effect size · 9 claims rest on one study
Description¶
ReadWorks is a nonprofit digital platform that provides K–12 reading articles, comprehension and vocabulary supports, assessments, teacher resources, and accessibility features.
Components¶
- ReadWorks digital reading platform with LPS-informed learner variability features: ReadWorks is a nonprofit providing free K-12 resources including a library of curated nonfiction and literary articles, reading comprehension and vocabulary curricular supports, assessments, and teacher resources. After partnering with LPS in 2017, its digital platform added audio supports (human voice or text-to-speech), a text magnifier with three font size options, and paragraph numbering; planned features include a guided reading pane and a split screen option. As of January 2018 it had 3.2 million students and 143,000 teachers actively using its digital products. (Tare et al. (2018))
- ReadWorks digital reading comprehension platform with LVP-informed learner-variability features: ReadWorks is a free digital platform providing K-12 teachers a library of curated nonfiction and literary articles, comprehension and vocabulary supports, assessments, and teacher resources. Through the LVP partnership it added student-facing scaffolds—audio, split screen, text magnification, guided reading strip, paragraph numbering, and article annotation—intended as scaffolds bolstering strengths and mitigating challenges tied to key learner factors such as attention, working memory, vocabulary, and vision. The platform's reach is large: 88 percent of all K-8 public and charter schools in the U.S. had a teacher who used ReadWorks in 2018-2019, potentially reaching over 15 million students (Tare et al. (2019))
Claims¶
- Teachers reported that audio supports promoted inclusivity by letting all students access the same content and discuss it together [+W]
- Teachers valued leveled articles on shared topics as supporting a cohesive classroom experience across reading levels [+W]
- Teachers reacted unanimously positively to new audio supports on the ReadWorks platform and offered them to all students, not only struggling readers [+W]
- In the district study, teachers assigned articles above students' STAR Lexile levels (about 375 points higher on average), and greater STAR growth related to completing more, harder, and more accurate ReadWorks assignments [+W]
- Changing the audio default from opt-in to opt-out raised audio availability from 72% to 99% of assignments and student audio use from 68% to 84% [+W]
- Feature use related to a slight increase in multiple choice accuracy, larger for lower-Lexile students and for easier articles [+W]
- Feature use was widespread across student groups (92% of students used at least one feature; 75% of assignments included feature use), with no differences by STAR score, special education status, or income, but substantial variation across teachers [+W]
- Using at least one feature raised students' multiple choice question attempt rate to 89 percent and eliminated the drop on hard assignments, with a significant feature-use × difficulty interaction [+W]
- Teachers who tried ReadWorks features reported high intent to assign more and higher-level articles (89% and 82%) [+W]
Related Products and Programmes¶
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Key Sources¶
- Tare, M., Nobles, S., & Xiao, W. (2018). Partnerships that work: Tapping research to address learner variability in young readers. Washington, DC: Digital Promise Global. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/e59c6e47-4209-4187-a0ef-b8da08283ec6. doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/67
- Tare, M. & Shell, A. R. (2019). Designing for learner variability: Examining the impact of research-based edtech in the classroom. Washington, DC: Digital Promise Global. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/82839c44-adb1-400c-b422-9bfbbca65985. doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/81
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
product |
id |
readworks |
title |
ReadWorks |
description |
ReadWorks is a nonprofit digital platform that provides K–12 reading articles, comprehension and vocabulary supports, assessments, teacher resources, and accessibility features. |
status |
review |
moved_from |
element/readworks-digital-platform-lps-features, element/readworks-lvp-learner-variability-platform |
product_kind |
software |
generated |
by process:sweep-kinds on 2026-10-10 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — tare-2018, tare-2019 |
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