Waterford Upstart

Product or Programme · All products and programmes
Evidence · 3 claims (2 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 causal), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description

Waterford Upstart is Waterford.org's home-based early-learning programme that uses Waterford Early Learning software to provide adaptive reading, mathematics, and science instruction to young children.

Components

• Waterford Early Learning (WEL) adaptive software: The core instructional component of Waterford Upstart is the Waterford Early Learning (WEL) software, which "sequences adaptive lessons, digital books, songs, and practice activities based on each child's progress." The software "adjusts the level of support and difficulty as children demonstrate new skills," personalizing the daily lesson flow across reading, math, and science content. (Waterford Upstart program description (2024))
• Waterford Upstart early learning program: Waterford Upstart is an early learning program for children in PreK–2 that "delivers daily 15–20 minute online lessons in reading, math, and science." It is designed for consistent weekly use at home, with families receiving progress updates and coach support, and it earned a Promising rating in the Academic Performance domain with an average effect size of +0.65 across 1,675 students. (Waterford Upstart program description (2024))

Claims

• In the qualifying quasi-experimental study, at-risk Kindergarten students using Waterford Level One for 15-minute daily sessions were matched to comparison students and pretested in fall and posttested in spring [+W]
• Evidence base for Waterford Early Reading Level One™ is small, with no standards-meeting studies in four of six outcome domains [~W]
• The WWC rated Waterford Early Reading Program™ as having potentially positive effects on alphabetics, based on a substantively important average effect size with no statistically significant individual outcomes [+W]

Related Products and Programmes

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Key Sources

• Waterford Upstart program description. (2024). https://www.waterford.org/upstart/

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	product
id	waterford-upstart
title	Waterford Upstart
description	Waterford Upstart is Waterford.org's home-based early-learning programme that uses Waterford Early Learning software to provide adaptive reading, mathematics, and science instruction to young children.
status	review
moved_from	element/waterford-early-learning-adaptive-software, element/waterford-upstart-program
product_kind	programme
generated	by process:sweep-kinds on 2026-10-10
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — waterford-upstart-program-description-2024

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