Read Well - English Language Learners

Program
Read Well

Read Well

Program Description

Read Well is a literacy program developed for kindergarten and first-grade students, focusing on the foundational elements of reading. It delivers structured instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension. The program uses interactive stories and discussion-based vocabulary lessons to engage students and promote language growth. Its flexible design allows for differentiated instruction to support a range of learner needs.

Student Population

The effects of Read Well was evaluated on a group of 34 first-grade English language learners in a rural elementary school in eastern Colorado with the majority being African American and white students. English language learners constituted 61% of the school population and 80% qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch. These students attended schools with high populations of low-income families and were randomly assigned to either the Read Well group or a comparison group using a different reading curriculum. The study focused on how the program supports early reading development among students acquiring English as a second language.

Current Evidence

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviewed research on Read Well and found potentially positive effects on students' alphabetics and fluency (https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/411). These findings come from a study that met WWCā€™s evidence standards with reservations, indicating some limitations in study design but promising outcomes in early reading skills. An average effect size of +0.21 was found in English lanaguage development.

For more information:

Website: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/411

https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/WWC/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_readwell_060810.pdf

Reference

What Works Clearinghouse. (2010). WWC Intervention Report: Read Well. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.

Frasco, R. D. (2008). Effectiveness of Reading First for English language learners: Comparison of two programs (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University, 2008). Dissertation Abstracts International, 69(03A), 141ā€“879.