At the center of United2Read is the Assessment-to-Instruction (A2i) Professional Support System, developed by Learning Ovations and now part of Scholastic. From 2018 to 2021, A2i was implemented and evaluated in 59 schools across 20 school districts as part of the initiative’s original study cohort. It has since expanded to 11 additional districts and to community organizations, reaching more than 58,000 students in more than 173 schools nationwide.
Among the schools implementing A2i, 82% serve student populations composed of a majority of students from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds; about two-thirds of the schools have at least 75% of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
The centerpiece of the United2Read project is Learning Ovations’ A2i Professional Support System, which combines technology and professional development to equip educators in individualizing literacy instruction for students in kindergarten through third grade. The algorithm embedded within the A2i technology uses data from A2i reading assessments and integrates districts’ existing curricula to help teachers structure small groups based on learning needs and determine the right amount and type of literacy instruction (decoding and comprehension) for each student group. In addition to using the A2i technology to individualize instruction, teachers receive implementation support and professional development from a literacy outcomes specialist provided by the solution provider.
During 2018-2023, Digital Promise conducted multiple implementation studies in a sample of 24 schools and three community organizations using the A2i Professional Support System. We gathered and elevated the perspectives of school and community stakeholders through a series of classroom visits, interviews, and focus groups with educators, school-based literacy coaches, school administrators, district leaders, and literacy outcomes specialists supporting implementation. By consistently creating opportunities for educators to share their experiences using the A2i Professional Support System, our research team was able to better understand the successes and challenges schools and community organizations experienced when using the technology and maintaining key instructional practices.
The study results that Digital Promise shared with Learning Ovations and participating school districts and community organizations were critical in shaping improvements that Learning Ovations made to the A2i technology and accompanying professional support to educators. Findings from these studies are included in the briefs linked below.
MDRC conducted the independent evaluation for the United2Read study, examining the relative effectiveness of different professional development models intended to increase efficiency in bringing A2i and its literacy instructional practices to schools across the nation.
After Learning Ovations was acquired by Scholastic in fall 2022, A2i became part of Scholastic’s menu of educational tools and resources. Plans continue to evolve around refining and expanding the A2i system to additional communities across the country.
Additional information regarding the United2Read project and the A2i Professional Support System can be found in the links and publications below.
