Educational Software Products Study

This study evaluated 10 educational software products across reading and mathematics in grades 1, 4, 6, and Algebra I. Products included Destination Reading, Headsprout Early Reading, PLATO Focus, and Waterford Early Reading Program for first grade reading; Academy of Reading and LeapTrack for fourth grade reading; PLATO Achieve Now and Larson Pre-Algebra for sixth grade math; and Cognitive Tutor Algebra I and Larson Algebra I for high school algebra. Most products supplemented core curriculum, though PLATO Focus and Cognitive Tutor served as core curriculum. Products were implemented in diverse, predominantly low-income school districts through random assignment of volunteer teachers to treatment (using products) or control (not using products) groups. Implementation varied by product but generally involved teacher training (ranging from 2 hours to 6 days), ongoing vendor support via phone/email, and student usage in computer labs or classrooms. Recommended usage ranged from 15-45 minutes per session, 2-5 days per week. The study collected fall and spring standardized test scores over two school years (2004-2005 and 2005-2006) to measure product effectiveness.