Recognizing the reading gaps exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scholastic RISE and RISE Up program was developed to support comprehension, word fluency, and writing development for grades 1-5 students through small-group instruction. In the Tier 2 program, students receive instruction focused on structured comprehension, word study, phonics instruction, and guided writing, typically 45-60 minutes each day.
The program was recently evaluated in a Florida school district using a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design. Nineteen schools volunteered to be a part of the treatment group, which included 168 students in grades 1-5. Researchers matched seven schools and 252 students to form a similar comparison group.
Overall, both RISE and comparison group students made similar progress on the Star Reading and FAST assessments (ES = +0.02). However, a sub-sample of students from both groups took the FastBridge exam every two weeks during the second half of the academic year. In this sub-sample, RISE and RISE Up students significantly outperformed the comparison group students on Words Read Correctly Per Minute (WRCPM) (ES = +0.40) and showed higher overall growth across measures (ES = +0.09) between January and May 2023. Researchers also noted that the final lesson number was a significant predictor of FAST end of year scores.
Source (Open Access): Rise and Rise/Up end-of-year results. (n.d.). Learning Experience Design (LXD) Research and Consulting. https://education.scholastic.com/content/dam/education/resources/5306-11_rise-riseup-independent-report.pdf