Effectiveness
Waterford Early Reading Level One™ was found to have no discernible effects on oral language or on print knowledge.
Program Information
Waterford Early Reading Level One™ is an emergent literacy curriculum that uses computer-based technology to prepare children for reading. It begins with a tutorial to familiarize the child with the computer and mouse and a reading placement evaluation to assess and determine whether a child should work on Level One objectives: capital letters, lowercase letters, or beginning decoding skills. The computerized instruction is supplemented by activities for phonological and phonemic awareness, letter recognition, knowledge of story and print concepts, and general readiness skills.
Research
One study of Waterford Early Reading Level One™ met the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. The study included 27 classrooms in six Head Start centers in southeastern New York. This report focuses on immediate posttest findings to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. The WWC considers the extent of evidence for Waterford Early Reading Level One™ to be small for oral language and for print knowledge. No studies that met WWC evidence standards with or without reservations addressed phonological processing, early reading/writing, cognition, or math.
