Research

Thirty-six studies reviewed by the WWC investigated the effects of Waterford Early Reading Program™. One study (Hecht & Close, 2002) was a quasi-experimental design that met WWC evidence standards with reservations. The remaining 35 studies did not meet WWC evidence screens.

Hecht & Close (2002) included 42 students in four intervention schools and 34 students in two comparison schools. Students in the intervention schools received Waterford Early Reading Program™ in addition to their regular curriculum. Students in the comparison schools received no supplement to their regular curriculum.

Extent of evidence

The WWC categorizes the extent of evidence in each domain as small or medium to large (see the What Works Clearinghouse Extent of Evidence Categorization Scheme). The extent of evidence takes into account the number of studies and the total sample size across the studies that met WWC evidence standards with or without reservations. ⁴

The WWC considers the extent of evidence for Waterford Early Reading Program™ to be small for alphabetics and for comprehension. No studies that met WWC evidence standards with or without reservations addressed fluency or general reading achievement.