Evaluation of "System 44." Final Report [2011]
Beam, Margaret, Faddis, Bonnie J., Hahn, Karen (2011). RMC Research Corporation. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED613693
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examining344Students, grades4-8
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: January 2023
- Single Study Review (findings for System 44)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
49.00 |
46.90 |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Phoneme Elision subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
23.97 |
23.53 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
49.24 |
47.35 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Letter Name Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
98.47 |
98.27 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
49.82 |
48.59 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Sight Word Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
67.07 |
66.82 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Phonemic Decoding Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
33.83 |
33.96 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Phoneme Elision subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: redesignated former English learner;
|
27.96 |
24.75 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Nonsense Word Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
25.05 |
22.99 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: developing decoder;
|
50.02 |
47.40 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: pre decoder;
|
48.69 |
45.57 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: speech or language impairment;
|
46.86 |
43.46 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Phonemic Decoding Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status - redesignated former English learner;
|
39.88 |
33.75 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: redesignated former English learner;
|
49.03 |
47.33 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: redesignated former English learner;
|
60.19 |
55.42 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Phoneme Elision subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: speech or language impairment;
|
23.08 |
21.08 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: specific learning disability;
|
46.89 |
45.43 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: initial full English speaker;
|
50.38 |
49.36 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: specific learning disability;
|
33.76 |
30.89 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Phoneme Elision subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: beginning decoder;
|
21.44 |
20.39 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Phoneme Elision subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: developing decoder;
|
25.05 |
24.33 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: beginning decoder;
|
44.12 |
43.32 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Sight Word Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: beginning decoder;
|
59.74 |
57.95 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: developing decoder;
|
50.52 |
49.22 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: redesignated former English learner;
|
54.10 |
52.83 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: developing decoder;
|
52.63 |
51.26 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: English learner;
|
46.49 |
46.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Sight Word Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: other classification;
|
59.91 |
58.28 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: beginning decoder;
|
42.11 |
40.95 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Phoneme Elision subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: other classification;
|
21.20 |
21.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Sight Word Accuracy |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
23.95 |
23.92 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Phonemic Decoding Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status - developing decoder;
|
36.16 |
36.10 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Sight Word Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: redesignated former English learner;
|
67.58 |
67.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Sight Word Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: developing decoder;
|
69.45 |
69.58 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: beginning decoder;
|
38.19 |
38.30 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Phonemic Decoding Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status - specific learning disability;
|
28.39 |
29.14 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Phonemic Decoding Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status - beginning decoder;
|
26.43 |
27.28 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: initial full English speaker;
|
56.17 |
57.07 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Phonemic Decoding Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status - Other classification;
|
31.11 |
33.06 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Sight Word Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: specific learning disability;
|
61.98 |
63.29 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Sight Word Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: English learner;
|
64.54 |
66.25 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: other classification;
|
38.65 |
40.25 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Phoneme Elision subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: initial full English speaker;
|
24.25 |
24.79 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Phoneme Elision subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: specific learning disability;
|
20.05 |
20.67 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Phonemic Decoding Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status - English learner;
|
31.39 |
34.25 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: initial full English speaker;
|
50.17 |
53.07 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Phonemic Decoding Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status - initial full English speaker;
|
35.81 |
39.32 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE): Sight Word Efficiency subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: initial full English speaker;
|
68.03 |
71.07 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: other classification;
|
32.73 |
36.19 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: English learner;
|
44.72 |
48.05 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: English learner;
|
44.08 |
47.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Word Attack subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: specific learning disability;
|
32.55 |
36.43 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Phoneme Elision subtest |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: English learner;
|
20.71 |
22.55 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
585.46 |
541.45 |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
31.55 |
33.10 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status - redesignated former English learner;
|
678.46 |
557.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: redesignated former English learner;
|
36.34 |
29.36 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: speech or language impairment;
|
589.03 |
478.91 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status - English learner;
|
395.76 |
339.26 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status - developing decoder;
|
611.49 |
570.44 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status - beginning decoder;
|
489.66 |
442.24 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status - initial full English speaker;
|
631.29 |
600.71 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: speech or language impairment;
|
30.56 |
28.18 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: other classification;
|
477.51 |
462.17 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: specific learning disability;
|
466.29 |
478.88 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: specific learning disability;
|
19.59 |
20.93 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: developing decoder;
|
33.05 |
35.72 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: beginning decoder;
|
22.79 |
25.53 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: initial full English speaker;
|
32.94 |
38.59 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: other classification;
|
16.53 |
22.02 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: English learner ;
|
22.31 |
28.46 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California Standards Test (CST): English Language Arts (ELA) |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
337.09 |
330.46 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Proficient on California Standards Test (CST): English Language Arts |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
46.17 |
32.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Fluency |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
23.03 |
19.02 |
Yes |
|
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Fluency |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
SPED status: speech or language impairment;
|
26.67 |
15.23 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Fluency |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: redesignated former English learner;
|
25.56 |
19.33 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Fluency |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: developing decoder;
|
25.53 |
20.90 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Nonsense Word Fluency |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
12.02 |
9.42 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Fluency |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Decoding status: beginning decoder;
|
17.11 |
13.24 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Fluency |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: English learner;
|
23.20 |
18.75 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Sight Word Fluency |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
11.01 |
9.60 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI): Overall Fluency |
System 44 vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
ELL status: initial full English speaker;
|
26.76 |
23.43 |
No |
-- | ||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
-
13% English language learners -
Female: 42%
Male: 58% -
Suburban
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California
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Race Black 10% Other or unknown 27% White 63% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 16%
Study Details
Setting
The study was conducted during the 2010-11 school year across 11 schools (7 elementary and 4 middle) from a large, suburban school district serving 22,000 students in Riverside County, California.
Study sample
The study included a total of 344 students in grades 4 to 8. Students were eligible for the study if they scored as beginning or developing readers on a standardized reading assessment. Overall, most students in the study were male (58%), and 42% qualified for free or reduced-price lunch. Approximately 30% had a disability (with 7% having a specific learning disability and 23% having another disability) and 13% were English language learners. Sixty-three percent were White, 10% were Black, and 27% were another race. Sixteen percent were Hispanic or Latino.
Intervention Group
Scholastic’s System 44 is a foundational reading program designed to improve students’ word reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. The program delivers instruction via an adaptive computer component, teacher-led small group instruction, and individual student practice. The program includes 25 series, each of which covers 5 to 8 topics (for 160 topics in total). Each topic comprises 4 strands: The Code (decoding instruction), Sight Words (high-frequency words), Word Strategies (syllable types and word parts), and Success (reading connected text). The program provided practice activities in an accompanying book and audiobook library and supplementary instructional materials (including practice worksheets, letter tiles, posters, flip chart lessons, and DVDs). During a 60-minute class period, students are expected to spend approximately 20 minutes on computer-delivered instruction; 20 minutes reading System 44 library books, completing book logs, and taking quizzes; and approximately 20 minutes in whole-class or small-group instruction. Most students completed 120 to 160 total topics over the school year, over 30 to 40 weeks of use. System 44 was offered in a pull-out class in elementary schools, while in the middle schools the intervention was delivered during the language arts instruction block.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received business-as-usual reading instruction in grades 4 to 8 which varied across schools. The reading interventions provided in the elementary schools included Voyager-Passport, Ticket to Read, Read Naturally, SRA Decoding, and Houghton-Mifflin. In middle schools, reading interventions included Voyager-Journeys, Houghton-Mifflin, Rosetta Stone, Explode the Code, and various worksheets. Some System 44 teachers also taught comparison group students, although they did not use System 44 materials with the comparison group.
Support for implementation
Intervention group teachers attended a 1-day training and participated in three coaching visits from Scholastic staff during the school year. The evaluation team frequently conducted observations of the classroom and of professional development sessions to assess teachers’ ability to implement the intervention with fidelity.
Additional Sources
In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.
-
RMC Research. (2020). Research results Murrieta Valley Unified School District. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/research/Murrieta-Research-Results-Paper_FO-HR.pdf.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).