By Jessica Sanders

Fancy words and catchy images don’t always translate to success—in fact, they almost never do when it comes to learning tools for Title 1 schools. What matters is the data—you want to know if your students will improve, if scores will go up and more.

These five tools are not only effective, but they have the data to prove it.

More: 5 Noteworthy Reading Programs for Title 1 Schools

1. SuccessMaker 8

This program, created by Pearson, provides both math and reading support, and is built with software that adapts and tracks the learning of every student. With this technology, instruction can be more personalized and effective.

The Data

Students using SuccessMaker Math outgained peers using a competitor product by 34 percentiles. This data was gathered from sixty-three diverse 3rd, 5th and 7th grade classrooms from eight urban and suburban school districts in seven different states during the 2009-10 school year.

Students using SuccessMaker Reading also outperformed students using a competitor product by 10 percent. The program was evaluated in eighty diverse 3rd, 5th and 7th grade classrooms from eight urban and suburban school districts in seven different states during the 2010-11 school year.

2. Whooo’s Reading

This online reading log allows teachers and admin to motivate and track independent reading. It uses gamification features, such as personalization, goal setting and rewards and recognition, to encourage students to become better readers and critical thinkers.

The Data

A 2015 case study of one middle school class at a Title 1 school in Ohio found that after just four months of using Whooo’s Reading, those who began reading at or above reading level improved 1.5x the national expected growth average (Based on 2013-14 National Lexile Assessment), and students who began reading below grade level improved 4x the expected growth.

In addition, when surveying four classes—2 classes acted as the control group, and 2 classes used Whooo’s Reading—in 6th grade at a Title 1 school in South Carolina during the 2015-2016 school year, the RIT scores of students using Whooo’s Reading improved 50 percent more than the control students. This growth significantly exceeded average expected increase in RIT score.

More: 5 Reasons I Use Whooo’s Reading in My Classroom

3. Language!

This program, designed for students from elementary to high school, helps struggling readers to reach their full potential. By integrating reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, foundational skills and more, Language acts as a well-rounded approach for improvement. 

The Data

An unknown number of students in grades 3-7, at Caldwell County Schools in North Carolina, used Language for 8 months (2006-2006) and saw significant improvements in student reading level. The data assessed general education students, as well as those with free and reduced lunch and those in special education programs.

4. Read 180

This blended learning solution, for students in grades 4-12, uses adaptive technology, professional development and up-to-date brain science to accelerate learning for all students.

The Data

Students with a variety of disabilities, in grades 4-11 in the San Antonio Independent School Districts, showed significant gains on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) during the year in which they used Read 180 (2010-11). The data found improvements in students across the board, including those with specific disabilities and health impairments.

More: How Gamification Helped More Than 10,000 Teachers Improve Reading

5. Success For All

Success For All provides a suite of Title-approved programs, divided up for use by grade level. Each program is designed with the student in mind, providing a learning experience that is both engaging and effective.

The Data

Elementary school students in California who used Success for All saw significant improvements on the California Standards Test (CST)—Reading scale. Specifically, grades 2-6 saw a 21.5 percentage-point increase in the number of students who scored proficient or above. Overall, California elementary schools gained 18.3 percentage points.

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