Evidence for ESSA Validates Istation's Reading Assessment

ISIP™ Reading meets Tier 2 ESSA evidence standards

DALLAS, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Evidence for ESSA validated Istation's reading assessment meeting Tier 2 ESSA evidence standards (www.evidenceforessa.org). This designation supports a wide range of independent research studies that show Istation as a proven-to-work tool to improve learning outcomes.  

Evidence for ESSA provides easy access to information on programs that meet the evidence requirements defined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Aligned with What Works Clearinghouse standards, Tier 2 ESSA standards indicate that Istation's reading assessment shows moderate evidence of being an effective digital learning tool that helps students close significant reading achievement gaps.

Istation's program efficacy was evaluated in a two-year quasi-experimental (matched) study involving 1,234 students in grades 2 through 4. The 617 students who used Istation came from six schools located in a district in the southeast United States. Istation users scored nearly a full point higher on the MAP® Reading™ assessment in comparison with demographically and academically similar students in a virtual control group who did not use Istation. These results show that Istation use was significantly associated with larger reading achievement gains.

"Gaining Tier 2 ESSA evidence is a great milestone as we further build the efficacy of our reading assessments," said Istation Vice President of Research and Assessment Dr. Victoria Locke. "Supporting educators with effective, research-backed digital tools is critical in empowering classrooms everywhere."

Powered by the science of reading, Istation's engaging assessments and instruction cover the National Reading Panel's "Big Five" foundational essentials. Istation's ISIP Reading assessment is a computer-adaptive testing system that provides actionable and insightful data that measures phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary, as well as many other skills.

About Istation
Founded in 1998 and based in Dallas, Texas, Istation (Imagination Station) has become one of the nation's leading providers of richly animated, game-like educational technology. Winner of several national educational technology awards, the Istation program puts more instructional time in the classroom through small-group and collaborative instruction. Istation's innovative reading, math and Spanish programs immerse students in an engaging and interactive environment and inspire them to learn. Additionally, administrators and educators can use Istation to easily track the progress of their students, schools and classrooms. Istation now serves over 4 million students throughout the United States and in several other countries.