READ 180 Shows Positive Effects for Adolescent Readers

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has updated its Intervention Report on READ 180®, a program designed for struggling readers who are reading two or more years below grade level.

The updated WWC report focuses on the impacts that READ 180® has on students in grades 4–12 and replaces an earlier report from October 2009. The new Intervention Report incorporates reviews of 71 new studies and assesses all studies against current WWC standards.

The WWC identified 39 eligible studies that investigated the effects of READ 180® on reading achievement for adolescents, nine of which met WWC group design standards. Based on the current research for adolescent readers, the WWC found that READ 180® has positive effects on comprehension and general literacy achievement, potentially positive effects on reading fluency, and no discernible effects on alphabetics.