WestEd study showcases the foundational literacy program’s breadth and ease of use, as well as increases in student learning, reading confidence, and motivation

BLOOMINGTON, MN (January 11, 2024) – Renaissance, a leader in pre-K–12 education technology, announces the release of an independent study of educators’ and students’ experiences using the Lalilo foundational literacy solution. In the study, educators confirmed that Lalilo effectively differentiates foundational literacy instruction and practice, motivates students to learn, and improves students’ overall reading skills.

Conducted by WestEd, the study is based on interviews with grade 1 educators who used Lalilo with their students during the 2022–2023 school year. As detailed in the report, the educators agreed that Lalilo is a high quality program that is well designed, easy to navigate and use, and motivating for emerging readers. Educators also commented that:

• Lalilo’s placement test is far more accurate than their existing classroom assessments of early literacy skills
• Lalilo allows students to learn at their own pace and provides targeted, personalized support to keep students engaged
• Lalilo reinforces essential prerequisite skills while also helping students to learn more advanced literacy skills—with some students mastering skills beyond their grade-level standards
• Lalilo increases reading confidence, especially in students who previously struggled with reading

“I can tell from the assessment that we just did, the end-of-year assessment, just how much the students have grown,” remarked one educator. “The growth that we saw was remarkable.” A second educator described Lalilo’s impact on struggling readers, noting that “students who had weak reading skills, weak decoding skills, they seemed to gain confidence” by using Lalilo, and are now “eager” to read aloud.

A third educator shared that her students looked forward to using Lalilo every morning. When given the choice, students “would ask if they could stay on [Lalilo] and keep doing it” rather than engaging in other activities, she added.

The educators were unanimous in stating they would recommend Lalilo to other schools and districts. On a scale of 0 (“not at all likely” to recommend) to 10 (“extremely likely” to recommend), Lalilo received an average rating of 9.5, the report notes.

Designed for students in K‒2+, Lalilo is built on Science of Reading research and provides explicit and systematic instruction and practice on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and more. Students can use Lalilo both in and out of the classroom, and Lalilo provides students with immediate corrective feedback to support their literacy success.

“We’re delighted by the findings in the WestEd report, and we thank the educators involved for their participation and very positive feedback,” said Eric Stickney, Vice President of Educational Research at Renaissance. “This is the first in a series of independent, Lalilo-focused studies, and we look forward to sharing additional findings in the future.”

To download the new WestEd report, visit https://renaissance.widen.net/view/pdf/4hmbl0bqmp/R67209.pdf. To learn more about Lalilo, visit https://www.renaissance.com/products/lalilo/.

About Renaissance

As a leader in education technology, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student.