Program Description
Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® (PowerUp) is designed to enhance English language arts instruction for struggling and non-proficient readers in grades 6–12. Blending online student-driven explicit instruction with offline teacher-delivered lessons and activities, PowerUp aims to accelerate the development of both fundamental literacy and higher-order thinking skills through adaptive learning paths. PowerUp addresses the instructional needs of a wide range of students, from struggling to nearly proficient readers, by identifying skill gaps and providing personalized, systematic instruction in Word Study, Grammar, and Comprehension. This explicit instruction prepares students to comprehend and engage with complex texts across a range of genres. Embedded progress monitoring, actionable data, and scripted lessons empower teachers to deliver the exact instruction each student needs.
Program Outcomes
One cluster-randomized study of PowerUp was conducted with 155 students in grades 6-8 attending one of two Title 1 middle schools. Ten classes of students with reading levels below the 35th percentile were randomly assigned to use PowerUp for 40 minutes of daily supplemental reading instruction or business-as-usual. After one semester, PowerUp students performed significantly higher on the STAR Reading Assessment (effect size = +0.36), qualifying PowerUp for the ESSA “Strong” category.
Staffing Requirements
No special qualifications or certification are required to implement PowerUp.
Professional Development/Training
To equip educators to implement PowerUp with fidelity to deliver successful student outcomes, Lexia has developed multiple professional development offerings. A dedicated customer success team partners with a school or district to customize each training based on their goals and timelines. Support includes implementation planning, product training, and data reviews and data coaching throughout the year. Training events can take place on-site at schools or live online.
School and district staff can also engage with Lexia Academy. Lexia Academy is a self-paced eLearning platform that supports educators’ professional growth. Courses in Lexia Academy integrate resources and strategies to support blended learning, literacy instruction and product implementation.
Technology
PowerUp is available for Windows, Google Chrome, Mac OS, and iPad devices. More detailed system requirements are available here