Handwriting Without Tears - Learning Without Tears' Flagship Product - Achieves ESSA Tier 2 of Evidence

Handwriting Without Tears Print and Digital Solution is Proven to be an Effective Program for Handwriting Fluency.

NEW ORLEANS, June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- At ISTELive 22, Education's leading technology conference underway in New Orleans, early childhood education leader Learning Without Tears today announced that its flagship product, Handwriting Without Tears, achieved ESSA Tier 2-Level evidence in a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Education's Center for Research & Reform in Education. This coveted Tier 2 efficacy rating allows schools across the country to meet requirements for ESSA funding of classroom curriculum.

"With its focus on effective technology in education, ISTE is the right place for us to share this news. It is gratifying to see Handwriting Without Tears print and digital solution meets the Tier 2-level efficacy designation," explained company CEO Terry Nealon. "We know from teachers, families, and students that Handwriting without Tears is a highly effective learning program – and now we have additional hard evidence from the independent and prestigious Johns Hopkins University that studied the effectiveness of our complete curriculum. This is very important for schools across the country, since Tier 2-level evidence can be a requirement for ESSA funding."

"Schools are looking for evidenced-based research," said Deborah King, Director of Research at Learning Without Tears. "Teachers want to know what works best, when it comes to the effectiveness of classroom curriculum and instruction. The conclusion of the research by Johns Hopkins University makes it clear that students using Handwriting Without Tears will be successful writers and build a strong foundation for literacy success in the future. The rigor used in this study, backed by Johns Hopkins University's reputation and independence, means that educators can respect the results and should see similar success when they bring Handwriting Without Tears into their own classrooms. This isn't guesswork; this is hard data of a highly positive outcome."

ESSA – The Every Student Succeeds Act - is a US law passed in December 2015 that governs the United States K–12 public education policy. The law replaced its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act, and modified provisions relating to the tests given to students and the required effectiveness of classroom materials. With this Tier 2-level designation, Handwriting Without Tears is now eligible for ESSA funding.

"Teachers are having to make up for lost in-class time," CEO Nealon continued. "Knowing which curriculum has been proven to work by independent researchers is a critical step in bringing effective learning products to the greatest number of students. With its Tier 2-level evidence rating, Handwriting Without Tears meets the rigorous efficacy requirements for schools to access ESSA funding sources. Teachers can have strong confidence that Handwriting Without Tears will help their students master handwriting, a crucial skill for literacy success." 

Handwriting Without Tears is the flagship product of Learning Without Tears.

Learning Without Tears is a leading early education company offering a proven and unique approach to teaching and learning, from crucial readiness skills in Pre-K to foundational writing and typing skills, including handwriting, keyboarding and cursive. The elementary school-level programs benefit all learners with multisensory, developmentally appropriate, proven practices, and are used by millions of students around the world. Learning Without Tears professional development programs deliver early education expertise to thousands of teachers, tutors, and occupational therapists in the US and across the globe.

Details from the research will be released in the coming days, but Johns Hopkins University School of Education's Center for Research & Reform in Education provided the following abstract to explain its findings:

In a study consisting of 804 grades K-2 students across 10 elementary schools in two districts, students who used Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) significantly outscored comparison students, who did not use HWT, on the Screener of Handwriting Proficiency. Subgroup analyses revealed that positive HWT impacts were found for Grade 1 students and students with reported IEPs. In addition, teacher perceptions of the HWT program were positive, with more than 80% of teachers agreeing they would like to use the program again next year.

SOURCE Learning Without Tears