New U.S. Department of Education Study Reveals that Passport Reading Journeys Has a Positive Impact on Adolescent Student Achievement

DALLAS, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambium Learning® Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABCD) announced today that a study by the U.S. Department of Education revealed adolescent students using Passport Reading Journeys® scored significantly higher on high-stakes assessments than students not using the program as part of the Striving Reader grants awarded in 2009.

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The U.S. Department of Education awarded eight grants to investigate improvements of adolescent literacy across participating states in 2009. Louisiana, Virginia, and Illinois each competed for and were awarded the grant and chose to implement the supplemental reading intervention Passport Reading Journeys, created by Voyager Learning, a provider of results-based education solutions, products, and services that improve school and student performance.

"The Striving Readers program provided a much-needed investigation into the efficacy of adolescent literacy programs," says George Logue, president of Voyager Learning. "The program gave states an opportunity to investigate the impact of supplemental reading programs on student achievement on a broad scale. These findings were monumental to our nation's concerted effort to eliminate illiteracy and we were honored to be a part of the effort."

The Striving Readers program was created in an effort to improve literacy achievement for middle- and high-school students reading significantly below grade level and to build a strong, scientific research base for identifying strategies to improve adolescent literacy that can be replicated at-scale. In each of the eight states awarded the grant, a randomized control trial was conducted across multiple school districts. Each state used outcome measures that included the state test as well as a nationally-normed reading assessment.

In all three states (Illinois, Louisiana, and Virginia), the results for students using Passport Reading Journeys to increase reading achievement were statistically significant after just one year of implementation.

As reported in the Louisiana Striving Readers: Final Evaluation Report by SEDL, the external evaluator for Louisiana, students in the treatment group received Passport Reading Journeys instruction and scored significantly higher than their peers who were not in the program. Results of this study demonstrated the positive impact of Passport Reading Journeys on all treatment students, including important student populations. For example, results by gender showed that Passport Reading Journeys had a positive effect on all students receiving supplemental instruction, but was strongest for males who scored significantly higher than the males who were not in the Passport Reading Journeys program.

 "We are excited to see this type of research taking place in education," says Logue. "Not only are we encouraged by the findings, but we stand committed to providing innovative, research-based education solutions and tools proven to increase student achievement and outcomes."

Passport Reading Journeys is a captivating literacy intervention solution for middle- and high-school students reading one or more years below grade level. Through a blended approach of teacher-led instruction, student-centered technology, embedded assessment, and implementation support, Passport Reading Journeys improves critical literacy skills and builds fluent, proficient, on-level adolescent readers. The research-based program is proven effective in hundreds of districts across the country and supports state standards as well as Common Core State Standards.

For more information on the study and to view the full report (Summary of 2009 Striving Readers Projects: Implementation and Evaluation of Targeted Interventions for Struggling Readers after One Year), visit www2.ed.gov/programs/strivingreaders/2009cohortprojectprofiles.pdf.  

For more information on Passport Reading Journey, visit www.voyagerlearning.com/prj.

For more information about Voyager |Sopris Learning, visit www.voyagerlearning.com or www.soprislearning.com.

About Voyager | Sopris Learning

Dedicated to the success of every student, Voyager |Sopris Learning is the nation's most comprehensive provider of research-based education solutions and online learning tools—including curriculum products, personalized professional development, assessment, and school improvement and turnaround services. With the ultimate goal of advancing student achievement, Voyager|Sopris Learning partners with preK–12 schools to build teaching and leadership capacity, keep students on track, and accelerate struggling students to grade-level proficiency. We are proud to represent the life's work of world-renowned researchers and education leaders and have a steadfast commitment to translating research into practice, with a proven track record of helping schools and districts boost student participation, improve test scores, and increase graduation rates. Voyager|Sopris Learning is a business unit of Cambium Learning® Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABCD) based in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please visit www.voyagerlearning.com or www.soprislearning.com.

Media Contact:
Kelly Dean
Cambium Learning Group, Inc.
[email protected]

Investor Contact:
Barbara Benson
Cambium Learning Group, Inc.
[email protected]

SOURCE Cambium Learning Group, Inc.