Content area
Literacy difficulties have negative implications for academic achievement, graduation rates, mental health, social health, and overall physical health. Only 34% of eighth-grade students in the United States read at a proficient level, but computer-assisted instruction may be a promising remedy for a wide range of students. The research questions guiding this study were: (1) To what degree does middle grades students' computer-assisted instruction usage predict their English language arts achievement?, (2) To what degree does middle grades students' computerassisted instruction usage predict their English language arts achievement when accounting for initial Lexile reading level?, and (3) To what degree does middle grades students' computerassisted instruction usage predict their English language arts achievement when accounting for initial performance on a reading universal screener? This quasi-experimental study took place in a Grades 5–8 middle school located in Middle Tennessee. The participant records are from the 582 students who were enrolled during the 2023−2024 school year, when new computer-assisted instruction (i.e., Beable) was piloted schoolwide. School-level archival data were collected using the statewide standardized assessment, computer-assisted instruction usage reports, and the beginning-of-the-year Lexile reading level and universal screener percentile. Data were analyzed using a simple linear regression and multiple linear regressions. Findings indicated that, generally speaking, computer-assisted instruction usage does not predict English language arts achievement. Computer-assisted instruction usage and initial reading level are significant predictors of English language arts achievement, explaining 32% of the variance. Computer-assisted instruction usage and initial performance on a reading universal screener are significant predictors of English language arts achievement, explaining 35% of the variance. Implications for practice include having school leaders determine fidelity of implementation (e.g., time on task, number of lessons completed) when using CAI as a targeted intervention, and considering return on investment of schoolwide versus individual CAI licenses. Implications for future research include replicating the study with elementary and high school students, English language learners, specifically those scoring below the 10th and 25th percentile in ELA achievement. Mixed methods research could include teachers’ and students’ perceptions of CAI.