Lexia Core5 Reading Program: An Overview

Lexia® Core5® Reading is a computer-based program designed to improve literacy skills in students from Pre-K through 5th grade. It focuses on developing reading skills in six key areas: phonological awareness, phonics, structural analysis, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Built on the science of reading, Lexia Core5 Reading is a research-proven program that accelerates the development of literacy skills for students of all abilities, helping them make the critical shift from learning to read to reading to learn.

Core5's Mission and Adaptive Learning Model

Core5 was developed with a mission to mitigate the literacy gap. It provides equitable learning opportunities for all students, promoting their success and well-being. Core5 follows an adaptive blended learning model that offers explicit, systematic, and personalized reading instruction. This approach allows educators to deliver differentiated literacy instruction to students of all abilities.

Many reading programs may be described as research-based, Core5 is research-proven to improve learning outcomes. In Core5’s three-step adaptive blended learning model, students are motivated by their own success as they follow their own personalized learning paths. The quantity and quality of efficacy research on Core5 is unparalleled, with 20 peer-reviewed and published research studies that meet the standards of evidence required under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Key Features and Benefits

Personalized Learning Paths

Students begin with a brief placement activity to determine their appropriate starting point in the program. The program adapts to target skill gaps as they emerge, providing explicit, systematic instruction through personalized learning paths. Students can access Core5 in the classroom, on the go, and at home using desktops/laptops (PC, Mac, and Chromebook) and tablets (iPad and select Android models). No matter the platform, students have full program access and can move between supported devices seamlessly.

Comprehensive Skill Development

Core5 addresses six key areas of reading:

Phonological Awareness: Understanding the sounds of language.
Phonics: Connecting sounds with letters.
Structural Analysis: Recognizing word parts like prefixes and suffixes.
Fluency: Reading accurately and at an appropriate pace.
Vocabulary: Understanding the meaning of words.
Comprehension: Understanding what is read.

Blended Learning Approach

Lexia® Core5® Reading (Core5) is a blended learning program that aims to accelerate the development of fundamental literacy skills for students of all abilities in grades pre-K-5. The program combines online activities with offline materials to reinforce learning. Students use paper-and-pencil and hands-on activities for practicing and extending skills. The three-part blended-learning model incorporates individualized online learning activities, ongoing progress monitoring, and a library of lessons and resources for data informed, teacher led instruction.

Data-Driven Instruction

Embedded assessment provides ongoing, actionable data to help teachers prioritize and plan offline instruction. Teachers have access to student progress and performance reports, so that they can provide assistance when needed. The program offers students 21 different levels and at the end of each level, students move into an "adaptive placement experience," which provides data that teachers can use to help further differentiate instruction.

One unique feature is its prediction of students reaching grade level by the end of the year. Of course, teachers will want to not treat this as gospel, but extra info. To fill out the picture, teachers can also get a diagnostic profile and see ongoing skill development, including word recognition, vocabulary knowledge, syntactic knowledge, and reading comprehension. If there are gaps, teachers can use the myLexia portal's content recommendations to boost the predicted outcomes. These can include information on specific class-wide skills to work on, as well as prompts for targeted, small-group instruction.

Engaging and Motivating

Students earn achievement certificates when they complete levels. To promote engagement and motivation, the program incorporates colorful destination themed animation and activities. Students navigate the world map on the dashboard to explore different locations and unlock literacy activities. The online activities are fairly engaging, and the warm-up games are a particularly good feature.

Student Agency and Growth Mindset

Core5 supports student agency and growth mindset, giving students a choice over their path and pace through the program, along with awareness and ownership of performance and progress. The whole program usefully puts students in charge of what they do (among the given choices, of course), and they're meant to work through activities of their choosing and at their own pace. Students get a good deal of support to help them along. For instance, if students demonstrate less than 90% accuracy while practicing standard-based skills, they're prompted to go through a guided practice focused specifically on areas for growth. Here they get simplified activities and meaningful scaffolds; the program removes choices, simplifies visuals, includes author embedded support, and/or modifies language complexity. If students are still having difficulty, Lexia offers another tier of support, the instructional step, where they'll experience explicit, targeted instruction.

Supporting Resources for Educators and Families

myLexia Portal

Teachers can access real-time, actionable data in myLexia, including predictive data that assesses students' probably of ending the year at appropriate grade level. Students' activity generates data reports that allow teachers to track student progress and compare it to CCSS, TEKS, or FL BEST standards and grade level expectations. In addition to data reports, teachers can access suggested action plans and a slew of offline, targeted instructional resources.

The digital and offline resources in myLexia are useful interventions tools for helping certain students acquire the skills they need. The site offers an outstanding variety of lesson plans with corresponding classwork for whole group, small group, or individual instruction.

Skill Builders and Lexia Lessons

Lexia Core5 is most effective when used in conjunction with the offline materials provided at myLexia.com. Skill Builders are a written version of the online program. These should be provided after a student has completed a level in Core5. They are designed to build upon the skills they have mastered. These are also excellent for review of previous levels.

Lexia Lessons are available to help when a student is struggling in Core5. When the student has shown they do not understand, a red apple will appear on their screen and the student will be listed as “struggling” in myLexia.com. These are scripted lessons the parent can print and give the student to help them understand concepts.

Implementation and Training

The Lexia standard and customized professional learning offerings provide flexible and personalized pathways to meet the diverse learning needs of new and experienced adult users. These Customer Success partnerships are available in a variety of formats and cadences to address educator, school, and district level needs.

The format of Lexia’s training includes both asynchronous and synchronous training offerings. Training on Demand videos and interactive modules are available 24/7. Additionally, customer support has online resources that are available 24/7 as well as live support via a toll-free number Monday through Friday 8am-6pm EST, except for holidays. On demand resources also include guides and manuals, supplementary materials, and a variety of school-to-home documents to support families.

Lexia’s Learning Now videos and a variety of teacher resources are included with purchase to provide continual learning and guidance for teachers implementing Core5. These videos provide an overview of Core5’s instructional model, instructional resources, and reports, and include best practices for beginning the school year, as well as for student use of the program at home. In-person or live virtual training is also available to support educators in becoming comfortable and confident in using Lexia’s data and resources to help address student skill gaps and improve reading performance.

Based on extensive knowledge and experience developing literacy programs, teacher manuals, and instructional materials since Lexia’s founding in 1984, Core5’s training manuals were developed from Lexia’s tested approach and continue to evolve to support teachers and students. Training materials and support services were refined over many years and cover all of the instructional information that most teachers and administrators required. Ongoing feedback is gathered, including survey data at the end of each training session to refine training content and offerings. Lexia has also conducted research studies documenting that support from a Customer Success package is associated with higher levels of student fidelity, leading to stronger overall gains. Educator manuals and guides are updated each summer in response to any feature changes in the program.

Implementation Success Partnership Models

Lexia has developed a variety of Implementation Success Partnership Models to meet the diverse needs of districts and schools as they grow their skills in delivering blended learning reading instruction. The Lexia team of implementation experts will partner with your district and school leadership teams to develop a year-long, personalized implementation plan focused on increasing student reading performance by enhancing leaders’ and teachers’ comfort, skill, and ability to use Lexia’s data and targeted resources to uncover and address student skill deficits.

District Level Partnerships: The Lexia District Level Partnership ensures that the capacity of district stakeholders are appropriately supported so that long-term achievement can be sustained over time. The Lexia team focuses on helping the district receive maximum impact from their investment while helping the district build internal capacity.
School Level Partnerships: Lexia believes that strong building level leadership teams are essential to creating and sustaining the successful implementation of any initiative.
School Level Educator Support: Lexia believes that educators are lifelong learners always seeking to improve their practice. The Implementation Team provides professional learning sessions and tools to support educators in becoming comfortable and confident in using Lexia’s data and resources to help address student skill gaps and improve reading performance.

Technical Requirements and Accessibility

Core5 is available for PC, Mac, Chromebook, iPad, and Android devices. The Core5 program requires a web-enabled device, such as a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet (7 inches or more - IOS or Andriod). The online component is conducted independently, with one student per device. Reporting on the embedded assessment can be accessed through a web-browser on any device, or through our IOS app myLexia (versions for iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch). Small group instruction does not require anything more than the printed lesson and pedagogical materials (e.g., picture cards, letter tiles, crayons). If the teacher wishes, however, s/he could view the scripted part of the lesson on a tablet and only print the sheets that require student manipulation. Headphones are also recommended, but not required, for use in a classroom setting.

Pricing and Licensing

Core5 is sold on an annual, per student or school wide license basis, also giving students access to Core5 Reading. The cost is $40 per student, for less than 250 students, and the price reduces for larger implementations. Included with the purchase are implementation training and professional development with Learning Now videos and a variety of teacher resources to provide continual learning and guidance for teachers using the program. Additionally, Educator Resources, including guides and manuals, supplementary materials, and a variety of school-to-home documents to support families are included. Additional professional development and training opportunities are available for purchase and Lexia offers a variety of eLearning, school-level, and district-level partnerships to support all stakeholders to implement Core5 with fidelity.

Research Support

Lexia Core5 Reading is supported by numerous research studies that demonstrate its effectiveness in improving reading skills. Here are some citations:

Macaruso, P., Hook, P.E., & McCabe, R. (2006). The efficacy of computer-based supplementary phonics programs for advancing reading skills in at-risk elementary students. Journal of Research in Reading, 29, 162-172.
Macaruso, P., & Walker, A. (2008). The efficacy of computer-assisted instruction for advancing literacy skills in kindergarten children. Reading Psychology, 29, 266-287.
Macaruso, P., & Rodman, A. (2011). Efficacy of computer-assisted instruction for the development of early literacy skills in young children. Reading Psychology, 32, 172-196.
Schechter, R., Macaruso, P., Kazakoff, E.R., & Brooke, E. (2015). Exploration of a Blended Learning Approach to Reading Instruction for Low SES Students in Early Elementary Grades, Computers in the Schools, 32(3-4), 183-200.
O’Callaghan, P., McIvor, A., McVeigh, C., & Rushe, T. (2016). A randomized controlled trial of an early intervention, computer-based literacy program to boost phonological skills in 4- to 6-year-old children. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 546-558.
Wilkes, S., Macaruso, P., Kazakoff, E. & Albert, J. (2016). Exploration of a Blended Learning Approach to Reading Instruction in Second Grade. In Proceedings of EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2016 (pp. 822-827). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Vancouver, B.C.
Macaruso, P., Wilkes, S., & Prescott J.E. (2020). An investigation of blended learning to support reading instruction in elementary schools.
Macaruso, P., Wilkes, S. & Prescott, J. E. (2020). An investigation of blended learning to support reading instruction in elementary schools. Lexia Core5 Reading.

Considerations for Implementation

Initial Placement and Ongoing Monitoring

It’s very important that the student does not receive help during the initial placement, otherwise the placement will be inaccurate. The placement should not take more than 20 minutes.

Each student will be given a “prescription” of time each week they should spend in the program. Most students will have between 60-80 minutes a week. The entire program is made up of several hundred “units.” Each unit generally takes fewer than 5 minutes to complete. Set goals for units rather than minutes so the student will make quality progress.

Addressing Student Difficulties

When the student has shown they do not understand, a red apple will appear on their screen and the student will be listed as “struggling” in myLexia.com. These are scripted lessons the parent can print and give the student to help them understand concepts.

Integration with Classroom Activities

While students complete all online work individually and never interact with other users on the site, teachers can use extra resource materials, including detailed lesson plans, skill-building worksheets, extension materials to support in classroom activities and make things more social. In this way, Lexia Core5 would be most effective in reading centers where students can get direct instruction from a teacher, work online individually, and work collaboratively in small groups.

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