CRESST’s Evaluation of the Literacy Design Collaborative

Case Study

CRESST’s Evaluation of the Literacy Design Collaborative

Since 2011, CRESST has served as the independent evaluator for the Literacy Design Collaborative, conducting a series of multi-year studies to assess its implementation and impact.

108

schools evaluated

separate reports published

700

teachers surveyed

The Client

The Literacy Design Collaborative was established in 2009 through an Investing in Innovation (i3) grant from the Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education to support educators in implementing college and career readiness standards, particularly the Common Core State Standards.

Website

ldc.org

CRESST Services

Evaluation

CRESST employed a mixed-methods approach across several studies, using a quasi-experimental design (QED) to examine LDC’s effectiveness in two large, urban school districts. The evaluations spanned multiple years and cohorts, with data collected from various sources, including teacher and administrator surveys, analysis of LDC modules (standards-embedded performance tasks), student performance data, and participation records from LDC’s professional learning communities (PLCs).

Results

CRESST studies found that schools and teachers navigating the LDC implementation barriers showed significant impact on both student performance and teacher collaboration.

Student Learning

Middle School Students: CRESST’s studies consistently found that LDC had a statistically significant positive impact on middle school students’ English Language Arts (ELA) performance. The effect sizes varied, with one study reporting an effect size of \( d = 0.15 \) for students receiving LDC instruction in ELA, science, and social studies/history. Another study indicated that middle school students exposed to LDC instruction achieved up to 9.4 months of additional learning compared to their peers. The impact was powerful for students exposed to LDC in multiple content areas.

Elementary School Students: The studies did not find a statistically significant impact at the elementary school level. This lack of effects was attributed to factors such as lower dosage of LDC exposure (as elementary students typically have fewer teachers) and the exclusion of lower-grade elementary students from the analysis due to the absence of standardized assessment data.

Teacher Collaboration and Professional Development

LDC’s framework emphasizes the importance of teacher collaboration through PLCs, where teachers can collaborate on designing and refining LDC modules. Nearly all participating teachers engaged in PLCs, and they reported positive experiences, highlighting the safe space for sharing instructional strategies and improving literacy teaching practices.

Teachers credited LDC with fostering greater collaboration not only within their grade levels and content areas but also across them. The studies found that this collaboration improved teachers’ instructional practices, particularly in engaging students with complex texts and developing standards-aligned writing assignments.

Challenges and Fidelity of Implementation

Despite the positive outcomes, the studies noted significant challenges in achieving implementation fidelity. Variability was observed in PLC attendance, teacher engagement with LDC’s online resources (CoreTools), and the quality of the modules developed. Some schools struggled to meet the program’s expectations for consistent and thorough implementation, with time constraints and competing priorities often cited as barriers.

School leadership played a crucial role in the success of LDC implementation — schools, where administrators were actively engaged and committed resources to the program, saw better outcomes. However, due to these demands, some schools reduced their participation or discontinued the program.

Sustainability

The sustainability of LDC practices varied across schools. While many educators expressed confidence in the continued use of LDC, the studies highlighted concerns about long-term sustainability due to the intensive demands of the program. Some schools demonstrated a strong commitment by purchasing LDC product licenses, while others were less likely to continue without ongoing support.

Impact

CRESST’s comprehensive evaluations prove that the Literacy Design Collaborative is an effective tool for improving student learning, particularly at the middle school level. The program’s success is closely linked to the extent of teacher collaboration and the commitment of school leadership. While challenges in implementation and sustainability exist, the positive impacts on student learning and teacher practices underscore the value of LDC as a strategy for advancing literacy education in alignment with college and career readiness standards. Continued support and refinement of LDC, particularly in ensuring consistent implementation and addressing barriers to sustainability, could enhance its impact even further.

Case Study