Research Study Participants Wanted!
Age of Learning, creators of ABCmouse, is looking for teachers and students to test our comprehensive new reading curriculum for children in early elementary grades, My Reading Academy. Many education experts see this program as a key tool in helping students catch up after experiencing challenging school years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are contacting you because we currently have an opportunity for kindergarten teachers to use My Reading Academy and provide their input on it.
Watch this short video to learn about this opportunity.
If you enjoy sharing your opinions and would like to make a difference in the products we create, please enroll today. When a research opportunity arises that matches your background and interests, we will contact you to see if you are interested in participating. Your feedback will help create a better learning experience for all students using Age of Learning products.
Goal of the Study
The goal of the study is to understand how well My Reading Academy meets the instructional needs of your teachers and the extent to which the program helps the students in your district.
Requirements
Teachers who agree to participate will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group (treatment) will use My Reading Academy during the school year 2024–2025. The second group (control) will continue with business as usual (i.e., use other early reading programs except My Reading Academy) in school year 2024–2025 and gain access to My Reading Academy in school year 2025–2026:
- Each student should have access to an iPad or a Chromebook with touchpad to participate in the study.
- Schools and districts that participate in the study will be asked to provide students’ demographic and assessment information.
- Teachers in the treatment group will be compensated for the following research activities:
- Participate in a two-hour training on My Reading Academy prior to the start of the study.
- Incorporate My Reading Academy as part of the literacy instruction in the school year 2024–2025 by having students use the program for at least 60 minutes each week.
- Complete three brief surveys (fall, winter, and spring).
- Participate in an end-of-study video-conference interview of about 45–60 minutes (optional).
- Allow researchers to observe your class while students are using My Reading Academy (optional).
- Communicate with the research team regularly throughout the study.
Teachers in the control group will be compensated for the following research activities:
- Complete three brief surveys (fall, winter, and spring).
- Agree to NOT use My Reading Academy in the school year 2024–2025.
- Participate in a two-hour training on My Reading Academy at the end of the school year if they wish to use the program in school year 2025–2026.
Benefits
- All teachers will have My Reading Academy free of charge to use in their classrooms.
- All teachers will be offered the chance to use My Reading Academy if they wish in 2025–2026.
- Each treatment group teacher will receive up to $550 and each control group teacher will receive up to $350 in Amazon gift cards for their time and input throughout the study.
- Each participating school will receive $250, and each participating district will receive $500 as a token of appreciation for facilitating the research activities.
- When research is complete, teachers/schools/districts will have access to the results which can help educators better understand how a program like My Reading Academy may be integrated into classroom instruction to help students learn literacy skills.
- Schools and districts may have the opportunity to be highlighted at conferences and other events where research findings are presented.
Terms and Conditions Apply
Next Steps
If you are interested in having your teachers and students use My Reading Academy in school year 2024–2025, please click HERE to learn more. If you believe that other schools in your district may be interested in using My Reading Academy, please share this information with the school principals. Alternatively, please send a message to LearningEngineering@aofl.com with the name and contact information of the appropriate district personnel overseeing the literacy curriculum for kindergarten. We will follow up with more detailed information.
If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact us at LearningEngineering@aofl.com
