ObjectiveEd BuddyBooks Efficacy Study Report: Performance on STAAR and i-Ready in Reading, Academic Year 2024-2025
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| Title: | ObjectiveEd BuddyBooks Efficacy Study Report: Performance on STAAR and i-Ready in Reading, Academic Year 2024-2025 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Sofia Jimenez, Juliette Berg, Isabella Ilievski, Anna Robinson, Rachel Schechter, Charles River Media Group, LXD Research |
| Source: | Online Submission. 2026. |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 29 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Grade 2 Primary Education Grade 3 Grade 4 Intermediate Grades Grade 5 Middle Schools |
| Descriptors: | Artificial Intelligence, Correlation, Reading Skills, Oral Reading, Reading Fluency, Dyslexia, Students with Disabilities, Technology Uses in Education, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Elementary School Students, Feedback (Response), Reading Instruction, Reading Achievement, Program Effectiveness, Reading Habits, Student Characteristics |
| Geographic Terms: | Texas |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) |
| Abstract: | This correlational study examined the relationship between consistent engagement with BuddyBooks, an AI-powered assistive reading platform, and literacy outcomes among 107 elementary students with dyslexia in grades 2-5 in an East Texas public school district during the 2024-2025 academic year. BuddyBooks uses Automatic Speech Recognition and a co-reading model to provide immediate, individualized feedback on oral reading fluency and accuracy. Students were classified as Consistently Engaged (n = 53) if they maintained at least 10 minutes of focused reading in 75% or more of their engaged weeks, or Inconsistently Engaged (n = 54) if they did not meet this threshold. Linear regression analyses controlling for baseline performance and minority status revealed significant associations between consistent engagement and improved reading outcomes. Consistently Engaged students demonstrated significantly higher i-Ready end-of-year scores (adjusted M = 520.5 vs. 509.0, "Cohen's d" = 0.42) and greater fall-to-spring growth (46 vs. 34.5 points, p < 0.05). They also had 2.8 times higher odds of meeting individualized i-Ready growth targets (81% vs. 61%, p < 0.05). For grades 4-5 students (n = 54), Consistently Engaged students showed significantly higher year over-year STAAR growth (117 vs. 66 points, "Cohen's d" = 0.73, p < 0.05). Findings suggest that consistent, sustained engagement with AI-powered reading platforms, rather than total exposure time, is associated with meaningful literacy gains for students with dyslexia. Results have implications for implementing technology-enhanced literacy interventions in resource-constrained educational settings, though causal inferences are limited by the correlational design. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED679415 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This correlational study examined the relationship between consistent engagement with BuddyBooks, an AI-powered assistive reading platform, and literacy outcomes among 107 elementary students with dyslexia in grades 2-5 in an East Texas public school district during the 2024-2025 academic year. BuddyBooks uses Automatic Speech Recognition and a co-reading model to provide immediate, individualized feedback on oral reading fluency and accuracy. Students were classified as Consistently Engaged (n = 53) if they maintained at least 10 minutes of focused reading in 75% or more of their engaged weeks, or Inconsistently Engaged (n = 54) if they did not meet this threshold. Linear regression analyses controlling for baseline performance and minority status revealed significant associations between consistent engagement and improved reading outcomes. Consistently Engaged students demonstrated significantly higher i-Ready end-of-year scores (adjusted M = 520.5 vs. 509.0, "Cohen's d" = 0.42) and greater fall-to-spring growth (46 vs. 34.5 points, p < 0.05). They also had 2.8 times higher odds of meeting individualized i-Ready growth targets (81% vs. 61%, p < 0.05). For grades 4-5 students (n = 54), Consistently Engaged students showed significantly higher year over-year STAAR growth (117 vs. 66 points, "Cohen's d" = 0.73, p < 0.05). Findings suggest that consistent, sustained engagement with AI-powered reading platforms, rather than total exposure time, is associated with meaningful literacy gains for students with dyslexia. Results have implications for implementing technology-enhanced literacy interventions in resource-constrained educational settings, though causal inferences are limited by the correlational design. |
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