Unlocking the Code:  The Impact of a Structured Linguistic Phonics Program in Grades 4-8

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 SRI conducted a rigorous mixed-methods evaluation of an innovative structured linguistic phonics pedagogy for upper elementary and middle school students, generating insights for improving the reading trajectories of older readers.  

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Summary

While most phonics research and policy focus on grades K-3, SRI’s study examined an innovative structured linguistic phonics (SLP) pedagogy in grades 4-8. Findings showed that SLP students gained 6.4 percentile points on the Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR) Word subtest and 5.6 percentile points on ROAR Sentence subtest relative to peers receiving business-as-usual (BAU) instruction (ES = 0.16 and 0.14 respectively, both p < .05), with effects consistent across subgroups. SLP and BAU students made similar gains on spelling inventories. Teachers largely preferred SLP to other phonics approaches. Taken together, findings suggest SLP can accelerate word reading and sentence reading efficiency for upper elementary and middle school students.  

Read the full report and study findings here.

Project Overview

SRI evaluated an innovative speech-to-print instructional approach for teaching phonics and spelling called Sounds-Write. This approach incorporates explicit phonics instruction and anchors children’s learning in their knowledge of spoken language to efficiently master the English sound-spelling system. SLP harnesses statistical learning and allows students to build a flexible ‘mental map’ of the English alphabetic code, reducing the cognitive load imposed by juggling the many rules and exceptions that are a feature of traditional phonics instruction. Often referred to in literacy research as “set for variability,” this conceptual understanding is a crucial skill that older students need to successfully decode increasingly complex, multisyllabic text. Grounded in cognitive science, this approach exemplifies the Sciences of Reading and Learning to support every child in mastering both early and advanced decoding. The evaluation was funded by the Reading Reimagined project, an initiative of the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund. 

Study Design 

SRI’s team worked with three cohorts of teachers, who together totaled 30 teachers in nine schools across two districts in two states. The 448 students were a racially and linguistically diverse sample with high percentages of low-income students who on pretests scored in the 40^th percentile on ROAR Word and 17^th percentile on ROAR Sentence, suggesting a widespread need for foundational skills support. The study compared SLP-infused literacy instruction to business-as-usual literacy instruction, which varied across comparison classrooms and included standard core curricula (e.g. Wonders, Scholastic Reader) and a morphology program (Morpheme Magic). The analysis has the potential to meet What Works Clearinghouse Standards with reservations.  

All teachers received 36 hours of asynchronous training, and two cohorts received weekly expert coaching from Sounds-Write. Teachers delivered, on average, about 48 sessions (i.e. about 24 hours) of Sounds-Write instruction and reported strong fidelity to most key SLP features. The SRI team also interviewed teachers and conducted student focus groups to better understand SLP implementation.  

What impacts did SLP have on student learning? 

‣ SLP students gained 6.4 percentile points on ROAR Word and 5.6 percentile points on ROAR Sentence relative to BAU peers (ES = 0.16 and 0.14, both p < .05). No differences were detected according to student subgroups (SES, EL status, or IEP status).  

‣ However, analysis showed no differences between SLP and BAU students on the spelling inventories—even when analyzed at the level of specific features of spelling words.  This may be due to teachers spending less time on connected-text spelling, or due to the benefits of the morphology instruction in the comparison group.  

What did teachers and students say about SLP implementation? 

In interviews, teachers praised the SLP approach, specifically stating its superiority to other approaches they’d used such as Fundations, Wilson Reading, and RISE Phonics. When surveyed, 69% of teachers rated SLP more effective than other programs, and 63% reported they would continue using it after the study. As one grade 5 teacher reported: 

In the beginning [of the school year] you always have 5 or 6 that are avid spellers or readers…If I have a class of 25, that is going to leave me with 19 who cannot. But then after Sounds-Write and going through the initial codes where we do all those basic sounds…Now instead of having just 6 people, it progresses to [where] now we have 15 to 20 that are better spellers and can hear sounds and can say, “oh so this word is” [and identify it]. 

Several teachers and students in the oldest study grades (7-8) felt the instruction was insufficiently challenging. Still, teachers and students largely reported enjoying SLP instruction. One seventh grader who received Sounds-Write as part of a Tier II intervention, described her experience: 

Before I was placed into reading class, I really didn’t know how to read … whenever I would read out loud to the class, people looked at me and said ‘How do you not know how to read that’? And then when I do Sounds-Write, it really did let me build my mindset and be able to know that I’m doing things correctly. 

Implications for Research and Practice  

Future research should consider SLP’s impact on reading comprehension outcomes and further inquire into the null findings on spelling, which are especially intriguing given the rarity of middle school Tier I studies that measure spelling growth. In addition, a next step for SLP research could be to identify optimal ways to help teachers accelerate complex multisyllabic instruction calibrated to challenge older students.  

For practitioners, the teachers’ success in implementing SLP and impacting student outcomes suggests that SLP is a viable classroom model across grades. An SLP approach, combined with Sounds-Write’s high-quality training and coaching, can shift teachers’ mindset and practice. Literacy leaders may consider SLP a viable solution to persistent challenges for students who need decoding and reading efficiency support in grades 4-8.   

Appendices 

The report’s appendix file contains three appendices to the main report: 

‣ Appendix A contains technical details to show that the study can meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards with reservations, including details on sample attrition, baseline equivalence, and study measures. 

‣ Appendix B contains an analysis of the results from the 23 teachers in District A who were randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. The findings from this analysis have the potential to meet WWC standards without reservations.  

‣ Appendix C contains an analysis of the spelling results using the feature scoring method, to determine how well SLP students improved on specific spelling patterns relative to BAU students. No differences between SLP and BAU students were found. 

View the appendices here.