We have evidence that STARI works, and this award will allow the program to expand and be evaluated for its effectiveness with students, teachers, schools, and districts in more varied contexts and locations around the country.
The national need for reading intervention in the middle grades is enormous: in 2022, 69% of eighth grade students did not score proficient in reading, and 30% of students scored below basic. This is precisely the target population for the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI), which has a Tier 1 ESSA rating for evidence of effectiveness.
SERP was awarded an EIR Expansion Grant to support the program’s adoption in four states in different regions of the country, and to study its effectiveness with these different populations.
First up: A cohort of schools in Mississippi will begin STARI implementation in fall 2023! This follows on the heels of a Mississippi district’s participation in a study in which STARI showed sizable and statistically significant effects on state test scores, equivalent to a full year of growth beyond that of the control group.
Interested in being part of this phase of work? Or know someone who might be interested? If you are a state-level literacy leader with interest in participating in this study, you may read more about study participation here.
SERP and Capti have entered into a partnership to bundle the purchase of materials and the related ReadBasix assessment. SERP and Capti are also partnering on the development of STARI Boost for students who still struggle with phonics. Stay tuned!
SERP is working on developing a STARI Series 4, a year of new STARI materials specifically intended for high school students reading below grade level. If you are interested in piloting these materials as they are developed and providing feedback, please email info@serpinstitute.org.
The flexible STARI online professional learning series provides a
comprehensive overview of the STARI curriculum, plus a deeper exploration of each component through a series of sessions that can be completed at any time independently or with colleagues. It has been highly rated by literacy leaders across the country!
I must say this is the best organization of professional learning I have ever seen … A truly brilliant curriculum, and a brilliant PLS. 
- Linda Diamond, Founder, Consortium on Reading Excellence in Education
Share this link about how and why STARI Works.
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