Study 1

Randomized controlled trial of 512 3rd through 6th grade students reading substantially below grade level in 4 elementary schools in an economically disadvantaged, urban school district.  Students were randomly assigned within each school and grade into either a group that used Fast ForWord as an add-on to their regular reading instruction, or a control group that did not.

The school district appears to have implemented Fast ForWord effectively, with teacher training and other support provided by Fast ForWord’s developer.  However, just under half of the students in the intervention group fully completed the program.

Effect of Fast ForWord as measured at several points during the year following the intervention:

• No significant effect on students’ reading achievement, as measured by their scores on the state’s standardized reading assessment as well as other researcher-administered standardized tests.

Discussion of study quality: (click here for a glossary of terms)

• This was a large study with low attrition:  Test scores on the state’s standardized reading assessment were collected for 89% of the original sample at the approximate one-year follow-up.
• The study measured outcomes using an intention-to-treat analysis.
• Prior to the intervention, there were no significant differences between the Fast ForWord and control groups in reading achievement and most other characteristics.
• The study measured reading outcomes using well-established tests, including the state’s standardized reading assessment, as well as other standardized tests administered by the research team (e.g. Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals).
• The study evaluated Fast ForWord as it is typically implemented in urban class room settings, thus providing evidence regarding its real-world effectiveness.

Source

Rouse, Cecilia Elena and Alan B. Krueger.  “Putting Computerized Instruction to the Test: A Randomized Evaluation of a ‘Scientifically-based’ Reading Program.”  Economics of Education Review, Vol. 23, Issue 4, August 2004; p. 323.  Click here for a link to this study.

Study 2

Randomized controlled trial of 415 2nd and 7th grade students (141 2nd graders and 274 7th graders) reading well below the national average, from eight Baltimore schools.  Students were randomly assigned within each school and grade into either a group that used Fast ForWord as an add-on to their regular reading instruction, or a control group that did not.

The schools appear to have implemented Fast ForWord effectively, with training and other support provided by Fast ForWord’s developer.  However, only 55% of the Fast ForWord group fully completed the program.

Effect of Fast ForWord at the end of the intervention (i.e., two months after random assignment):

• No significant effects on students’ reading comprehension or language skills, as measured by standardized tests.

Discussion of study quality (click here for a glossary of terms)

• The study measured outcomes using an intention-to-treat analysis.
• The study measured reading comprehension and language skills using the well-established Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS/5)
• There were no significant differences in reading ability and other characteristics between the intervention and control groups prior to the intervention.
• The study evaluated Fast ForWord as it is typically implemented in urban class room settings, thus providing evidence regarding its real-world effectiveness.
• Study Limitations: The study had moderate attrition, with outcome data collected for 72% of the original sample at the post-intervention follow-up.  Also, the study only included a follow-up immediately post-intervention; longer term follow-up may be necessary to capture any delayed effects of Fast ForWord.  However, one might expect the largest effect on reading skills to appear just after the intervention; the absence of such an effect may suggest that a longer-term effect is unlikely.

Source

Borman, Geoffrey D., James Benson, and Laura T. Overman.  “Evaluation of the Scientific Learning Corporation’s Fast ForWord Computer-Based Training Program in the Baltimore City Public Schools.” (2005)  Submitted for publication.

Other studies

Other randomized controlled trials of Fast ForWord have been conducted, but we do not include them here because they fall outside the site's criteria.  One well-designed randomized controlled trial did show promising evidence of an effect on students' awareness of the sounds within words and letter-sound correspondences, but did not measure Fast ForWord's effect on ultimate reading ability (e.g. word identification skills, reading comprehension).  Click here for a link to this study.