University of Central Florida and Istation Support Statewide Reading Performance Study for Grades Pre-K Through Fifth

Dallas -- The Morgridge International Reading Center (MIRC) at the University of Central Florida will continue its research partnership with Istation Reading for the 2015–2016 school year. The partnership will support a statewide reading performance study among Florida students in grades pre-K through 5.

The MIRC-Istation project will examine the effects of the Istation Reading program on elementary school students' reading comprehension, text fluency skills, vocabulary, phonemic awareness and phonics performance.

Istation will provide participating schools free and unlimited access to Istation Reading's computer-delivered educational technology, including computer-adaptive assessments, highly interactive and engaging computer-based intervention curriculum, immediate online reports, Istation Home and Istation's complete library of web-based training videos and teaching resources. Throughout the year, Istation will also provide free professional development seminars and webinars at various locations for participating teachers and administrators.

"We're excited to continue this partnership with University of Central Florida and MIRC. Together, we are working to support educators, empower students, and most importantly, improve literacy outcomes for students," Richard H. Collins, Istation Chairman and CEO, said.

Participation by districts and schools in the MIRC-Istation project is voluntary and open to all Florida public school students in grades pre-K through 5 and state-assessed Florida charter school students up to a maximum of 500,000 students. No identifying student information will be provided to MIRC, and all data analysis will be performed without identifying information from participating students, schools or districts.

The study began in the 2014-2015 school year.

"I am excited about continuing our research with Istation in Florida. Our collective goal is to improve student achievement and support teachers in their valuable work," said Dr. Sandra Robinson, Executive Director of the Morgridge International Reading Center and the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute at the University of Central Florida.

To sign up and participate, visit www.istation.com/ucf or call 866-883-7323 and select option 6. For more information about MIRC UCF and this project, visit www.education.ucf.edu/mirc or contact Dr. Laurie Campbell at MIRCIstation@ucf.edu or 407-882-6472.