LeapFrog SchoolHouse, the school division of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:LF), today announced that its Ready, Set, Leap! program significantly improved the language and literacy development of preschool children in a study funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. Ready, Set, Leap! combines research-based PreK curriculum with interactive technology and targeted reading materials to provide an integrated program for school readiness across a range of important developmental skills.
The two-year independently conducted study focused on improving literacy skills in low-income children in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ready, Set, Leap! significantly affected the scores of children who used the curriculum in all four areas tested: definitional vocabulary, phonological awareness, print knowledge, and a composite early literacy index. Using the LeapPad® personal learning tool, the LeapMat learning surface, the LeapDesk workstation, read-aloud books, and other tools for students and teachers, Ready, Set, Leap! improved both the literacy skills of the children and the implementation practices of their teachers.
The successful intervention used electronic aids to act as a valuable supplement to the teacher in the classroom. According to the report, "Children could work by themselves in activity centers and receive feedback on what they were doing. In classrooms with Spanish-dominant teachers, these electronic aids were key elements in children's learning English vocabulary."
Conducted by the independent research firm Abt Associates, in partnership with the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, the study showed that students who used Ready, Set, Leap! made broad, statistically significant improvements over those in the control group, in understanding the alphabet, letter discrimination, word discrimination, letter-name identification and production, and letter-sound identification and production, as well as in other early literacy index skills, performing 10% better than those in the control group. In addition, children who used the program achieved scores in definitional vocabulary and phonological awareness that were 6% higher than those of students in the control group.
In addition to improving the children's literacy skills, the study showed that Ready, Set, Leap! also significantly improved teacher performance. Before using the program, there were significant differences between teachers with lower levels of education and training and their better-prepared counterparts, with respect to literacy-supportive behaviors. Using Ready, Set, Leap! virtually eliminated that difference, providing all students more learning-conducive environments, regardless of their teacher's background. As measured by an objective observation tool, the Ready, Set, Leap! curriculum and professional development specifically helped increase teachers' level of support for literacy-related activities in the following areas: print knowledge (20% greater than in the control group), print motivation (12% greater), oral language (12% greater), and phonological awareness (10% greater).
"The effects of the intervention on teachers and children were dramatic, said Evelio Torres, President and CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe. "Especially striking were the impacts on children, who were all tested in English, even though more than half spoke Spanish as their first language. The technology used by Ready, Set, Leap! supplemented teachers' work with students in important ways.
"We know that many PreK programs around the country find it challenging to recruit and retain skilled teachers. Often, those programs need to rely on instructional personnel who have not yet attained the desired level of training and preparation, said Mike Lorion, president of LeapFrog SchoolHouse. "We think that it is important to offer curriculum programs that can help teachers develop professionally, while building the key early learning skills that can prepare children to succeed in school.
For additional information about the research study, please visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/cc/upgrade_miami_dade/reports/ upgrade_miami_dade/miami_title.html. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field.Remove the extra space if one exists.)
For more information about LeapFrog SchoolHouse, please visit www.leapfrogschoolhouse.com.
About LeapFrog Enterprises
LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. is a leading designer, developer, and marketer of innovative, technology-based learning products and related proprietary content, dedicated to making learning effective and engaging for all ages, at homes and in schools, around the world. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Emeryville, California.
LEAPFROG SCHOOLHOUSE, the LeapFrog SchoolHouse logo, and LEAPPAD are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2007 LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. LeapFrog SchoolHouse is a division of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
