© 2025 Vista Higher Learning Vista’s Bridges: A Study of Reading Growth in MLs 24 WHAT WE LEARNED Considera ons and Next Steps This study provides strong support for the effectiveness of Bridges instruction. No single study can definitively prove effectiveness, however, so additional evidence should be collected in order to fully conclude that Bridges is effective. Fortunately, this study is part of a broader research program Vista Higher Learning has undertaken to ensure that evidence regarding its educational approach and product solutions is available to educators so that they can feel comfortable using VHL products. Several studies examining VHL products have been conducted and more are in progress. Additional research examining the impact of Bridges in other settings and using other implementation models would be of value. Conclusions Instruction with Bridges was effective in improving middle school ML student English reading skills. Students who received instruction incorporating Bridges achieved substantial growth in their reading skills between the beginning and end of the school year. More importantly, when compared to a control group receiving instruction without the benefit of Bridges, the treatment group showed significantly greater growth in reading skills—an effect size of .21, or about a quarter of a standard deviation (Cohen’s d). Those findings were confirmed even when incorporating sex, race, and economic status into the model, with the treatment group still outperforming the control group. When we included economic status in the model, we also found a significant interaction, revealing that the Bridges intervention was even more effective with low-income students. We can conclude, however, based on this initial study, that providing instruction incorporating Bridges appears to be an effective solution for increasing ML middle school student reading skills. Evidence Summary Bridges users show substan al growth in reading skills above that achieved by a control group. Bridges users show substan al growth in reading skills. Bridges improved reading skills more than tradi onal instruc on among students of lower socioeconomic status.
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