Evaluation of the World of Wonders Literacy Program

The study evaluates the World of Wonders (WoW) early literacy program, designed for pre-kindergarten (pre-K) students aged 3–5, to assess its impact on foundational literacy skills and kindergarten readiness. Conducted in a mid-sized public school district in central Oklahoma, the study spans two years (2017–2019) and includes pre-K and kindergarten students. In Year 1, 306 pre-K students from 15 schools participated, while Year 2 involved 95 pre-K students from 9 schools. Kindergarten data included 1,155 students, of whom 742 attended district pre-K using WoW, and 413 did not.

The methodology used a one-group pretest-posttest design for pre-K students and a nonequivalent control group posttest-only design for kindergarten students. Statistical analyses included paired-sample t-tests, chi-square tests, ANCOVA, and regression analyses. Outcomes examined were literacy measures from the Early Literacy Quick Assessment (ELQA) for pre-K students and the Developmental Reading Assessment 2nd Edition (DRA2) for kindergarten students.

Results showed statistically significant improvements in ELQA subscales (e.g., Rhyming, Uppercase Letters, Lowercase Letters) from beginning-of-year (BOY) to end-of-year (EOY) in Year 1, with mixed results in Year 2. Kindergarten students exposed to WoW scored significantly higher on BOY DRA2 assessments compared to peers who did not attend district pre-K, even after controlling for demographics. Effect sizes were meaningful, and p-values were consistently <.05. Limitations included small pre-K sample sizes in Year 2 and lack of student-level demographic data for pre-K.

Overall, the study provides ESSA Tier III ""Promising Evidence"" that WoW supports early literacy achievement, though further research is needed to address curriculum gaps in Print Concepts and Rhyming.