This independent mixed-methods study conducted by WestEd examines how Newsela Social Studies impacted student achievement in a Mid-Atlantic school district.

The study analyzed student engagement with Newsela Social Studies features and compared outcomes on spring social studies and ELA assessments. Findings show that regular use of Newsela Social Studies is associated with measurable instructional gains across both content knowledge and literacy skills.

Key Findings

This study found that:

• 6th-grade students who regularly engaged with higher-level texts scored as if they had received 2–3 additional months of instruction in social studies
• 6th-grade students who completed two or more writing prompts scored as if they had received 3–5 additional months of instruction
• 8th-grade students who frequently used quizzes and platform features scored as if they had received 5–7 additional months of instruction
• 7th-grade students who averaged above 74% on quizzes scored as if they had received 4–5 additional months of ELA instruction
• Students engaging with quizzes, annotations, and writing prompts consistently scored higher on spring ELA assessments

Who Should Use This Study?

This resource is designed for:

• District administrators
• Curriculum and instruction leaders
• Social studies coordinators
• Assessment and research teams