Program Description
Voyager Passport is a supplemental literacy curriculum designed for struggling adolescent readers. It is a very structured approach that provides a series of two-week sequences of lessons, coordinating whole-class and small-group lessons with individualized computer-based practice. The curriculum focuses on comprehension, vocabulary, word study, and writing, with an emphasis on science and social studies content. Formative assessments are given at the end of each sequence. In the successful evaluations, Voyager Passport Reading Journeys was used 50 minutes a day for an entire year, supplementing ordinary English and replacing electives such as art or study hall.
Program Outcomes
Three large, high-quality studies met inclusion standards. One, in Louisiana middle schools, found small but statistically significant positive effects on state tests and the GRADE in comparison to a control group (ES=+0.12), qualifying Voyager for the ESSA “Strong” category. However, studies in Virginia middle schools and Illinois high schools did not find positive effects, and the average across all three studies was only +0.06, so Voyager Passport Reading Journeys should be used with caution.