A Study of a Mid-Atlantic School District: Using Newsela Social Studies Promotes Growth in Both Social Studies and ELA

December 18, 2025

Efficacy study preview

Newsela Social Studies use is associated with growth in social studies and ELA

Use this WestEd study preview to review how regular Newsela Social Studies engagement is associated with measurable gains across content knowledge and literacy skills.

Key Findings

Evidence of impact

Review headline findings from the study while keeping the full research details in the downloadable report.

+2–3 months

Scaffolded text engagement

Sixth-grade students who engaged with scaffolded texts in Newsela Social Studies showed added instructional gains.

+3–5 months

Writing prompt completion

Sixth-grade students completing two or more writing prompts were associated with additional instructional gains.

+5–7 months

Frequent platform use

Eighth-grade students frequently using quizzes and platform features showed the strongest added instructional gains.

+4–5 months

ELA performance connection

Seventh-grade students averaging above 74% on Newsela quizzes were associated with added ELA growth.

Authored by

WestEd
Research, Development, and Service Agency

All Resources Efficacy Study & Validity Reports

A Study of a Mid-Atlantic School District: Using Newsela Social Studies Promotes Growth in Both Social Studies and ELA

Newsela social studies WestEd efficacy report

Efficacy study preview

Newsela Social Studies use is associated with growth in social studies and ELA

Use this WestEd study preview to review how regular Newsela Social Studies engagement is associated with measurable gains across content knowledge and literacy skills.

Key Findings

Evidence of impact

Review headline findings from the study while keeping the full research details in the downloadable report.

+2–3 months

Scaffolded text engagement

Sixth-grade students who engaged with scaffolded texts in Newsela Social Studies showed added instructional gains.

+3–5 months

Writing prompt completion

Sixth-grade students completing two or more writing prompts were associated with additional instructional gains.

+5–7 months

Frequent platform use

Eighth-grade students frequently using quizzes and platform features showed the strongest added instructional gains.

+4–5 months

ELA performance connection

Seventh-grade students averaging above 74% on Newsela quizzes were associated with added ELA growth.

Authored by

WestEd
Research, Development, and Service Agency

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A Study of a Mid-Atlantic School District: Using Newsela Social Studies Promotes Growth in Both Social Studies and ELA

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How Norwalk Public Schools Used Differentiated Digital Content To Make Its Curriculum Accessible to All Students

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A Study of a Mid-Atlantic School District: Using Newsela Social Studies Promotes Growth in Both Social Studies and ELA

Newsela Social Studies use is associated with growth in social studies and ELA

Evidence of impact

Scaffolded text engagement

Writing prompt completion

Frequent platform use

ELA performance connection

A Study of a Mid-Atlantic School District: Using Newsela Social Studies Promotes Growth in Both Social Studies and ELA

Newsela Social Studies use is associated with growth in social studies and ELA

Evidence of impact

Scaffolded text engagement

Writing prompt completion

Frequent platform use

ELA performance connection

Receive content

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Download this resource

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Additional content

From History to Headlines: 4 Ways To Make Social Studies Relevant

Social Studies: The Unsung Hero of Student Achievement

Newsela Social Studies: Get To Know Your Subscription

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The Impact of Newsela on At-Risk 7th and 8th Grade Students

A Study of a Mid-Atlantic School District: Using Newsela Social Studies Promotes Growth in Both Social Studies and ELA

How Norwalk Public Schools Used Differentiated Digital Content To Make Its Curriculum Accessible to All Students

Ground skills practice in authentic content.

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