WestEd conducted a mixed-methods research study to examine the impact of Newsela Social Studies on student achievement in a Mid-Atlantic school district. This brief highlights key findings from the research.

How does Newsela Social Studies support social studies achievement?

Higher student engagement with Newsela Social Studies was significantly associated with improved performance on spring Social Studies assessments.

• 6th grade students who regularly engaged with higher-level texts scored as if they had received 2–3 additional months of instruction compared to their peers.
• 6th grade students who completed two or more Newsela writing prompts scored as if they had received 3–5 months of additional instruction.
• 8th grade students who regularly used quizzes and other platform features scored as if they had received 5–7 months of additional instruction.

How does Newsela Social Studies support ELA achievement?

Regular engagement with Newsela Social Studies features was linked to significantly improved ELA scores in grades 6 through 8.

• 7th grade students who frequently completed quizzes and averaged above 74% scored as if they had received 4–5 months of additional instruction.
• Students who engaged with key Newsela Social Studies features—such as quizzes, annotation tools, and writing prompts—consistently scored higher on spring ELA assessments across all grades.

What else can Newsela Social Studies support?

Teachers reported that Newsela Social Studies supported inquiry-based instruction and helped meet the needs of diverse learners.

• Newsela Social Studies' varied reading levels and multilingual content significantly supported diverse student populations, including multilingual learners and students in special education programs.

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