The Impact of an Online Transition Curriculum on Secondary Student Reading: A Multilevel Examination

This study investigates the impact of an online transition curriculum embedded with literacy strategies on reading outcomes for secondary students in grades 9–12 across two states. The quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design had a sample of 338 students with and without disabilities and utilized the AIMS Web Maze Test for 8th Grade Reading Prompts to measure gain scores in reading comprehension. Multilevel linear modeling methods were used to examine the effects of the curriculum intervention on students nested within teachers. Findings show that while both groups increased in reading, the intervention group made larger gains that were statistically significant and corresponded to a large effect size. These results emphasize the importance of embedding reading comprehension strategies within transition services.