Boston – – October 06, 2026 -- Students at one Texas elementary school achieved nearly twice the national average in academic growth in both reading and science during the 2024–25 school year, according to a new research brief from NWEA, a K-12 assessment and research organization.
Researchers identify three interconnected practices driving the growth
The study, titled "The Power of Connectedness: A Case for a Coherent Instruction System for Reading and Science Improvement," attributes the results not to a single initiative but to a coherent instructional system combining a shared instructional vision, aligned professional learning, and regular coaching and feedback. The school was identified using national MAP Growth data as a statistical outlier.
High-poverty school overcomes staffing turnover to post outlier results
The school serves a high-poverty population with high percentages of Black and Hispanic students and many emergent multilingual learners, while also experiencing high teacher turnover. Despite a largely novice or early-career workforce, researchers found the school built systems to strengthen instructional practice across classrooms rather than relying on individual veteran teachers.
Weekly 90-minute sessions and up to 14 classroom walkthroughs anchor the model
Teachers participated in weekly 90-minute curriculum-based professional learning sessions to unpack content, practice strategies, and receive peer and leader feedback before teaching. School leaders conducted frequent classroom walkthroughs, in some cases as many as 14 in a single week, followed by targeted coaching.
"Each of these practices is valuable on its own, but the real power came from how they worked together to accelerate student learning," said Dr. Susan Kowalski, Lead Research Scientist at NWEA.
NWEA releases two supplemental guides for district implementation
Alongside the research brief, NWEA published "Recipe for results: A district leader's guide to curriculum-based professional learning" and a "Teacher's guide to classroom practices that accelerate reading and science growth" to help other districts replicate the model. The study follows a 2025 NWEA brief on integrating literacy and science instruction at the elementary level.