Wit & Wisdom® Drives Reading Growth: Impact on Reading Achievement at San Tan Heights K

Posted in: Aha! Blog > Wit & Wisdom Blog > Student Achievement Research > Wit & Wisdom® Drives Reading Growth: Impact on Reading Achievement at San Tan Heights K–8

A study by Johns Hopkins University researchers finds the partnership between Great Minds and San Tan Heights K–8, a public school in Florence, Arizona, has led to positive student outcomes.

Great Minds® and San Tan Heights began a partnership in the 2021–2022 school year through which Great Minds provides curriculum across content areas to the K–8 school and guides educators on implementing those resources effectively. This includes both curriculum-aligned professional development and whole-school support. The school uses Eureka Math^2®, Wit & Wisdom^®, PhD Science^®, Prologue^™, and Geodes^®.

The Johns Hopkins research shows student scores have risen each year of the partnership on interim assessments taken throughout the academic year in reading, math, and science. In addition, the achievement gap between students working at the Proficient level and those struggling to reach that mark is narrowing.

In a separate measure, the researchers found San Tan students outperform students attending other district schools on DIBELS, an early reading assessment.

The study coincides with improvements seen on San Tan Heights’ state report card.

→ View the full research report .

KEY FINDING 1

Reading proficiency increases after adopting Wit & Wisdom.

Reading proficiency increased dramatically from fall to spring in both 2022 and 2023.

KEY FINDING 2

More students exceeded typical MAP reading growth in 2024 than in 2023, indicating that the impact of Wit & Wisdom increases over time.

Typical growth is modeled for each student based on the growth similar students have shown previously.

KEY FINDING 3

Wit & Wisdom disproportionately benefits the students who need the most help with reading: that is, those who were not rated as proficient in the fall.

Again, this effect appears to increase over time.

View the full research report .

Customer Testimonial

"The growth has been amazing. It has been daunting, to say the least. But we are improving at a rate that is just mind-boggling to me."

Dr. Henry Saylor-Scheetz
Principal, San Tan Heights

Kids on Desk with Books

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This efficacy study by Johns Hopkins University examines MAP test scores at Great Minds partner school San Tan Heights K–8 in San Tan Valley, Arizona, to evaluate the impact that adopting the Wit & Wisdom curriculum has on student learning.

RESEARCH FINDINGS
The results of this study demonstrate clear and consistent growth in students’ reading proficiency over time. Since the school adopted Wit & Wisdom, the percentage of San Tan Heights students achieving reading proficiency on the MAP test has more than doubled. These improvements appear to be accelerating, as more students exceeded typical reading score growth in 2024 than in 2023. A particularly encouraging finding is that students who began below proficiency demonstrated the most substantial gains, suggesting Wit & Wisdom helps close achievement gaps over time. The study also reveals consistent gains across all student demographics, demonstrating that the curriculum provides equitable learning opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds.

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Great Minds

Great Minds PBC is a public benefit corporation and a subsidiary of Great Minds, a nonprofit organization. A group of education leaders founded Great Minds® in 2007 to advocate for a more content-rich, comprehensive education for all children. In pursuit of that mission, Great Minds brings together teachers and scholars to create exemplary instructional materials that provide joyful rigor to learning, spark and reward curiosity, and impart knowledge with equal parts delight.

Topics: Student Achievement Research