Program Description

"Countdown, our ESSA-validated kindergarten solution, equips students with phonemic awareness, phonics, academic vocabulary, letter knowledge, fluency, and handwriting skills."

Cost

Pricing varies by classroom package. Additional components available for purchase. Contact the sales team for additional information (e.g., receive a customized quote).

Intended Population

• Core
• Intervention
• Intensified intervention

Grade

• Elementary School

Intended Group Size

• Any

ELL/DLL

• Unspecified

Multisensory Applications

• Yes

Delivery Method

• Hybrid / blended delivery

Scripted

• Instructor Scripted

Comprehensive or Skill Specific

• Skill Specific

Placement Tests

• Unspecified

Accelerated Learning

• Unspecified

Assessment to Monitor Skills Mastery

• Yes

Error Correction Built In

• Yes

Fidelity Measures Provided by Publisher

• Unspecified

Research Summary

One master's thesis found no statistically significant difference in letter identification or letter sound recognition between kindergarteners using Countdown and a comparison group using a teacher-created intervention after eight weeks of instruction. However, those in the Countdown group did experience a greater effect size (0.14) in letter sound recognition than their comparison peers. A recent third-party study reported positive effects, finding that students who received Countdown instruction had significantly higher DIBELS Composite, Letter Naming Fluency, and Nonsense Word Fluency scores than those who did not receive Really Great Reading (RGR)-aligned instruction. However, it is important to note that the latter study was specially prepared for RGR and is not peer-reviewed. Since no peer-reviewed research was found, there is insufficient evidence to support the program's effectiveness.

Study Citations

Carson, S. (2020). Research-based early literacy interventions or teacher-created early literacy [Master's thesis, Northwestern College]. Master's Theses & Capstone Projects. https://nwcommons.nwciowa.edu/education_masters/249

Lee, A., & Shah, M. (2023). Assessing the impact of Really Great Reading in Florida: A Quasi-Experimental Study. https://www.reallygreatreading.com/sites/default/files/Study-2-RGR-Study-2-ESSA-Level-2-Report_updated_20250721.pdf

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• Insufficient evidence