Evidence
A clear theory of change—and a plan to prove it
Cody Reading turns the phonics patterns a student has learned into targeted decodable practice. Our logic model explains how that should lead to more accurate practice and less teacher prep—and what a district pilot would need to measure. We do not hold an ESSA evidence tier today. We are ready to earn one with the right research partner.
The logic model
This is the practical idea behind Cody: start with the instruction a school already provides, make it easier to create well-matched practice, and give students more chances to decode accurately. Each step below describes the product as it works today.
Inputs
What your school already has.
- •A phonics scope and sequence the school already teaches.
- •A roster of students with their current position in that sequence.
- •Teachers delivering structured literacy instruction.
- •Time already budgeted for decodable practice.
Activities
How Cody turns instruction into practice.
- •Uses each student's place in the sequence to identify the patterns and words they have been taught.
- •Creates decodable stories, word lists, and worksheets around those patterns.
- •Scores each story against the target pattern set before the teacher uses it.
- •Shows which words fall outside the student's known patterns so the teacher can decide whether the text is a good fit.
Outputs
What teachers and students get.
- •Fresh practice text matched to the phonics pattern being taught, not a broad reading level.
- •A decodability score on every generated story.
- •Less time spent searching for or adapting materials.
Intended outcomes
The change we expect—and intend to measure.
- •More minutes of accurate decoding practice per student per week.
- •Practice text that matches the taught sequence more closely than off-the-shelf decodables can.
- •Growth in decoding accuracy on the school's own screener.
Where we stand on ESSA
The Every Student Succeeds Act defines four levels of evidence, and districts using federal funds may need to document which level a purchase meets. Cody does not qualify for a tier yet. Here is the work completed so far and what comes next.
| Tier | Status | What it would take |
|---|---|---|
| Tier IV | Logic model published; study partner needed | Cody has published the logic model on this page. The next step is a planned, structured pilot with a partner district. |
| Tier III | Not yet | Requires a correlational study with statistical controls. This would follow the pilot on an estimated 12- to 18-month timeline. |
| Tiers I and II | Longer-term | Require experimental or quasi-experimental studies and a multi-year research effort. |
Need a documented evidence tier before your district can purchase? Tell us which tier and when you need it. That helps us understand whether a structured pilot can meet your timeline.
Help build the evidence with us
We’re looking for a district partner to run a structured pilot using pre- and post-measures from its existing screener. Your teachers get Cody for the pilot period, your team gets a clear view of its impact, and together we publish the results—even if they challenge our assumptions.
Explore a research partnership