Case Study: Castleberry Independent School District achieves major reading and test score gains with Beanstack

The Positive Impact of Daily Reading Habits and its Effects on Standardized Test Performance

The administrators at Castleberry Independent School District in Texas sought to significantly increase student reading time and build foundational academic skills, especially at Joy James Elementary where a high percentage of students are economically disadvantaged or emergent bilingual. They partnered with the vendor Beanstack to track and motivate student reading as part of a school-wide goal.

Using Beanstack's reading challenge platform, students easily logged minutes and were motivated by its gamified features like badges and streaks. This solution led to a dramatic improvement in academic performance; reading scores increased by an average of 67% and math scores by 47% from 2021 to 2022, far outpacing state-wide growth. The school's overall state rating also rose from a C to an A. Beanstack was credited with fostering a love of reading and driving these exceptional results.

Castleberry Independent School District

Heather Lamb

District’s Lead Librarian