{"id":"res-tch-reading-program-parent-brief","audience":"teachers","category":"research","technique":"audience","title":"Explain a reading program's evidence to parents in three sentences","free":false,"task":"Parents asked about the new ReadRise reading program at back-to-school night, and you're adding a short note to your class newsletter. You want at most 3 sentences in plain text that give the independent study's result (not the vendor's claim), one limit of that study, and that families can see the program at the Dec 9 open classroom. Skip research jargon like \"effect size\".","materialLabel":"The vendor flyer and the independent study summary (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"VENDOR FLYER - ReadRise K-3\n\"Students using ReadRise gain 2 grade levels in reading in just one year!\"\n\"Loved by 10,000 teachers.\"\n\n-----\nINDEPENDENT STUDY SUMMARY - Midwest Education Research Lab (2025)\nDesign: 38 second-grade classrooms in 6 districts; 19 used ReadRise for one school year and 19 used their usual reading program.\nResult: ReadRise classrooms scored slightly higher on the end-of-year reading test, about 6 weeks of extra learning on average (effect size of eight hundredths). The difference was larger for students who started the year below grade level, about 3 months of extra learning.\nLimits: Only second grade was studied. Teachers knew which program they were using. Results were from one school year.\n\n-----\nMy notes: district adopted it for K-3 this fall.","rules":[{"type":"maxSentences","max":3},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Repeating the flyer","why":"The vendor's claim is short and bold, so the AI may lead with it.","fix":"Say: \"Use the independent study, not the vendor flyer.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Dropping the caveat","why":"Short notes cut limits first, and parents of kindergartners deserve to know only 2nd grade was studied.","fix":"Add: \"Name one limit of the study.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Writing for researchers","why":"The AI keeps terms like 'effect size' that parents skip, and forgets the open classroom.","fix":"Say: \"For parents, no jargon, and mention the Dec 9 open classroom.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Not capping the length","why":"The AI writes several paragraphs by default, far more than the reader will take in.","fix":"Say: \"at most 3 sentences.\"","checks":["maxSentences"]},{"title":"Getting markdown back","why":"AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in the class newsletter.","fix":"Ask for \"plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Picks the right source","patterns":["independent","study","not the (vendor|flyer)","ignore.{0,20}(vendor|flyer)"]},{"label":"Asks for a limit","patterns":["limit","caveat","second grade","only studied"]},{"label":"Says who it's for","patterns":["parents","families","newsletter"]},{"label":"Mentions the open classroom","patterns":["dec(ember)?\\.? 9","open classroom"]},{"label":"Caps the number of sentences","patterns":["\\d+\\s*sentences","(two|three|four|five) sentences","sentence"]}],"hint":"Vendors and researchers can describe the same program very differently. Tell the AI which source to trust, who's reading, and the one limit and date parents need.","rubricLabels":["Gives the independent study's result (a small gain, about 6 weeks of extra learning, or larger for students who started behind), and does not repeat the vendor's '2 grade levels' claim as fact","Names at least one limit of the study (only second grade, one school year, or teachers knew which program they used)","Mentions the Dec 9 open classroom and uses no jargon like 'effect size' or '0.08'"]}