Science Research Associates
Science Research Associates is an American educational publisher best known for individualized reading programs, instructional materials, assessment products, and the SRA Reading Laboratory.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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History
Science Research Associates was established in Chicago in 1938 by Lyle Spencer as an educational publisher. Its early and subsequent work centered on practical materials for schools, combining instructional content with systems intended to help teachers organize learning for students with different levels of attainment. A major turning point came through Donald Henry Parker's work on multilevel reading instruction. Parker developed his reading concept in 1950 and presented it to SRA in 1955. The company published the first SRA Reading Laboratory Kit in 1957. This product organized reading exercises by level and used color-coded cards in a large classroom kit. Students could progress through exercises at a pace and difficulty suited to their instructional needs, while teachers used the system to manage individualized or small-group work. The same general format was later extended to mathematics, science, and social studies. The expression “SRA cards” became closely associated with this style of schoolroom material. By the 1960s, SRA had broadened its publishing program to include primary- and secondary-school resources and formal testing. Its National Educational Development Tests were sold to schools as standardized assessments intended to help evaluate student development and the likelihood of qualifying for college. The company also became involved in Direct Instruction, or DISTAR, publishing programs for language, reading, writing, mathematics, and corrective education. Named programs included Language for Learning, Reading Mastery, Reasoning and Writing, Connecting Math Concepts, and Corrective Reading. The company expanded its technology activities during the 1980s, publishing software for the IBM PC and Apple II. It also developed or acquired connections to additional curriculum programs. The reference material identifies Everyday Mathematics and Open Court Reading among programs associated with SRA during the 1990s, alongside mathematics, science, and reading resources. SRA's corporate history was marked by a series of ownership changes. IBM bought the company in 1964. Maxwell Communication Corporation acquired it in 1988, and SRA became part of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill in 1989. When Maxwell Communications collapsed, McGraw-Hill obtained full ownership of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and SRA. In the early 2000s, McGraw-Hill Education purchased the business and placed the brand and its products within its PreK-12 division. A 1992 relationship with Gateway Educational Products, Ltd. was associated with the Read to Learn program, referred to in the supplied reference as SRA Reading Power. In 2007, the Imagine It! reading program was launched. McGraw-Hill Education's related portfolio also included Real Math, Number Worlds, and Snapshots Video Science. The available reference material does not identify a current standalone management team, a current independent website, or a confirmed present operating structure. Accordingly, SRA is best documented as a historically important educational publishing brand whose products became part of McGraw-Hill Education's PreK-12 portfolio, while its current independent status remains uncertain.
- 2007
Imagine It! launched
[1]The Imagine It! reading program was launched within the McGraw-Hill Education portfolio.
- 2000
McGraw-Hill Education acquires SRA
[1]In the early 2000s, McGraw-Hill Education acquired SRA and integrated its products into the PreK-12 business.
- 1992
Gateway collaboration and SRA Reading Power
[1]SRA joined with Gateway Educational Products, Ltd. in connection with the Read to Learn program, identified in the source material as SRA Reading Power.
- 1989
SRA joins Macmillan/McGraw-Hill
[1]SRA became part of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.
- 1988
Maxwell Communication Corporation acquires SRA
[1]Ownership of SRA transferred to Maxwell Communication Corporation.
- 1964
IBM acquires SRA
[1]IBM purchased Science Research Associates as the publisher expanded its school materials and assessment business.
- 1957
SRA Reading Laboratory Kit first published
[1]SRA published the first Reading Laboratory Kit, an individualized classroom reading system built around leveled, color-coded exercise cards.
- 1955
Parker presents the reading product to SRA
[1]Parker proposed his multilevel reading product to Science Research Associates.
- 1950
Donald Henry Parker develops a multilevel reading concept
[1]Donald Henry Parker developed the multilevel reading product that later became the basis for SRA's Reading Laboratory.
- 1938
Science Research Associates founded
[1]Lyle Spencer founded Science Research Associates in Chicago as an educational publishing company.
Products and positioning
Structured, leveled, and classroom-oriented educational publishing focused on reading development, individualized instruction, remedial learning, assessment, and supplementary curriculum programs.
Reading instruction · 1957
SRA Reading Laboratory
The SRA Reading Laboratory was an individualized classroom reading system first published in 1957. Its kits contained color-coded cards and reading exercises arranged across levels of difficulty. Students worked through material suited to their reading development, while teachers monitored progress and assigned subsequent exercises. The format was later adapted for other subjects and became widely known as the SRA cards system.
Educational assessment
National Educational Development Tests
The National Educational Development Tests were standardized assessments published by SRA and sold to schools. They were presented as a way to evaluate student development and to estimate students' likelihood of qualifying for college. The tests formed part of SRA's expansion beyond classroom instructional materials into formal educational measurement.
Curriculum and intervention
Direct Instruction programs
SRA published Direct Instruction, also called DISTAR, programs covering foundational language, reading, writing, mathematics, and corrective education. The portfolio included Language for Learning, Reading Mastery, Reasoning and Writing, Connecting Math Concepts, and Corrective Reading. These programs used explicit, sequenced instruction and were designed for systematic classroom or intervention use.
Reading instruction · 1992
SRA Reading Power
SRA Reading Power was associated with a 1992 relationship between Science Research Associates and Gateway Educational Products, Ltd. The supplied reference connects it with the Read to Learn program and describes it as a reading product intended to follow foundational reading work. The precise product history and current availability are not established in the source material.
Reading curriculum · 2007
Imagine It!
Imagine It! was a reading program launched in 2007 by McGraw-Hill Education within the broader PreK-12 portfolio that included SRA products and brands. It represents the continuation of the company's participation in comprehensive, school-based reading curriculum publishing.
Educational software
Educational software for IBM PC and Apple II
During the 1980s, SRA produced educational software for the IBM PC and Apple II. These releases extended the company's instructional publishing model into school computing at a time when personal computers were beginning to enter classrooms and educational laboratories.
Brand decisions
2000
Integrate SRA into McGraw-Hill EducationM&ABackground
Following the collapse of Maxwell Communications and McGraw-Hill's acquisition of full ownership of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, SRA became part of the McGraw-Hill education business.
Action taken
McGraw-Hill Education purchased SRA in the early 2000s and placed its name and products within the PreK-12 division.
Aftermath
SRA continued as a brand and product portfolio within a larger educational publisher rather than as a clearly independent company.
1988
Transfer ownership to Maxwell Communication CorporationM&ABackground
SRA was operating as an established educational publisher with instructional, assessment, and software products.
Action taken
Maxwell Communication Corporation acquired SRA.
Aftermath
SRA became part of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill in 1989 and subsequently moved into McGraw-Hill's ownership structure after Maxwell Communications collapsed.
1964
Sell Science Research Associates to IBMM&ABackground
SRA had expanded its school publishing portfolio to include instructional materials and standardized assessments.
Action taken
IBM purchased the company.
Aftermath
SRA continued as an educational publishing business under IBM ownership and maintained its expanding primary- and secondary-school product line.
1957
Introduce the SRA Reading Laboratory KitProduct launchBackground
SRA sought to turn Donald Henry Parker's multilevel reading concept into a practical classroom system for individualized instruction.
Action taken
The company published a kit using color-coded, leveled reading exercises that students could complete at different instructional stages.
Aftermath
The product became SRA's signature offering and established the widely recognized SRA cards format, later extended to other subjects.
Recent events
- 2007
Imagine It! reading program launched[1]
Product launch
McGraw-Hill Education launched the Imagine It! reading program as part of the broader educational publishing portfolio associated with SRA and its parent business.
- 2000
McGraw-Hill Education purchases SRA[1]
M&A
In the early 2000s, McGraw-Hill Education acquired SRA and incorporated its brand and products into the company's PreK-12 business.
- 1992
SRA Reading Power program released through Gateway relationship[1]
Product launch · Other
Science Research Associates joined with Gateway Educational Products, Ltd. in connection with the release of the Read to Learn program, identified in the reference material with SRA Reading Power.
- 1989
SRA becomes part of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill[1]
M&A
SRA became part of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill following the 1988 acquisition by Maxwell Communication Corporation.
- 1988
Maxwell Communication Corporation acquires SRA[1]
M&A
Science Research Associates changed ownership when Maxwell Communication Corporation purchased the educational publisher.
- 1964
IBM purchases Science Research Associates[1]
M&A
IBM acquired Science Research Associates as the educational publisher expanded its primary- and secondary-school materials and assessment portfolio.
Sources2 sources
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