A major federal study of reading and mathematics software has found no difference in academic achievement between students who used the technology in their classrooms and youngsters who used other methods.

The $10 million study of 15 educational software products is the most extensive federal study yet to follow methods that the U.S. Department of Education considers scientifically rigorous.

The report on the first year of a two-year study is expected to be presented today to Congress, which commissioned the study in the No Child Left Behind Act. The report is slated to be posted on the Education Department’s Web site tomorrow, according to sources.

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The study, Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the First Study Cohort, is available online.