All of the district's elementary schools will launch a new early literacy tutoring program targeting first-grade students. The program is a partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Ignite Reading. Its goal is to help students become confident and fluent readers and accelerate reading growth for those who need it most.
The program, which is free for families, will begin in early October. District leaders recognized the efforts of Director of Humanities Danielle Coute and Testing and Research Coordinator Hillary Bresnahan for their work in securing the partnership.
"Every student deserves the best possible start to their education," said John Cabral, Superintendent of Schools. "This new tutoring program is a powerful resource that directly supports our youngest learners using research-backed methods. We are grateful for this partnership and are confident it will help our students build a strong foundation for future academic success."
The program will prioritize first-grade students who are performing below or well below grade-level benchmarks. The district will identify these students using the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment. The DIBELS is a quick, standardized tool that helps teachers and schools monitor students' foundational reading skills.
Ignite Reading tutors, who have received more than 100 hours of training in the Science of Reading, will deliver the tutoring virtually in 15-minute daily sessions during the school day. The Science of Reading is a body of research that explains how children learn to read, emphasizing key skills like phonics and fluency. The tutors will use a curriculum based on this research to provide personalized instruction and support to meet each child's individual needs.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Chris Baratta said the program provides individualized support based on the Science of Reading. "We believe it will make a significant difference in our students' reading journeys," he said. "The data-driven approach, using the DIBELS assessment, will also give our staff valuable insights to better support every child."
Data from a study by Johns Hopkins University on 1,872 first graders shows that after participating in the program, the percentage of students at or above the DIBELS Benchmark rose from 16% to 50%. At the same time, the percentage of students who required intensive intervention dropped from 64% to 29%. The program also achieved similar results across various student groups, including English Learners, Black Students, Hispanic Students, and students with Individualized Education Programs.
The data from the tutoring sessions will be shared with school-level staff, enabling them to make informed decisions that further meet the needs of individual students. As students become fluent readers, they will "graduate" from the program. This allows teachers to focus on core classroom instruction while tutors provide this targeted, extra support.
"We know how crucial early literacy skills are," said Katie DeCouta, principal of James L. Mulcahey Elementary. "This program gives our teachers another tool to help our youngest learners build a strong foundation in reading. The daily one-on-one sessions will provide the specific practice our students need, and we're looking forward to seeing the results."