This report evaluates the effectiveness of teacher-led virtual tutoring for early literacy (Hoot Reading; Hoot) through a large-scale randomized controlled trial conducted in partnership with Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS). The intervention, implemented within the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework, aims to provide a scalable and sustainable approach to increasing access to personalized learning.
The study analyzes data from 1,550 students across 14 elementary schools, focusing on grades 1–4. Findings show that the program had a positive and statistically significant effect, particularly for students who scored well below grade-level benchmarks on beginning-of-year assessments (MTSS Tier III students). Tier III students in the treatment group outperformed their peers in the comparison group by 0.08 standard deviations in end-of-year i-Ready Reading Overall Scale Scores. Among Tier III students who were assigned to and actively participated in tutoring, the effect was slightly larger (0.09 SD). Both effects were statistically significant at the p < .05 level.
The intervention also improved other measures of learning. Students randomly assigned to the treatment group demonstrated significantly higher Annual Typical Growth (+10.84 percentage points) and Annual Stretch Growth (+5.24 percentage points) on i-Ready reading growth metrics. For third- and fourth-grade students who took the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) English Language Arts test, estimated impacts were of similar magnitude to those found for i-Ready, though not statistically significant. Additionally, Hoot tutoring showed a promising trend in improving academic performance and reducing the need for special education placement for the most struggling students, particularly among upper elementary students.
Overall, integrating high-impact tutoring into the MTSS framework significantly enhanced reading outcomes for struggling readers. The findings suggest that schools can reduce disparities in early literacy and improve student learning at scale through structured, technology-supported tutoring without substantial additional cost.