A Scalable Approach to High-Impact Tutoring for Young Readers: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Learning to read is foundational to student success in early elementary school, however many students are not proficient readers by third grade. A large body of research suggests high-impact tutoring is the most effective intervention to help struggling readers, however it can be hard to implement and scale. Aims: This study presents results from a randomized controlled trial of an early elementary reading tutoring program designed to be feasible at scale. Sample: Participants were 818 kindergarten students in a large southeastern district in the US who were classified as emergent readers on the district’s screening tool. Methods: Within kindergarten classrooms, eligible students were randomly assigned to receive supplementary early literacy tutoring during the 2021-22 school year. The program embeds part-time tutors into the classroom to provide short bursts of instruction to individual students over the course of the school year. With the support of technology, tutors deliver a sequenced curriculum to students. At the end of the school year, students completed program and district literacy assessments. Results: Students assigned to the program were over two times more likely to reach the program’s target reading level by the end of kindergarten (70% vs. 32%) and scored 0.23-standard deviations higher on an oral reading fluency test than the control group. The results were largely homogenous across student populations and extended to district-administered assessments. Conclusions: The results at the end of the first year of implementation provide promising evidence of an affordable and sustainable approach for delivering one-on-one personalized reading tutoring at scale.