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04/13/2021. Research Study
This study evaluated an intervention that integrated explicit instruction of word recognition strategies within a home tutoring program. A randomized controlled trial paradigm was used to study the efficacy of the parent-tutoring program Paired Reading (PR; Topping, 2001) and an experimental modification of PR on the reading achievement of children in Grades 2 to 4. Fifty-seven families were recruited to participate in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) the PR parent tutoring program that taught parents to read with their child, providing corrective feedback to their child in the form of supplying the misread word, when needed (PR); (2) a modified parent tutoring intervention which used the PR program, but included training in the word identification strategies of the Phonological and Strategy Training Program (PHAST; Lovett, Lacerenza, & Borden, 2000) to be used during the PR activity when assistance with reading was needed (PR-PHAST); and (3) a wait-list control group that continued with their regular family reading activities. Children’s reading abilities were assessed twice: prior to intervention and immediately after the 16-week intervention. Questionnaires were used to assess parental involvement with home literacy activities and to evaluate parental perception of the home tutoring program. Intervention fidelity was monitored via audio taped samples of reading sessions and follow-up telephone calls. The results suggest that superior reading gains can be achieved at home with a modification of the PR technique that incorporates teaching the word identification strategies of the PHAST Program.
04/13/2021. Research Study
This paper is based on a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluation of a reading programme delivered by older adult volunteers for at-risk early readers. Wizards of Words (WoW) was targeted at socially disadvantaged children in first and second grade experiencing delays in reading but who were not eligible for formal literacy supports. The programme was effective for phonemic awareness, word recognition, phonic knowledge and children's self-beliefs, but was not effective for reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling or reading accuracy. The programme was most effective for those children starting with ‘below average’ reading levels and for boys. Programme intensity, school attendance and the child's experience of the programme all predicted response to intervention. Gains in phonemic awareness and phonic knowledge may be explained by the priority given in volunteer training and in programme delivery to the phonics component, and gains in word recognition may be explained by its close association with phonemic awareness and phonic knowledge, as hypothesized by the Simple View of Reading. The findings show that a reading programme delivered by older adult volunteers can have a significant impact on reading skills and self-beliefs of at-risk readers who are not eligible for other formal literacy supports.
04/13/2021. Research Study
his study tested the effects of a fluency-based home reading program called Fast Start. Thirty beginning first-grade students, representing a wide range of early reading abilities, were randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions for a period of 11 weeks.
04/13/2021. Research Study
This randomized control trial examined the efficacy of a multitiered supplemental tutoring program within a first‐grade responsiveness‐to‐intervention prevention model. Struggling first‐grade readers (n = 649) were screened and progress monitored at the start of the school year. Those identified as unresponsive to general education Tier 1 (n = 212) were randomly assigned to receive Tier 2 small‐group supplemental tutoring (n = 134) or to continue in Tier 1 (n = 78). Progress‐monitoring data were used to identify nonresponders to Tier 2 (n = 45), who were then randomly assigned to more Tier 2 tutoring (n = 21) or one‐on‐one Tier 3 tutoring (n = 24). Tutoring in Tier 3 was the same as in Tier 2 except for the delivery format and frequency of instruction. Results from a latent change analysis indicated nonresponders to Tier 1 who received supplemental tutoring made significantly higher word reading gains compared with controls who received reading instruction only in Tier 1 (effect size = 0.19). However, no differences were detected between nonresponders to Tier 2 who were assigned to Tier 3 versus more Tier 2. This suggests more frequent 1:1 delivery of a Tier 2 standard tutoring program may be insufficient for intensifying intervention at Tier 3. Although supplemental tutoring was effective in bolstering reading performance of Tier 1 nonresponders, only 40% of all Tier 2 students and 53% of Tier 2 responders were reading in the normal range by grade 3. Results challenge the preventive intent of short‐term, standard protocol, multitiered supplemental tutoring models.
04/13/2021. Research Study
This study replicated the Stevenson (2001) study to determine the effectiveness of the Fast Start parent tutoring program on student success in reading achievement. The current study attempted to enlarge the original study's sample size, include kindergarten students in the program, and determine the optimal length of training time for parents needed. Additionally, data gathered from the parent participants were analyzed including parent' s perceptions of the program, their confidence level in tutoring their child, and the parents' level of mastery of the concepts of tutoring before working with their child. At the beginning of the school year, 36 kindergarten parent-student dyads and 52 first grade parent-student dyads were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups or the control group for an 1 1-week study. Parents in the first treatment group received one hour of training and parents in treatment two received two hours of training. Students in both treatment groups received homework material published by Scholastic (Padak & Rasinski, 2005) consisting of poems and differentiated emergent and beginning reading activities and materials. Parents in the control group did not receive training and the students in the control group received poems to take home without the activities. Fall pretest scores from Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacyeracy Skills (DIBELS) were compared to winter DIBELS scores. Raw score results did not show statistically significant reading gains for the treatment groups, however, more growth was evident in the treatment groups when the instructional recommendation level for each student and their level of being at risk was considered. Parents and students had favorable comments about the program. Parents receiving two training sessions had a higher level of confidence to tutor their child than those who attended only one session.
04/13/2021. Research Study
04/13/2021. Research Study
04/13/2021. Research Study
Spanish-dominant bilingual students in grades 2-5 were tutored 3 times per week for 40 minutes over 10 weeks, using 2 English reading interventions. Tutoring took place from February through April of 1 school year. One, Read Well, combined systematic phonics instruction with practice in decodable text, and the other, a revised version of Read Naturally, consisted of repeated reading, with contextualized vocabulary and comprehension instruction. The progress of tutored students (n = 51) was compared to that of nontutored classmates (n = 42) using subtests of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests--Revised. Students who received systematic phonics instruction made significant progress in word identification but not in word attack or passage comprehension. There were no significant effects for students in the repeated reading condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
04/13/2021. Research Study
This study investigated the relative effects of three treatments with varying instructional emphases in reading with a comparison condition. Eighty-seven students in fourth grade with reading impairments were assigned through stratified random assignment to one of four conditions: (a) comprehension emphasis, (b) word study emphasis, (c) emphasis of either comprehension or word study based on the student’s pretest reading profile, or (d) school-provided intervention comparison condition. Students in the three researcher-provided treatments received intervention in small groups with a trained tutor for 30 min daily for approximately 28 weeks. Results revealed no statistically significant main effects between conditions on measures of word reading, fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension. Students with limited English proficiency performed significantly better at posttest in all conditions than other students. Discussion addresses the challenges of successfully remediating reading problems with older students with significant reading problems.
04/13/2021. Research Study
Tutoring is commonly employed to prevent early reading failure, and evidence suggests that it can have a positive effect. This article presents findings from a large-scale (n = 734) randomized controlled trial evaluation of the effect of Time to Read—a volunteer tutoring program aimed at children aged 8 to 9 years—on reading comprehension, self-esteem, locus of control, enjoyment of learning, and future aspirations. The study found that the program had only a relatively small effect on children's aspirations (effect size +0.17, 95% confidence interval [0.015, 0.328]) and no other outcomes. It is suggested that this lack of evidence found may be due to misspecification of the program logic model and outcomes identified and program-related factors, particularly the low dosage of the program.
04/13/2021. Research Study
Examined the effectiveness of Reading Recovery as compared with 3 other instructional models. Treatments included a treatment modeled on Reading Recovery provided by teachers trained in a shortened program, a one-on-one skills practice model, and a group treatment taught by trained Reading Recovery teachers. 403 lowest achieving 1st-grade readers were randomly assigned to 1 of the 4 interventions or to a comparison group. Reading Recovery children performed significantly better on 4 measures (dictation, text reading level, Gates-MacGinitie, and Woodcock) than any of the other treatment groups and the comparison group. A macroanalysis of videotaped lessons revealed that essential program components related to success were one-on-one lessons, the lesson framework, and the Reading Recovery teacher staff development model. (French, Spanish & German abstracts) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
04/13/2021. Research Study
Academically focused tutoring programmes for young children have been promoted widely in the US in various forms as promising strategies for improving academic performance, particularly in reading and mathematics. A body of evidence shows the benefits of tutoring provided by certified, paid professionals; however, the evidence is less clear for tutoring programmes staffed by adult volunteers or college students. In this article, we describe a relatively large‐scale university‐based programme that creates tutoring partnerships between college‐aged volunteers and students from surrounding elementary schools. We used a randomised trial to evaluate the effectiveness of this programme for 196 students from 11 elementary schools over one school year, focusing on academic grades and standardised test scores, confidence in academic ability, motivation and school attendance. We discuss the null findings in order to inform the conditions under which student support programmes can be successful.
04/13/2021. Research Study
This study reviews the effectiveness of an extracurricular paired reading program to enhance the reading of struggling readers. For the first time, two program conditions are compared within one study: parent tutors and volunteer tutors. The program was implemented within a randomized controlled field trial; its effects on reading fluency and reading ability were investigated on a sample of 198 Swiss third graders with reading difficulties. The findings revealed that volunteers outperformed parents: Children who trained with volunteers developed significantly better reading fluency after 20 weeks (d = .21). However, the main effects on reading fluency did not last at follow-up and no effects on general reading ability were found. Children with higher reading fluency at the pretest benefitted significantly more than very poor readers (post-test: d = .47; 5 month FU: d = .39). The study highlights the benefit of volunteer tutoring and the necessity of ongoing, adaptive support for very poor readers.
04/13/2021. Research Study
This paper reports on an evaluation study of a non‐professional, school‐based reading help scheme called Volunteer Reading Help (VRH). The adult community volunteers were involved in working twice a week for about 30 minutes on an individual basis with junior school children. The study is in two parts. Part One is a pre‐post experimental study investigating the effectiveness of VRH in improving children's reading and Self‐concept. The children were allocated randomly to either VRH (N‐43) or control‐group (N=38). The findings show no significant VRH‐effect. Part Two is an investigation of VRH as it is provided in practice. The analysis of tape‐recorded sessions (of 15 different Volunteer Reading Helpers) shows many discrepancies between the recommended VRH approach and the actual approach taken in practice, in particular with respect to reading for meaning and talking with children. It is recommended that more professional help for the volunteers might improve their effectiveness.
04/13/2021. Research Study
Examined the effectiveness of the Paired Reading (PR) method, using a competency-based training program with 52 parents of 2nd and 3rd graders receiving Chapter 1 services and 4th graders who received Chapter 1 services the year before. Overall reading improvement was assessed using difference scores obtained on the Paragraph Reading subtest of the Gray Oral Reading Test. Child and parent perceptions of the child's reading skills and reading habits were also assessed. Ss in the PR condition did not improve more than Ss in the control condition on overall reading scores. The small subset of Ss who completed the program did improve more in their overall reading scores than their matched controls. A post-hoc analysis indicated that 2nd and 3rd graders who were receiving Chapter 1 services in school improved in their overall reading scores and that 4th graders who no longer were eligible for Chapter 1 services did not show improvement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
04/13/2021. Research Study
Investigated the effects of 2 parent tutoring reading programs upon children's reading achievement: one that used children's literature books and one that used each child's classroom basal reading materials. 36 2nd-grade students (mean age 7 yrs, 11 mo) and their parents were randomly assigned to 2 treatment groups and a control group. The 15-wk study comprised 5 wks of baseline, 5 wks of treatment, and 5 wks of follow-up. During treatment, tutoring occurred 4 times each week for 20 min per session. Treatment effects were evaluated using curriculum-based measurement. The results show that although parents implemented the tutoring programs as designed, neither tutoring program had a significant effect upon student reading achievement. However, some individual students in LB and CB groups did experience gains in reading achievement. Implications for future endeavors in parent tutoring in reading are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
04/13/2021. Research Study
This randomized control trial examined the efficacy of a multitiered supplemental tutoring program within a first‐grade responsiveness‐to‐intervention prevention model. Struggling first‐grade readers (n = 649) were screened and progress monitored at the start of the school year. Those identified as unresponsive to general education Tier 1 (n = 212) were randomly assigned to receive Tier 2 small‐group supplemental tutoring (n = 134) or to continue in Tier 1 (n = 78). Progress‐monitoring data were used to identify nonresponders to Tier 2 (n = 45), who were then randomly assigned to more Tier 2 tutoring (n = 21) or one‐on‐one Tier 3 tutoring (n = 24). Tutoring in Tier 3 was the same as in Tier 2 except for the delivery format and frequency of instruction. Results from a latent change analysis indicated nonresponders to Tier 1 who received supplemental tutoring made significantly higher word reading gains compared with controls who received reading instruction only in Tier 1 (effect size = 0.19). However, no differences were detected between nonresponders to Tier 2 who were assigned to Tier 3 versus more Tier 2. This suggests more frequent 1:1 delivery of a Tier 2 standard tutoring program may be insufficient for intensifying intervention at Tier 3. Although supplemental tutoring was effective in bolstering reading performance of Tier 1 nonresponders, only 40% of all Tier 2 students and 53% of Tier 2 responders were reading in the normal range by grade 3. Results challenge the preventive intent of short‐term, standard protocol, multitiered supplemental tutoring models.
04/05/2021. Article
High-dosage tutoring is a research-based practice that can help schools and districts address learning gaps and accelerate learning. This guide highlights important implementation considerations that must be a part of any effective plan to launch high dosage tutoring in your school or district. Many of the practices and resources highlighted in this guide come directly from the National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA). Find a complete set of resources at the NSSA website.
04/05/2021. Article
The National Student Support Accelerator: Launched a new website that includes a summary of current tutoring research, a toolkit to make it easy to launch a new tutoring program or improve an existing tutoring program, and a tutoring program database, along with updated information on the Accelerator’s pilot sites and state-level policy recommendations.
03/30/2021. Webinar
The National Student Support Accelerator is excited to share this series of webinars, designed to assist practitioners start or improve high-impact tutoring programs. These short, instructional videos supplement the Tool Kit and simplify these processes. Each webinar also includes the relevant transcript, slide deck, and links to slide-specific tools. Additional webinars will be released soon, covering more key program design, implementation, training, and instructional topics.
03/30/2021. Webinar
In this National Student Support Accelerator webinar, we’ll be discussing the importance of practicing and maintaining cultural awareness in tutoring.
03/30/2021. Webinar
The “So, You Want to Start a Tutoring Organization” webinar series is meant to help demystify the process of starting a tutoring organization. This 3-part series includes: Decision Making, Recruitment and Selection, and Safety, Expectations, Accessibility, and Evaluation.
03/30/2021. Webinar
The “So, You Want to Start a Tutoring Organization” webinar series is meant to help demystify the process of starting a tutoring organization. This 3-part series includes: Decision Making, Recruitment and Selection, and Safety, Expectations, Accessibility, and Evaluation.
03/29/2021. Webinar
The “So, You Want to Start a Tutoring Organization” webinar series is meant to help demystify the process of starting a tutoring organization. This 3-part series includes: Decision Making, Recruitment and Selection, and Safety, Expectations, Accessibility, and Evaluation.
03/18/2021. Article
A new policy brief examines the research evidence behind tutoring and what design principles for tutoring have shown to be important for boosting student achievement. The report is titled Accelerating Student Learning with High-Dosage Tutoring. It’s coauthored by Dr. Carly Robinson, Dr. Matthew Kraft and Dr. Susanna Loeb of the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, as well as Dr. Beth Schueler of the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia.
03/08/2021. Article
The Education Lab conducted a study that demonstrates individualized, intensive (or “high-dosage”) tutoring can double or triple the amount of math high school students learn each year, increase student grades, and reduce math and non-math course failures. The findings, which are the result of an intervention developed by the non-profit organization Saga Education, come as school districts across America grapple with the pandemic’s academic fallout, including significant learning loss among students and the acceleration of pre-existing educational disparities.
03/08/2021. Article
“The pandemic closed a lot of schools and in the process created even greater inequalities in the access students have to good educational opportunities,” said Susanna Loeb, a professor of education at Brown who directs the Annenberg Institute. “Many students weren’t able to connect, both metaphorically — as in, they found virtual learning very difficult — and literally — as in, they didn’t have internet access or the right technology. We came in thinking: ‘What is out there that could really accelerate the learning of students in need so that they don’t lose months or years of progress?’”
03/01/2021. Article
There is near unanimous, bipartisan agreement that tutoring is among the most promising, evidence-based strategies to help students struggling with learning loss.