OUR APPROACH

Full-time tutors, making a real difference.

In the highest-need schools, there are more kids in need of extra reading support walking in the door every morning than there are resources to support them effectively.

The Literacy Lab seeks to close the resource gap for our schools and communities so they can close the achievement gap for children.

The Literacy Lab recognizes that many high-need schools are faced with the challenge of both an achievement gap and a resource gap.

Our approach to this challenge is to provide schools with evidence-based literacy intervention and assessment tools, rigorously trained full-time tutors to implement the model, and a coaching and support structure that ensures the success of the program and students.

Our Tutors are Full-Time Staff

Our tutors serve full-time for the entire academic year, which allows them to form strong relationships with school staff, students, and families. Literacy Lab tutors come from a variety of backgrounds and go on to apply the experience they gain in a diverse range of careers.

We provide our tutors with intensive training, support, and coaching.

Tutors receive approximately 60 hours of training in the Reading Corps model including foundations of literacy, reading interventions, assessments, progress monitoring, data-based decision making, and positive behavior management from The Literacy Lab’s coaching staff. Tutors also receive regular, ongoing coaching at their school site from The Literacy Lab’s Coaching Specialists. The Literacy Lab is a national replication partner of the Reading Corps model.

FIRST SUPPORT LAYER

Internal Coach

A school staff member who supports the school’s tutors day-to-day, guides student selection, and aligns the program with the school’s priorities.

SECOND SUPPORT LAYER

Coaching Specialist

A literacy expert who ensures that tutors implement Reading Corps assessments and interventions with fidelity. Coaching Specialists observe tutors in action, provide real-time feedback, and convene monthly data meetings at each school.

THIRD SUPPORT LAYER

Program Staff

The program staff’s role is to support both coaches and tutors to make sure that the program runs smoothly and that tutors and students are successful.

The Reading Corps Tutoring Model

PRE-K MODEL

Each Pre-K tutor is embedded full-time in a single classroom for the entire year to deliver developmentally-appropriate literacy interventions. Tutors deliver literacy interventions throughout the day in three formats:

  • Whole class instruction
  • Small group intervention
  • One-on-one intervention

K-3 MODEL

Each K-3 tutor is embedded full-time in one school for the entire year and serves a caseload of 15-18 children across grades K-3. Tutors deliver one-on-one interventions to each child for twenty minutes per day, five days per week. Tutors support children from several classes by providing structured Reading Corps interventions.

We embrace data-based decision making.

Literacy Lab tutors benchmark all students three times per year and collect data on a weekly (K-3) or monthly (Pre-K) basis to ensure that students are making the necessary progress toward meeting grade-level targets. Data is shared regularly with teachers and school staff who work in collaboration with Literacy Lab tutors to determine how to best meet the specific needs of each individual child. Below is a sample progress chart for one of our students.

Research-based Model

The Literacy Lab implements the Reading Corps model, an intervention program with proven success. Reading Corps is a strategic initiative of Serve Minnesota and has been proven to be an effective and highly-scalable early literacy intervention program. The Literacy Lab is an official national replication partner of the Minnesota Reading Corps and partners closely with this organization to ensure fidelity to the research basis.

Frequently Asked Questions