In a marked turn towards improving literacy in early education, Portland Public Schools launched an intensive tutoring program this year aimed at helping students in grades K-3 master essential reading skills.
This new initiative has seen promising results, particularly for students like Jaden, a second grader at Scott Elementary in Northeast Portland.
Over the course of several months, Jaden participated in 30-minute reading sessions multiple times a week, ultimately progressing to reading full sentences with newfound ease by early June.
This is the first school year since the pandemic where Oregon’s largest school district has made a significant push in implementing strategies that research indicates are effective in assisting struggling readers.
Approximately 12% of the district’s 12,500 K-3 students received support from reading tutors this year, with 50 elementary and K-8 schools involved in the program.
Darcy Soto, the district’s director of academic programs, reported that participating students exhibited an average growth of 28% in the skills necessary for grade-level reading.
In kindergarten, this encompasses identifying letters and phonemes, while by third grade, students are expected to read and comprehend multi-syllable words and longer paragraphs comfortably.
Some students even achieved remarkable gains, showing triple-digit improvements across various categories such as decoding simple words and understanding the complexities of the ‘silent e.’
Thanks to these outcomes, the Portland district plans to broaden its tutoring services to an additional five schools in the upcoming academic year.
This expansion will be partially financed by a $660,000 grant from the district’s parent-driven foundation, with about $520,000 of the costs covered by a $93 million renewal of the Early Literacy Success Initiative introduced earlier this year to enhance early reading instruction.
However, uncertainties loom regarding whether the legislature will approve the full $93 million funding amidst a challenging revenue landscape and competing budget demands.
The outcomes of this funding decision not only influence Portland’s ability to maintain its revitalized early reading methods but also impact Governor Tina Kotek’s educational legacy.
Kotek championed the 2023 initiative, which allocated funds specifically for early literacy training, resources, tutoring, and summer programs.
Unlike standard school fund allocations, this early literacy funding comes with restrictions, mandating that districts utilize it in alignment with the science of reading — a method grounded in decades of cognitive science advocating for a focus on phonics and phonemic awareness.
This funding can also be directed toward teacher training and summer educational programs, or for hiring reading tutors who will conduct frequent, targeted sessions with students.
In her proposed budget for the next two years, Kotek suggested renewing the previous funding at a similar or slightly heightened level.
However, it remains uncertain if her proposal will receive legislative approval, though some literacy advocates express cautious optimism.
Concerns have also arisen regarding the potential for added restrictions, focused on ensuring funds are channeled towards schools with the highest concentrations of struggling readers.
Sarah Pope, executive director of education nonprofit Stand for Children Oregon, emphasized the critical need for improved literacy rates in Oregon, which currently ranks among the lowest nationally.
While the impact of the Early Literacy Success Initiative may not be immediately visible, previous experiences from states like Mississippi, which adopted a similar science of reading framework, illustrate that significant advancements require time and sustained commitment.
Transitioning to this new reading instruction methodology demands substantial changes in the teaching practices of many veteran educators.
Compounding the challenge, Oregon does not assess students’ reading abilities until the third grade, meaning that the long-term benefits of these new literacy strategies won’t be reflected in testing outcomes until 2027.
Nevertheless, preliminary data from Portland indicates that the investment in tutoring efforts is yielding favorable results.
This past year, Portland allocated $838,000 from its share of the $6 million state early literacy funding specifically for tutoring, having previously utilized pandemic relief funds for initial smaller-scale tutoring programs.
These earlier programs primarily assisted third, fourth, and fifth graders who struggled during their online learning phases during the pandemic, resulting in lower-than-expected return levels when students returned to in-person schooling.
The district implemented two tutoring models this past year, primarily during school hours.
Some schools, such as Scott Elementary, received dedicated reading tutors — often parents with prior volunteer experience — who were trained to use standardized instructional materials crafted by district reading specialists that complemented Portland’s existing reading curriculum.
This approach not only reinforced teachers’ instructional efforts but also allowed classroom educators to concentrate on smaller groups of students, providing more personalized attention.
In other instances, the district collaborated with a local nonprofit, Reading Results, where tutors employed a well-regarded curriculum devised by researchers at the University of Florida.
Schools receiving district-funded tutoring were selected based on the number of students scoring below benchmarks in K-2, the extent of existing staff dedicated to reading interventions, and the percentage of students from low-income backgrounds, English language learners, or students of color.
After each tutoring session, tutors meticulously recorded student performance data to monitor progress.
For instance, at Scott Elementary, tutors would track whether Jaden could differentiate between words containing short and long vowel sounds, while another first grader, Mia, demonstrated the ability to group and read several rhyming words rapidly.
This detailed performance data, combined with quiz results, is transformed into visual representations, enabling regular teachers to easily identify ongoing skill gaps for their students.
Kristen Gallucci, one of the tutors at Scott, expressed her enthusiasm for the progress witnessed among her students.
Having recently completed end-of-year assessments, she was delighted by the growth displayed by her pupils.
In response to a request from The Oregonian/OregonLive, the district provided literacy growth statistics for students receiving tutoring at four participating schools: Marysville Elementary, Vernon K-8 School, Scott Elementary, and Ainsworth Elementary.
While there were some discrepancies, such as one first grader at Vernon who received substantial tutoring hours yet only demonstrated an 8% overall progress, the majority of the 85 sampled students displayed double-digit growth, with about 25% achieving triple-digit improvement.
Scott’s students, particularly those receiving the interventions in conjunction with Title I funding, reported some of the most striking results.
For instance, one second grader achieved an incredible 210% growth after 705 minutes of tutoring over ten weeks, effectively catching up to their peers.
Similarly, a native Spanish-speaking student at Scott experienced a 142% growth in literacy, elevating their skills from a beginning second grader level to mastering nearly all third-grade competencies after 740 minutes of tutoring.
Scott Principal Tiana Ahmann anticipates that the foundational support being provided to younger students will have significant ramifications for their future academic success.
By equipping students with critical reading skills in K-2, she believes they will be better positioned to thrive as they progress to higher elementary grades without needing further intervention.
Soto noted that overall growth has been observed across the various models, with the most promising outcomes stemming from those tutors directly utilizing resources aligned with Portland’s reading curriculum.
Despite this, implementing the strategy district-wide poses a financial challenge since the contracts with Reading Results do not incur the same cost burdens related to payroll, pensions, and data collection.
Next year, Portland Public Schools plans to enhance its intensive tutoring programs, potentially benefiting an even broader range of students.
Scott Elementary, along with Ainsworth, Atkinson, Beach, Lent, Rigler, and Sitton will continue the reading tutor model supported by multiple dedicated tutors next school year.
In addition to these, James John K-5 and Cesar Chavez K-8, both of which offer Spanish dual immersion programs, will also join the ranks.
Furthermore, five additional schools will receive support from single reading tutors, including Alameda, Chief Joseph, Glencoe, Rose City Park, and Woodstock elementaries, while Arleta K-5 will also be included in the tutoring ranks.
Additionally, the district plans to fund Reading Results to work with 30 more schools in the area.
These schools comprise Astor, Boise-Eliot/Humboldt, Bridger Creative Science, Bridlemile, Buckman, Capitol Hill, Chapman, Clark, Creston, Duniway, King, Faubion, Grout, Hayhurst, Irvington, Kelly, Laurelhurst, Lee, Maplewood, Markham, Marysville, Peninsula, Rosa Parks, Sabin, Stephenson, Vernon, Vestal, Whitman, Woodmere, and Woodlawn.
Moreover, 10 schools are set to pilot a novel virtual tutoring program named Amira, which utilizes artificial intelligence and has demonstrated success in other states, including Louisiana.
These schools include Abernethy, Beverly Cleary, Forest Park, Lewis, Llewellyn, Richmond, the Metropolitan Learning Center, Rieke, Skyline, and Sunnyside.
Through these dedicated efforts, Portland Public Schools aims to bolster literacy rates and ensure foundational reading skills are ingrained from an early age, providing students with better opportunities for academic success in the future.
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