Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Literacy Tutoring Program Using Propensity Score Matching

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Abstract

The Augustine Literacy Project (ALP) supports literacy skills among young learners in underserved areas through a tutoring intervention grounded in the Orton-Gillingham Approach, a research-supported method known for its structured and sequential design. This study employed a quasi-experimental design using propensity score matching to estimate the treatment effect of the ALP tutoring program on first-grade students’ literacy outcomes. The analysis focused on three consecutive school years, comparing students who received ALP tutoring (treatment group) with similar students who did not (comparison group). There was a positive effect for the treatment across three academic years, however the effect was only statistically significant for the 2023-2024 school year, likely due to smaller sample sizes in the earliest two years.

Authors

• Qiao Liu, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Carl Westine, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Richard G. Lambert, University of North Carolina - Charlotte