Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Literacy First Tutoring on Student Outcomes

• In Event: Effective and Equitable Literacy Instruction

Abstract

Literacy First is an AmeriCorps program that provides trained tutors for students in Grades K-2 in the Austin, Texas, area. Literacy First’s early literacy tutoring program is designed to strengthen students’ early reading and comprehension skills (e.g., phonemic awareness, letter sound identification) through daily, 30-minute tutoring sessions. The study has three primary aims: to estimate the impact of Literacy First on (1) kindergarten and Grade 1 students’ early reading skills, (2) Grade 2 students’ short-term reading fluency and comprehension skills, and (3) Grade 2 students’ long-term reading comprehension when students were in Grade 3. The study also investigated whether participation in Literacy First had an impact on students’ State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness Grade 3 Mathematics test scores.

Authors

• Ginger Stoker, American Institutes for Research

• Sarah Caverly, Teachstone