Report Emphasizes the Importance of Early Intervention

Literacy First K–1 Report Highlights the Importance of Early Intervention

The purpose of this report was to evaluate the impact of an early intervention program. This research was conducted by Literacy First, a program that provides tutors for kindergarten through first-grade students in the Austin, Texas area. Literacy First is designed to help strengthen early reading skills through 30-minute tutoring sessions. The program is equipped to help both Spanish and English-speaking students. Implemented in over 30 elementary schools, the program tracks student data through benchmark assessments, weekly monitoring of progress, attendance, and student demographics. Through these assessments, students who are struggling are able to be  identified in the Fall, allowing them to receive tutoring throughout the school year.

Through analysis on student data following the implementation of this program, researchers were able to assess the impact it had on students’ ability to learn important early reading skills. The research found that the program’s early intervention was crucial in student’s abilities to learn important reading skills. The researchers also found that phonological awareness (PA) instruction alone is good for about 10 hours but outcomes improve with additional work pairing PA instruction with orthography. The combination of instructions in kindergarten through 1st graders continues to increase reading abilities with more than 16 hours of intervention/instruction. Overall, the study highlights the importance of early intervention in supporting students with reading difficulties.

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE.