Fall River Public Schools and Ignite Reading Partner to Provide One-on-One Literacy Tutoring to 300 First-Grade Students

Posted by

EdTechReview.in is excited to announce the groundbreaking new partnership between Fall River Public Schools and Ignite Reading, an innovative virtual one-to-one literacy tutoring programme. This new initiative will provide 300 first-grade students at six schools in Fall River with the opportunity to enhance their literacy skills with the help of expert tutors who provide daily, 15-minute Science of Reading-based instruction.

Nationally, Ignite Reading students have recorded an average of more than two weeks of reading progress per week, with no achievement gap for students of colour, students with IEPs, multilingual learners, or students receiving free or reduced-price lunches.

Recently, Ignite Reading officials joined Fall River leaders and students at Mary L. Fonseca Elementary to highlight the programme and answer questions. Ignite Reading is now available in 60 schools across the Commonwealth.

Fall River Public Schools serve an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse student population. The district serves over 10,000 students, with 86% of them identified as having High Needs. English learners account for 23.1% of all students, students with disabilities account for 25.9%, and economically disadvantaged students account for 79.9%. Its student body is 44.1% white, 31.8% Hispanic, 11.9% African American, 8.7% non-Hispanic multi-racial, 3.3% Asian, and 0.2% Native American.

Stephanie Kennedy, Director of English Language Arts K-12 of Fall River Public Schools, commented: “We’re thrilled to announce a new innovative collaboration with Ignite Reading. Given how participating students have bolstered their foundational reading skills in Massachusetts and nationally with Ignite Reading, we are optimistic that this programme will supercharge literacy progress in Fall River.”

Ignite Reading is now teaching thousands of students to read across eight states. In addition to Massachusetts, Ignite Reading is partnering with schools and districts to serve thousands of students in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, New York, and Oregon this fall.

Jessica Reid Sliwerski, Founder & CEO of Ignite Reading, added: “We’re excited to expand our collaboration with Fall River schools to equip hundreds of local students with enhanced literacy skills. Through Ignite Reading’s one-to-one tutoring model, students nationwide surpass expected benchmarks, achieving more than two weeks of reading progress every week in the program. In addition to improved literacy, we also witness a significant and positive social-emotional impact. Serving Fall River’s exceptional students, families, and educational institutions is a privilege.”

Ignite Reading’s mission is to ensure that every student is a confident, independent reader by the end of first grade. The platform has proven successful for students up to eighth grade, as it provides districts a pathway and a safe space for older students to develop reading competence and strengthen foundational reading skills.

We are thrilled to see the impact that this innovative EdTech solution is having on Fall River students and the other districts across the United States. We look forward to hearing more success stories as Ignite Reading continues to expand nationwide.