NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has joined forces with a leading tutoring company, Once Early-Reading Program, and Stanford University. The collaborative effort is geared towards equipping kindergarten students with the essential skills to become proficient readers from an early age.
Warner Elementary School is full of activities, as kindergarteners are learning how to read.
The school has embarked on a mission to ensure that its young students not only read aloud in the classroom but also receive personalized, one-on-one instruction.
Asjah Hall, a paraprofessional at Warner Elementary, stresses the significance of individualized attention.
"We sit down with them for about 15 minutes, going through letter sounds and gradually combining them to form words. Our goal is to progress to reading full sentences and paragraphs as the program unfolds," she said.
The unique program, set to run throughout the 2023-2024 school year, is a joint venture between MNPS, Once Early-Reading Program, and Stanford University.
The initiative not only seeks to provide kindergarten students with a head start in their reading journey but also includes a randomized controlled research study to evaluate the efficacy of personalized tutoring.
Matt Pasternack, CEO of Once, likened the research study to trials conducted for medicines.
"We train, coach and provide all curriculum and instructional materials so that school support staff can teach kindergarteners how to read," he said.
The research study, led by Stanford University's National Student Support Accelerator, focuses on assessing the impact of the Once Early-Reading program.
The ripple effect of this innovative approach is anticipated to extend beyond MNPS, potentially benefiting kindergarten students nationwide.
Over 150 kindergarten students within MNPS will engage in daily one-on-one reading sessions, with participation from five other elementary schools in the program.
