Special to the Journal
At the beginning of the last school year, the oral reading proficiency of nearly 80 Whelan Elementary School first graders was very low. First graders at the school could only identify and read about six words. They struggled with the rest of the content in grade-level reading books.
However, by year’s end less than 10 first grade students were still having difficulty identifying words. A majority of students grew their vocabulary to over 80 words—thank to Ignite Reading.
Ignite Reading, a nationally recognized high-dosage tutoring program, teaches 1st–8th grade students to read at more than twice the rate expected in traditional classrooms with no achievement gaps. Now, Ignite’s national results are repeating in classrooms throughout Revere.
Revere Public Schools (RPS) introduced Ignite as a pilot program at two elementary schools, where 42% of first graders had reading skill gaps that placed them at kindergarten reading levels.
Last week, representatives from Ignite and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) met with school leaders, teachers, and elected officials to go over the amazing data and impact Ignite has on the RPS school community.
The meeting also discussed the literacy crisis in Massachusetts, highlighting that many students struggle to read at a third-grade level, exacerbated by the pandemic. The Mass Business Alliance for Education emphasized the need for a science-based reading curriculum, noting that only 50% of school districts currently use it.
“There are so many best practices happening in the state this year,” said MBAE Executive Director Edward Lambert, Jr. “The ability of RPS to be student focused and move the need for high-need students is a model that we use for other urban systems across the Commonwealth.”
MBAE is a 35-year-old nonprofit that today represents about 30,000 employers across Massachusetts, 42 affiliate organizations, and dozens of corporate members. According to Lambert the MBAE is looking to support schools and advocates for policies that create high-quality educational opportunities for students.
“This is why we’re so excited about the Ignite model,” said Lambert. “Some folks have questioned whether or not the situation with literacy in Massachusetts is good. When you have so many students unable to read at third-grade level, I think that we could agree there is a crisis.”
Lambert added, “The bottom line is, of course, we need innovation, but we want to make sure that innovation leads to evidence-based solutions, and this program does move the needle for students in comparison to peer groups, and that makes it a very effective model. Ignite is a partner in the Revere public schools and in many other school systems, and they are doing incredible work across the nation.”
Ignite Reading pairs students with expert tutors who deliver daily, 15-minute Science of Reading-based instruction to target specific literacy decoding gaps and teach students to become confident, independent readers. In addition to Massachusetts, Ignite Reading is partnering with schools and districts in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, New York, and Oregon.
Stefanie Porrazzo, the Whelan’s literacy coach, said there are so many benefits to Ignite.
“I spend a lot of time thinking about how we can support our first graders. Being a parent myself, I know how important it is that a child is succeeding in school and that they’re getting everything they need,” said Porrazzo. “Ignite puts an extra teacher in our classroom and they’re working one on one with our students. That level of individualization is really important. Something I’m discovering this year is that Ignite doesn’t only benefit our struggling students; our students who are at or above grade level are getting extra time with their teachers to really go above and beyond grade level skills. This helps our students to accelerate to a grade level at a much faster rate than we were ever able to in a school year prior to Ignite.”
RPS’s Assistant Director of Curriculum & Instruction, Title I Director Briana Tsoupas, said after witnessing the improvements at the two Revere schools during the pilot, Ignite Reading quickly became a district-wide tool.
“We couldn’t believe the gaps we were closing in a short amount of time,” said Tsoupas. “When the grant opportunity presented itself for the following year to continue Ignite, we were so excited. Last year we were able to expand the program through eighth grade and have 515 seats across the district for Ignite. And last year’s data was probably the best we’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen our data like this before. Like, this is just incredible. I feel so fortunate to have worked with Stephanie, but all of our literacy coaches are really doing amazing things across the district with Ignite, and the payoffs are amazing.”
Rachel Shanley, principal of the Whelan School, said Ignite has brought ‘joyful’ learning to the classroom.
“It’s really exciting for these students to be working with the same Ignite tutor every day,” said Shanley. “They get to really build something very special together, and the students really look forward to that Ignite one-on-one time. I just think it’s really great.”
