Revere Public Schools will continue one of its most successful early literacy interventions during the 2026-2027 school year after the district was awarded 132 seats in the Ignite Reading program for first-grade students.
Director of Title I and EC-3 Curriculum Briana Tsoupas announced the award during an Early Literacy presentation at the Aug. 18 Revere School Committee meeting, telling committee members she had learned of the new funding just one day earlier.
“Just yesterday I learned that we were awarded 132 seats with Ignite Reading for first-grade students through a grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,” Tsoupas said. “So, we’re very excited about that.”
The award means RPS will enter its fifth year partnering with Ignite Reading, a high-dosage tutoring program that provides students with daily, one-on-one instruction specifically targeted to their foundational reading needs.
The news was part of a broader presentation by Tsoupas outlining the district’s early literacy work and next steps. RPS’s approach is centered on identifying reading needs early and responding with targeted support, beginning with strong classroom instruction and moving through early identification, tiered intervention, progress monitoring, and adjustments based on how individual students respond.
“Our goal is supporting every student in becoming a confident, successful reader,” Tsoupas’ presentation noted, while emphasizing that the district is building on existing practices and preparing for evolving early literacy expectations in Massachusetts.
Through Ignite Reading, participating students receive individualized literacy tutoring each school day with instruction focused on the specific foundational skills each child needs to strengthen. The district’s presentation described Ignite as providing daily, one-to-one literacy tutoring, targeted foundational reading instruction, individualized support, and continuous progress monitoring.
The program began as a pilot in Revere four years ago and has since grown into an important component of the district’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports. In previous years, hundreds of Revere students have participated, with educators reporting significant improvements not only in reading ability but also in students’ confidence in the classroom.
Second-grade teachers have reported that children who participated in Ignite during first grade often enter the following school year better equipped to access grade-level curriculum. Ignite officials previously reported that 95 percent of Revere students who reached benchmark reading levels through the program in first grade maintained grade-level proficiency the following year.
RPS’s broader literacy strategy reflects that focus on early intervention.
Tsoupas explained that Tier I instruction includes the Collaborative Classroom curriculum resource, evidence-based foundational literacy instruction, and work in reading, writing, vocabulary, and comprehension. Teachers also use small-group instruction responsive to student needs, early literacy screening and assessment, and data to inform instructional decisions.
When students require additional help beyond core classroom instruction, the district uses SIPPS as its aligned tiered phonics intervention. Students receive targeted support matched to identified foundational skill needs, while educators use data cycles and progress monitoring to determine whether interventions should continue, change, or become more intensive. RPS has also been working with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Crafting Minds through the Dyslexia Institute. Results from all progress monitoring are shared with parents and caregivers multiple times each school year.
The district is also looking further back in a child’s educational journey, emphasizing that early literacy begins before kindergarten. RPS is pursuing a grant opportunity through the Nellie Mae Education Foundation in partnership with the Great Schools Partnership and is continuing its work with CAPIC and Raising a Reader to strengthen connections among schools, families, and the community, particularly as the district prepares for the transition to the new McKinley School building.
While the districts emphasis on early literacy is not new, the schools are adding new initiatives to support students each year. The opening of the Early Childhood Center at the old McKinley Building will be leveraged to assist students even earlier in their learning pathways.
School Committee members expressed enthusiasm for the program and interest in seeing updated Ignite achievement data as the partnership moves into its fifth year. Director Tsoupas will be providing updates later in the school year.
