Become a Partner School
Why Partner with Reading Assist?
Reading Assist can provide the extra support your students need to reach grade-level benchmarks and grow into successful readers. Consider all the benefits Reading Assist can bring to your school:
Results
results for your
most challenging
students.
Benchmarks
Readers in the lowest 25% for reading proficiency reach benchmarks.
Outcomes
Better outcomes when
students receive
our individualized
instruction.
Economies of Scale
Two fellows
cost less
than one
paraprofessional.
How it Works
Recruit
We recruit AmeriCorps members to serve as Reading Assist Fellows.
Train
Fellows are trained in our accredited multisensory structured literacy program.
Embed
Fellows are fully embedded in your schools and are expected to be on-site from September to June.
Coach & Manage
Instruct
Fellows can support a caseload of up to 14 students in grades K-3. Fellows work 1:1 or 1:2 with your most struggling students every day for 30-45 minutes.
Monitor
School leaders and faculty receive monthly progress reports and can access weekly progress monitoring data.
FAQ
Our fellows work with students for 30-45 minutes each school day to deliver Reading Assist’s accredited, evidence-based reading program, with a focus on developing phonemic awareness, phonics, and oral reading fluency skills.
Reading Assist Fellows are trained in our accredited multisensory structured literacy program. Our program was accredited by The International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC) in 2017 and reaccredited in 2022.
Cohorts of fellows typically train in 3-week sessions that run from mid-August through mid-November.
Fellows usually begin working with students in mid- to late September. Fellows work through the end of May or whenever your interventions stop.
Fellows can support a caseload of up to 14 students in grades K-3, depending on student pairings and schedules. Fellows work 1:1 or 1:2 with your most struggling students every day for 30-45 minutes.
We look for students who have been particularly challenging for schools and may not have made progress with other interventions. Reading Assist will work with you to establish a list of students who may be a good fit for the program. We then send in an independent evaluator to provide a baseline benchmark. In partnership with your school, Reading Assist reviews this data and makes a final decision on student placement.
Reading Assist Fellows from over 25 different states have served in our program. Fellows are typically recent college graduates taking a gap year to do service work or explore a career in education, or retirees looking to give back to their community.
Reading Assist aims to be a turnkey solution for your school. Reading Assist staff members manage both the instructional coaching and administrative management of your fellow. Fellows are assigned coaches, who meet with them weekly to review student progress and ensure lesson plans are tailored appropriately to your students’ needs. Reading Assist’s administrative team ensures fellows have all the appropriate paperwork and background checks in place to be embedded in schools.
We use Acadience (also known as DIBELS Next) to both monitor and benchmark student progress. Progress monitoring is done weekly and administered by the fellow. Three times a year we send an independent evaluator to assess students against reading benchmarks.
Reading Assist will provide monthly student progress reports to school leadership and faculty. In addition, fellows keep track of weekly progress monitoring test scores, which can be shared at any point. Our instructional leadership is also available for in-depth meetings to discuss overall and individual student progress.
We ask for schools to provide instructional space for their fellows. We understand space can be at a premium and work with schools to find creative solutions.
Schools are also asked to provide a schedule that allows for fellows to pull students throughout the school day. Reading Assist has worked with a variety of schools and can provide templates and support in establishing a schedule. We also ask schools to include fellows as much as possible. We ask for them to be invited to meetings and school events so they can take part in the school’s community.
Fellows are AmeriCorps members who earn a modest monthly stipend. They are also eligible for an education award at the end of their year of service.
Reading Assist is funded in part by a grant from the AmeriCorps. This funding along with the support from many local foundations allows us to keep the school contribution to a minimum. Two fellows typically cost less than a single paraprofessional for an entire school year.
We ask schools to support the cost and the amount varies based on the number of fellows and length of agreement. Contact us to learn more about pricing options.
Want Reading Assist Fellows at your school?
Get in touch to learn more about our accredited reading program and schedule a visit.
