Olson Elementary Partners with Littera Education to Bring Free High-Dosage Tutoring to Marina Students
More than 50 students have participated in this free service to date
Marina, CA - Every student deserves a great tutor and Olson Elementary School in Marina, CA has partnered with Littera Education to customize free reading acceleration services for the school’s nearly 400 students.
“Our families are overwhelmingly thankful for a reading tutor as part of their school experience for their child for an extra 45 minutes a day,” said Drew Coleman, Principal, Olson Elementary School. “The student experience sells itself to their families, and the actual data and progress we are seeing is a win for everyone.”
Through this program with Littera Education, students are matched with tutors based on their needs. Together, Olson and Littera design, deliver, monitor, and adjust virtual tutoring programs for students. Students participate in the online experience together four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) while on the school campus directly after school. During the program, students participate in fiction reading focused on moving students up levels of text complexity by strengthening reading comprehension, fluency, stamina, synthesis, and vocabulary; and non-fiction reading focused on knowledge generation, central ideas, supporting ideas with text evidence, synthesizing across texts, and reading critically.
“I started Littera to enable equitable, high-impact tutoring for students who may not otherwise receive it. We’re proud to partner with Olson Elementary to individualize reading support for any student who needs it,” said Justin Serrano, CEO of Littera Education.
“With Littera, we’re able to serve more students and at a much higher quality than ever before,” said Coleman. “We can schedule 25 students with 25 tutors — all at the same time or at different times. We would never be able to replicate that on our own, and the quality of the Littera tutors is second to none. There’s a bit of disbelief that we are able to offer this level of service to our students.”
Olson Elementary piloted the program in the spring of 2022 and approximately 40 students received services. Currently 25 students are enrolled in the program and as students reach their reading goals and graduate, other students are transitioned into the program. Students are selected based on their reading level and need. The cost is $30 an hour for the tutoring service, which is covered by the school and school district.
The results demonstrate program success. Last year’s 6th grade pilot group exemplified a 200% growth rate in their reading skills while the rest of the school exhibited a 93% growth rate. Moreover, students who participated in the Littera program demonstrated an approximate 30% increase in progress over their counterparts who did not participate.
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About Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is home to approximately 9,600 students in grades transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. The district also houses preschool and adult education. The district is built on a solid foundation of effective instruction, positive school culture, systems of support, and collaborative leadership. The district is nestled along the Monterey Bay, and stretches from the city of Marina to the north to the city of Monterey to the south, and includes the communities of Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Sand City and Seaside.
About Olson Elementary
Olson Elementary enrolls 375 students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade. More than 60% of students are socioeconomically disadvantaged.
About Littera Education
We believe every child deserves the care and attention of a great tutor. Littera customizes tutoring intervention for K-12 schools and districts by supporting any student, subject, schedule or staffing model. With our virtual tutors, curriculum integrations, and the Littera Tutoring Management System, schools can provide individualized support to every student who needs it. To learn more, visit www.litteraeducation.com