Embed supplemental one-on-one tutoring within the school day using existing school support staff¶
Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited
Description¶
Rather than hiring external tutors or adding after-school programming, the Once program embeds daily 15-minute one-on-one tutoring into the school day using existing elementary school support staff such as paraprofessionals, aides, assistants, and interventionists. A staff member fully dedicated to providing Once can serve up to 25 students per day. The article describes the program as "a supplemental tier to core classroom instruction, embedded within the school day".
Design Implications¶
Context¶
Requirements¶
- Schools must have elementary support staff available to deliver 15-minute daily sessions, and each staff member needs a laptop with internet access and a front-facing camera.
Constraints¶
- The strategy is described for PreK through first grade early literacy tutoring; the article does not report effects for other grades or subjects.
Target Learners¶
- PreK through first grade students in elementary schools
Target Learning Goals¶
- Early literacy outcomes for students scoring below grade-level benchmarks
Related Strategies¶
- Operate high-dosage virtual tutoring with program-managed tutors and monthly literacy-specialist data meetings so school staff need no additional professional development
- Staff Passport to Literacy with trained paraprofessional interventionists receiving 8 hours of training over 2 days
- Integrate tutoring into the regular school day rather than scheduling it outside instructional time
- Embed near-peer members within established community youth-serving organizations during extended-day hours rather than creating parallel systems
- Staff online tutoring with experienced, highly qualified classroom teachers and provide training in literacy, trauma-informed teaching, and remote instruction
Examples¶
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Key Sources¶
- Once Early-Reading Program: Evidence Rating Summary. (2025). https://evidenceforessa.org/program/once-early-reading-program/
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
strategy |
id |
embed-tutoring-in-school-day-with-existing-staff |
title |
Embed supplemental one-on-one tutoring within the school day using existing school support staff |
description |
Rather than hiring external tutors or adding after-school programming, the Once program embeds daily 15-minute one-on-one tutoring into the school day using existing elementary school support staff such as paraprofess... |
status |
review |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-07 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — once-early-reading-program-evidence-rating-summary-2025 |
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