Evaluation of the Florida K-3 Reading Tutoring Grant Program Supported by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Asher

The report evaluates the implementation and impact of Florida’s K-3 Reading Tutoring Grant Program funded through ESSER II during the 2022–23 school year. It examines tutor recruitment, training, and ongoing supports; details tutoring program selection and student identification processes; and summarizes which grades received tutoring, the amount of tutoring provided, and reading improvements using FAST assessments. Data from 51 responding districts informs reported study findings, including participation across approximately 622 schools.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Defining the Need

The Program Evaluation

Purpose

Participating districts

Results

Tutors

Tutor training and support

Program used with students during tutoring

Evaluation of the Florida K-3 Reading Tutoring Grant Program Supported by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund Sarah Herrera, Ph. D., Jennifer L. Dombek, Ph. D., Julie Baisden, Ph. D., & Nicole Patton Terry, Ph. D. This report should be cited as: Herrera, S., Dombek, J. L., Baisden, J., & Terry, N.P. (2024). Evaluation of the Florida K-3 Reading Tutoring Grant Program supported by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund. Florida Center for Reading Research. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.27190086 DEFINING THE NEED In 2022, the Florida Department of Education provided grant funds to districts through ESSER II to support direct student tutoring programs in reading for K-3 students across the state. Utilizing individual or smallgroup evidence-based tutoring in reading may be oneway to close achievement gaps and accelerate student learning. The K-3 Reading Tutoring Grant Program provided students additional support to master the foundational reading skills required for proficient reading and later academic success. THE PROGRAM EVALUATION Purpose The goal of this program evaluation is to understand the implementation and impact of tutoring programs for students in K-3 that received tutoring during the 2022- 23 school year. This report organizes the findings into three sections. The first section focuses on the tutors, who they were, how they were trained, and what support they received. The second section focuses on the programs implemented with students, which programs were used, and how they were selected. The third section focuses on the students, what grades they were in, how much tutoring they received, and what improvements in reading they made during the 2022-23 school year. Participating districts Fifty-six districts utilized funds from the K-3 Reading Tutoring Grant Program to provide tutoring to students during the 2022-23 school year. Fifty-one of these districts provided information that was included in this evaluation. Districts received a survey in fall 2022 that asked them to provide information about the tutors they recruited, the training and support they provided to tutors, the program that was used with students in tutoring, and how students were identified as in need of tutoring. In a follow-up request, districts were asked to provide anonymized student-level implementation information and reading scores (fall and spring) from the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Assessments for participating students (FAST Star Early Literacy/Reading for students in grades K-2 and FAST ELA Reading for students in grade 3) . Not all participating districts responded to all survey questions or provided sufficient data for participating students. The number of districts that contributed data to each of the study findings are reported along with each finding. Based on information provided by responding districts, approximately 622 schools across 43 districts participated in the K-3 Reading Tutoring Grant Program. RESULTS Tutors Districts reported hiring or recruiting approximately 1,925 tutors to implement reading programs with students during tutoring (43 districts) . Schools hired or recruited primarily certified teachers to implement reading programs with K-3 students (Table 1) . A small percentage of tutors also included retired teachers, paraprofessionals, high school students, and college/university students. Tutor training and support Districts reported that the initial tutor training ranged from 45 minutes to 450 minutes, with an average duration of 175 minutes (34 districts). Virtually all districts trained tutors using the FCRR Reading Tutors K-3 website and materials (35 of 36 reporting districts) . Slightly less than half of the districts also reported using other materials to train tutors. These additional materials included: Heggerty, PBIS supports, From Phonics to Reading, Sonday Systems 1 and 2, Great Leaps interv

FAQs

What need does the K-3 Reading Tutoring Grant Program address?

The program targets evidence-based reading tutoring to help K-3 students master foundational reading skills and reduce achievement gaps. It is supported by ESSER II grant funds provided to districts in 2022.

How were tutors recruited and trained for the program?

Districts reported hiring or recruiting about 1,925 tutors, primarily certified teachers. Initial training ranged from 45 to 450 minutes, with most districts training tutors using the FCRR Reading Tutors K-3 website and materials.

How was program effectiveness measured during the 2022–23 school year?

Effectiveness was assessed using FAST assessments, including FAST Star for early literacy/reading in grades K-2 and FAST ELA Reading for grade 3. The report summarizes student reading improvements alongside tutoring dosage and grade levels.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Asher