Program Description
Once is a school-embedded early literacy tutoring program serving PreK through first grade students. Existing school staff, primarily paraprofessionals, are trained to deliver daily, 15-minute, one-on-one structured literacy sessions during the school day. The curriculum is grounded in the science of reading and addresses both decoding and language comprehension through systematic phonics instruction, phonemic awareness, sight word instruction, and vocabulary development. Lessons are scripted and delivered via a laptop interface, enabling staff without specialized reading instruction backgrounds to deliver sequenced lessons with fidelity. Tutors receive weekly 30-minute coaching sessions from a consistent Once coach who reviews session recordings and provides targeted feedback. A real-time data portal allows tutors, coaches, and administrators to monitor student progress. The program is designed as a supplemental tier to core classroom instruction, embedded within the school day.
Program Outcomes
Two studies examined the effects of the Once Early-Reading Program on early literacy outcomes for kindergarten and first grade students scoring below grade-level benchmarks. The first study was a randomized controlled trial conducted in 13 schools in a large urban East Coast district during the 2022-2023 school year. Students in the program group received an average of 42 sessions, well below the program’s intended dosage, and the study did not find a significant effect on end-of-year DIBELS scores (effect size +0.05).
The second study was a quasi-experimental study conducted in 13 schools in a large urban Tennessee district during the 2024-2025 school year, focusing on kindergarten students who scored below the 50th percentile on a beginning-of-year literacy screener. Once students outperformed comparison peers on end-of-year FastBridge Early Reading Composite scores (effect size +0.17), a statistically significant result at the student level that qualifies Once for a Promising rating. The study also found that students who completed 80 or more sessions demonstrated meaningfully larger gains (effect size +0.46), suggesting that program dosage is a key driver of outcomes. Across both studies, the weighted average effect size is +0.14.
Staffing Requirements
Once is delivered, in-person, by an elementary school support staff member (paraprofessional, aide, assistant, interventionist). The staff member delivering instruction meets with each student for 15 minutes each day, so a staff member fully dedicated to providing Once can serve up to 25 students per day.
Professional Development/Training
Once provides a two day, in-person training, focused on the Science of Reading, the Once delivery method and model, and the Once technology, with ample time allocated for hands-on practice.
Technology
Each school support staff member delivering Once requires access to a laptop computer, that is connected to the internet, and that has a front-facing camera. Once is cloud-based and does not require any software to be downloaded or installed. No files are stored on the computer as part of the Once program.