This year, our free LEAP Literacy Intervention Program will serve 180 academically at-risk students, in 45-minute sessions, four days per week, at four Title I elementary schools in the Tustin Unified School District (Beswick, Estock, Heideman, and Nelson). To be eligible for our program, students must be identified by their teachers as reading significantly below grade level. Most LEAP students are first or second-generation English Learners.

 

LEAP tutors will work closely with our students in groups of five, based on the student's current reading level, and carefully observe and address individual strengths and weaknesses. This small-group composition is one of the key elements of our program. Research has found that students who consistently receive focused attention and nurturing from a well-trained and highly qualified tutor are much more motivated and likely to succeed.

 

Our LEAP staff strives to meet the needs and interests of all students in each group by carefully selecting texts based on the group's instructional level that are interesting and engaging. Another important research-based component is that our tutors teach literacy skills and strategies within the context of reading authentic text. Our reading groups do not work on isolated skills or worksheets, which have proven to be ineffective. Instead, students spend a significant portion of each one-hour session reading and responding in discussions that promote a deeper level of comprehension.

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LEAP students are taught and modeled the critical skills they need to be successful readers and the grit and determination to overcome obstacles—these are transformative qualities that shape and serve our students well beyond the classroom.