Anna: A Student's Story

by Janet Menosky Smith

Anna joined our Reading Outreach tutoring program in October of 2021, when she was starting second grade. 

Her First Day of School picture from that year shows her clutching her mask with a hopeful smile, after 2 years of disrupted and at-home school during the COVID epidemic.

When we first assessed Anna, she was reading at the mid-first grade level, perhaps thanks to her less-than-ideal academic start. 

Anna's mom Alaina* brought her faithfully to the after-school reading program twice a week, for two program semesters: from October through December, and January through April of that school year.

She worked 1-on-1 with a trained volunteer tutor, using a structured reading intervention. She was also receiving consistent reading instruction five days a week at her school for the first time.

When we checked Anna's progress again in March, she had gained over 1.5 years of progress and was reading at the independent level for her grade! 

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Thanks to her hard work, and some extra support, she is now in 4th grade and a high honor roll student.

Great job, Anna!!