Fall River Announces Partnership With Ignite Reading’s Virtual, One-To-One Tutoring Program That’s Doubled Reading Growth For Students Nationwide


FALL RIVER – Fall River Public Schools announced an innovative new partnership with Ignite Reading to deliver virtual, one-to-one literacy tutoring for 300 first grade students in six schools this fall. Nationally, Ignite Reading’s students have recorded an average of over two weeks of reading progress per week, with no achievement gap for students of color, students with IEPs, multilingual learners, or students receiving free or reduced-price lunches. 

Ignite Reading officials joined Fall River leaders and students at Mary L. Fonseca Elementary today to showcase the nationally recognized program. The demonstration was followed by a Q&A session. Ignite Reading is now serving students in 60 schools across the commonwealth. 

“We’re thrilled to announce a new innovative collaboration with Ignite Reading. Given how participating students have bolstered their foundational reading skills in Massachusetts and nationally with Ignite Reading, we are optimistic that this program will supercharge literacy progress in Fall River,” said Stephanie Kennedy, Director of English Language Arts K-12 of Fall River Public Schools.

“Partnering with Ignite Reading has given us the opportunity to provide high-dose tutoring to our students in a way that would not otherwise be possible,” said Dr. Tracy Curley, Assistant Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer of Fall River Public Schools.

Ignite Reading pairs students with expert tutors who deliver daily, 15-minute, Science of Reading-based instruction to help them master the key foundational skills that equip them to become independent readers.The one-to-one virtual program is seamlessly integrated into the school day and takes the burden off teachers by providing individualized instruction for every student. 

The company is now teaching thousands of students to read across eight states with further plans to expand nationwide. In addition to Massachusetts, Ignite Reading is partnering with schools and districts to serve thousands of students in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, New York, and Oregon this fall.

“We’re excited to expand our collaboration with Fall River schools to equip hundreds of local students with enhanced literacy skills. Through Ignite Reading’s one-to-one tutoring model,  students nationwide are surpassing expected benchmarks, achieving more than two weeks of reading progress for every week in the program. In addition to improved literacy, we’re also witnessing a significant and positive social-emotional impact. It’s a privilege to serve Fall River’s exceptional students, families, and educational institutions,” said Jessica Reid Sliwerski, Founder & CEO of Ignite Reading.

About Ignite Reading 

Ignite Reading’s mission is to ensure that every student is a confident, independent reader by the end of first grade. The organization was co-founded by CEO Jessica Reid Sliwerski and Evan Marwell, Executive Chairman of Ignite and CEO of EducationSuperHighway. Ignite Reading pairs schools with a dedicated literacy specialist and a team of virtual reading tutors, all highly trained in the Science of Reading, who deliver 1:1 daily instruction to students focused on their specific decoding gaps. Ignite’s data-driven approach, provided by caring and skilled tutors, gives kids the know-how and confidence they need to thrive as fluent readers. The Ignite Reading program, delivered 15 minutes per day during a school’s literacy block, takes the burden of differentiated instruction off of teachers and has an impact immediately. For more information about Ignite Reading, visit: www.ignite-reading.com

About Fall River Public Schools

As an urban Gateway district in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the student population of the Fall River Public Schools (FRPS) is ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. Of the 10,987 scholars in Fall River Public Schools, 86% of students are identified as High Needs.  Of all students, 23.1% are English learners, 25.9% are students with disabilities, and 79.9% percent are economically disadvantaged.  Our student population is 44.1% white, 31.8% Hispanic, 11.9% African American,  8.7% multi-race/non-Hispanic, 3.3% Asian, and 0.2% Native American.

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