What is Once?

Once is an early-reading program for pre-K or kindergarten students. We help schools deliver in-person, one-on-one tutoring sessions that are 15 minutes each day. We empower schools’ existing support staff (like aides, paras, volunteers, etc.) to deliver the high-impact tutoring that makes up the Once program. We provide these instructors with a scripted curriculum that is rooted in the Science of Reading. We train them at the beginning of the year, and then we coach them throughout the year as they tutor a consistent slate of students every school day.

Once instructors don’t need to have any special expertise in teaching reading because they use a carefully scripted curriculum and because every instructional session is recorded. We have a national network of coaches who watch those videos and then lead 30-minute, personalized coaching meetings with every instructor each week.

Key Components of Once

Instructors: We train schools’ employees to deliver daily, scripted, one-on-one reading instruction to every targeted student.
Scheduling: The Once team works with each school to create a schedule that allows every student to get 15 minutes of daily, one-on-one tutoring while also not sacrificing core instructional time.
Instructor Onboarding: Rigorous training is provided in two half-day sessions to ensure instructors have the knowledge and skills to facilitate high-quality instruction using the Once curriculum.
Program Implementation: Each student sits next to and works with their instructor one-on-one for 15 minutes each day, working through the Once’s scripted curriculum.
Recorded Sessions: Sessions are recorded so that Once coaches can remotely provide feedback, coaching, and guidance to each school-based instructor and to guarantee that the curriculum is being implemented with fidelity to maximize student reading growth.
Weekly Coaching: Coaches from Once lead personalized, half-hour, video-conference meetings with each school-based instructor each week to provide feedback and to practice key components of their instruction.
Program Support: Monthly meetings to review student progress data and implementation fidelity as well as identify and mitigate program challenges.

Time-lapse video of Pre-K student during the first three months of Once

NextProgram Expectations

Last updated 1 month ago

Key Components of Once

Instructors: We train schools’ employees to deliver daily, scripted, one-on-one reading instruction to every targeted student.

Scheduling: The Once team works with each school to create a schedule that allows every student to get 15 minutes of daily, one-on-one tutoring while also not sacrificing core instructional time.

Instructor Onboarding: Rigorous training is provided in two half-day sessions to ensure instructors have the knowledge and skills to facilitate high-quality instruction using the Once curriculum.

Program Implementation: Each student sits next to and works with their instructor one-on-one for 15 minutes each day, working through the Once’s scripted curriculum.

Recorded Sessions: Sessions are recorded so that Once coaches can remotely provide feedback, coaching, and guidance to each school-based instructor and to guarantee that the curriculum is being implemented with fidelity to maximize student reading growth.

Weekly Coaching: Coaches from Once lead personalized, half-hour, video-conference meetings with each school-based instructor each week to provide feedback and to practice key components of their instruction.

Program Support: Monthly meetings to review student progress data and implementation fidelity as well as identify and mitigate program challenges.