What is Once?

Last updated 15 days ago

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What is Once?

is an early-reading program for pre-K and 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. Instructors work from 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 in every tutoring session. In addition, every session is recorded, and every instructor is assigned a coach who reviews those recordings. Coaches lead 30-minute, personalized coaching meetings with every instructor each week to provide targeted guidance and support.

Key Components of Once

Instructors: We train schools’ employees to deliver daily, scripted, one-on-one reading instruction to every student in the program.
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 scripted curriculum.
Recorded Sessions: Sessions are recorded so that Once coaches can view them and assess where the instructor would benefit from specific advice and coaching.
Weekly Coaching: Coaches from Once lead personalized, half-hour, video-conference meetings with each school-based instructor every week to provide feedback and to practice key components of their instruction. These meetings support the instructor and help make sure that they are implementing the curriculum correctly to maximize student reading growth.
Program Support: There are monthly meetings to review student progress data and curriculum implementation as well as to identify and mitigate program challenges.

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

NextProgram Expectations

Last updated 15 days ago

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Key Components of Once

Instructors: We train schools’ employees to deliver daily, scripted, one-on-one reading instruction to every student in the program.
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 scripted curriculum.
Recorded Sessions: Sessions are recorded so that Once coaches can view them and assess where the instructor would benefit from specific advice and coaching.
Weekly Coaching: Coaches from Once lead personalized, half-hour, video-conference meetings with each school-based instructor every week to provide feedback and to practice key components of their instruction. These meetings support the instructor and help make sure that they are implementing the curriculum correctly to maximize student reading growth.
Program Support: There are monthly meetings to review student progress data and curriculum implementation as well as to identify and mitigate program challenges.