The model is best implemented in school communities that value the science of reading and data-based decision-making.

In order to effectively implement Ignite! Reading’s model in schools, there must be strong, committed leadership and teachers who value collaboration, improvement, and data-driven decision-making, as well as a desire to actively engage around challenges and lessons learned. Because Ignite! Reading is grounded in the science of reading, school teams should be willing to embrace the evidence-based approach.

Schools must identify an on-site coordinator to implement the model with ease and fidelity.

Partner schools must be able to identify a single point of contact at the school who “owns” the Ignite! Reading partnership and will coordinate the school-based components of programming, including identifying an ideal time and location for tutoring, support with data sharing, and the creation of systems to ensure programming runs with precision. Any adult at the school can be this point of contact — some schools have named assistant principals, whereas others have chosen a literacy coach or paraprofessional. In order for the partnership to succeed, the Ignite team must be able to communicate real-time student performance data and that data needs to be leveraged to inform Tier 3 programming at the school.

Some schools choose to enroll entire classes of students in Ignite, whereas other schools select individual students to participate based on previous assessment data. If a school opts to select specific students and the students need to leave their classroom in order to participate (rather than simply moving to the back of a classroom), an adult should be identified to escort students to and from tutoring, as well as to monitor and supervise students while they are working on their computers.

All tutoring is provided by trained and certified Ignite! Reading tutors. Each tutor participates in a nine-week Science of Reading Teaching Certification class and practicum to gain the experience and skills necessary to implement the curriculum and support students. Tutors stay with their students until they demonstrate reading mastery and graduate from the program. The Tutors of Ignite

Additionally, Ignite assigns each school a professional literacy specialist who shares student data monthly. These are full-time Ignite! Reading employees who have had previous careers as literacy specialists working within schools. Ignite! Reading literacy specialists analyze student data and ensure students are progressing at the expected pace. These literacy specialists also meet with school administrators once per month to share student data, such as attendance and progress data. These data show where each student is on the continuum of reading skills and their proficiency levels, as well as any behavioral issues that may need to be addressed to help support student learning. Schools receive comprehensive program reports, including detailed information on students who are showing signs of dyslexia.

The model requires that daily tutoring schedules are created and upheld. 

In order to make the program successful, school leaders must commit to clearly communicating the tutoring schedule of all participating students to their teachers and to holding teachers accountable for ensuring students are on time each day for their 15-minute sessions.

The number of participating students often depends on a school’s need and their available funding. Given that all students benefit from Ignite! Reading’s structured literacy approach, some schools will have entire classrooms or grade levels participate. Often, schools identify students who are behind in grade level reading and assign them to Ignite.

While scheduling is dependent upon the school, each school will need to provide the logistical and scheduling support to ensure students are logged into their sessions at the appropriate time, whether that’s a full class signing in, a group of students within a classroom signing in, or students leaving to a designated room to meet with their virtual tutor. 

Lastly, if students stay in the classroom to receive tutoring while other students are not in the tutoring program, Ignite recommends that schools use the portion of the literacy block where teachers are doing small group work and/or students are doing silent reading to minimize the noise in the room.

Quiet spaces must be identified for virtual tutoring sessions.

The location of tutoring is dependent upon who is enrolled in the tutoring program: either individually selected children or an entire classroom.

If only select students are enrolled in the Ignite! Reading model, they can either:

• Transition to a designated area for tutoring and return after the tutoring session ends.
• Stay in the classroom while receiving tutoring. This can be advantageous because it does not require extra staffing to monitor students during tutoring, there are no transition periods in/out of another room, and the teacher can visibly see the curricula and high-dosage tutoring in real-time.

In both scenarios, schools use a 15-minute portion of their day, usually during the literacy block, for students to meet with their virtual tutors. Thanks to the use of noise-minimizing headphones, students can stay in their classrooms even while each child interacts with their own tutor.

Ignite! Reading requires that students have access to appropriate technology that allows them to smoothly engage in virtual tutoring.

Students must have access to a computer, stable internet, and noise-minimizing headphones with a microphone in order to access their virtual tutoring session. Schools should be able to provide these resources to each participating student, though students can share equipment (assuming their tutoring sessions take place at different times). Ignite also offers headphones for school partners to purchase.