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Ohio ELA Program ('23-24)

Future Forward Ohio (1)

High-dosage tutoring has proven to be one of the most effective strategies for accelerating student learning and addressing unfinished instruction, particularly in foundational literacy skills.

Ohio Department of Education & Workforce
Future Forward Ohio Priorities

  • Students receiving 40-50 hours of tutoring achieved an average of 17.8 months of reading growth, far exceeding typical annual progress.

  • Each hour of tutoring yielded an average of 0.41 months of reading growth, demonstrating high efficiency in literacy acceleration.

  • 89.5% average student attendance, with 95% meeting or exceeding the 70% attendance benchmark.

  • 92.6% of student survey responses were positive, indicating strong confidence in tutors, collaborative learning, and perseverance.

Why a Separate ELA Case Study?

While the Ohio Statewide Program Case Study highlights math and ELA recovery efforts, further examination revealed that early literacy outcomes warranted a more in-depth review. Foundational reading skills are essential for long-term academic success, and the data demonstrated notable gains in phonics, fluency, and comprehension, particularly among early learners in grades K-5.

This case study highlights key insights into literacy instruction that might be overlooked in the broader Ohio program analysis. Unlike literacy instruction for older students, foundational literacy development requires systematic instruction in areas such as phonemic awareness, decoding, and fluency.

Because reading is fundamental to learning, understanding the successes of this literacy program has far-reaching implications beyond reading itself. Strong reading skills improve student performance across subjects, making early intervention in foundational reading a critical investment in overall academic achievement.

Addressing Foundational Literacy Gaps in Ohio

The Future Forward Ohio initiative was launched to combat pandemic-related learning disruptions, particularly in literacy. As a High-Quality Tutoring (HQT) provider, Cignition implemented a structured, research-backed approach designed to help young learners close critical gaps in reading skills.

This initiative emphasized personalized small-group instruction rather than a one-size-fits-all model. With a 4:1 student-tutor ratio, students were grouped based on diagnostic assessments, ensuring instruction was precisely targeted to their skill level. Sessions followed a progressive structure, beginning with phonemic awareness and decoding before advancing to fluency and comprehension.

Beyond the instructional model, consistency played a critical role. By maintaining a regular tutoring schedule, students reinforced learning and reduced regression between sessions. Schools implementing this data-driven, adaptive approach reported more substantial reading outcomes and increased student confidence. Many students who had previously struggled with reading became more engaged in class discussions, attempted more complex texts, and applied decoding strategies independently—demonstrating the lasting impact of structured intervention.

Measurable Literacy Growth

Cignition’s high-dosage tutoring model provided students with structured literacy instruction that significantly improved reading proficiency. Students who received 40-50 hours of tutoring demonstrated an average of 17.8 months of reading growth, far exceeding expected yearly progress.

The significant reading growth observed in students can be partly attributed to the comprehensive approach of Phonics Hero, a research-based synthetic phonics program. This program not only emphasizes explicit instruction in letter-sound relationships but also integrates skills such as blending sounds to read words, spelling, and reading sentences. Additionally, students reinforced their phonics skills using Cignition's decodable readers, which are carefully crafted texts that align with the phonics skills children are learning, allowing them to apply their knowledge in context and build reading fluency.

Ohio ELA Program (2023 - 24) | Chart 1 | FY25
Even students with fewer contact hours showed measurable progress, with every 2.5 tutoring hours translating into approximately one month of reading growth. The structured instructional model played a key role in this success. By progressing from phonemic awareness to fluency, students internalized reading strategies that strengthened comprehension. Mastery checks embedded within tutoring sessions provided real-time feedback, allowing for instructional adjustments tailored to each student’s needs.

Attendance was also a significant factor in student success. The program maintained an 89.5% average student attendance rate, with 95% meeting or exceeding the 70% attendance benchmark. Students who attended 90% or more of their scheduled sessions exhibited the strongest fluency and comprehension gains.
Ohio ELA Program (2023 - 24) | Chart 2 | FY25
In addition to academic progress, qualitative feedback from educators highlighted increased student confidence in literacy skills. Many students who had previously been hesitant to read aloud or engage with complex texts demonstrated a greater willingness to take risks in reading and discussion activities. This shift in mindset—where students felt empowered rather than discouraged by literacy challenges—was a direct outcome of consistent, structured, and personalized instruction.

By emphasizing high-impact strategies—personalized small-group instruction, real-time data tracking, and structured progression in literacy skills—Cignition’s program helped students significantly improve their reading ability and confidence as learners.

Phonics-Based Instruction and Fluency Gains

A structured phonics-based approach ensured students developed foundational literacy skills in a logical, reinforced sequence. Instruction was scaffolded, beginning with phonemic awareness and decoding before progressing to fluency and comprehension.

Each student started with a baseline mastery check to determine their instructional level. From there, sessions combined explicit phonics instruction, guided fluency exercises, and comprehension tasks, helping students bridge the gap between decoding skills and real-world reading fluency.

Ohio ELA Program (2023 - 24) | Chart 3 | FY25
Students who entered the program with below-grade-level literacy skills made some of the most significant gains, reinforcing the value of high-frequency, structured tutoring in accelerating reading progress. Teachers also noted a positive shift in student confidence, with many learners showing a greater willingness to tackle new texts independently and persist through reading challenges.

Sustaining Literacy Growth Beyond 2024

While the 2023-2024 program demonstrated remarkable gains, sustaining and expanding this progress requires a continued commitment to research-backed literacy instruction.

Students who started tutoring earlier in the school year and maintained consistent attendance showed the strongest cumulative literacy growth.

Future iterations of the program can build on these successes by:

  • Expanding access to high-dosage tutoring to provide foundational literacy support to more students.
  • Enhancing progress monitoring to refine instruction based on real-time student data.
  • Strengthening engagement strategies to sustain attendance and participation, maximizing literacy gains.

The foundation laid by this initiative positions Ohio to continue closing literacy gaps and accelerating student learning in the years ahead. By keeping structured, data-driven literacy instruction at the core of early education, schools can ensure that students don’t just catch up—they thrive as confident, capable readers.

Download the complete data summary below for a deeper dive into the full program results, including district-level outcomes and additional student performance insights.

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