Hoosac Valley School District Awarded Literacy Tutoring Grant

 

CHESHIRE, Mass. The state selected the Hoosac Valley Regional School District as one of 272 school districts to receive free, high-dosage early literacy tutoring this school year, designed to help students in kindergarten through third grade build foundational reading skills — with Grade 1 as the top priority. 

 

High-dosage tutoring provides one-on-one or small-group tutoring sessions multiple times a week for at least 10 weeks. This program was created by Governor Maura Healey as part of her comprehensive strategy to improve literacy for all Massachusetts students and is funded through a $25 million investment in Fair Share dollars. 

 

"It's crucial for our teachers and schools to have access to the resources they need to support every young reader," said Governor Maura Healey. "This initiative will help bring high-dosage early literacy tutoring directly to students who need it most, giving them the foundational skills essential for long-term success. With the partnership of the Legislature, we are delivering schools the support they need to reach all their learners." 

 

Offered through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), this initiative will provide participating schools and districts with tutors at no cost to the school or student. The tutoring will offer flexible models — including in-person and virtual formats — designed to meet local needs during and after the school day. DESE has selected qualified tutoring providers to partner with schools and work with students across the state. First graders are prioritized as this is a crucial year to solidify early reading skills. 

 

This opportunity was open to all Massachusetts public schools and districts, with priority given to those demonstrating a clear need for ELA/literacy support and a commitment to evidence-based early literacy practices. School districts were required to show in their application that they use a high-quality early literacy model, which tutoring will strengthen. Tutoring will use student-centered approaches grounded in diagnostic data, evidence-based methods led by highly trained tutors, and flexible service models to meet the unique needs of each district and accelerate student learning. 

 

In addition to this new tutoring initiative, Governor Healey also created Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3 initiative. Literacy Launch provides educator training, curriculum support, and district grants, such as the Partnership for Reading Success – Massachusetts (PRISM) grant awarded earlier this year to 15 school districts. This spring, the administration opened applications for additional school districts to apply for $5.5 million to help implement high-quality early literacy instructional materials that will be awarded soon.