Program Description
Passport to Literacy is a reading intervention intended for K-5 students reading below grade level. In the study that validated the program, the intervention was provided by paraprofessionals with at least B.A. degrees daily in small groups of 4-7 students for 30 minutes, throughout the school year. Passport to Literacy employs explicit instruction and strategies for reasoning in foundational reading skills such as decoding and word reading, as well as reading comprehension and vocabulary. Semi-scripted lessons are used sequentially to help students gain missing foundational reading skills and build strategies for comprehending text.
Program Outcomes
One randomized control trial that took place with fourth graders in 16 public schools across multiple districts found that in comparison to students receiving typical services provided by the school, students using Passport to Literacy gained significantly more on GMRT Reading Comprehension (effect size = + 0.28) and Woodcock Johnson Passage Comprehension (effect size = +0.19). The average effect size across all measures was +0.15. This qualifies Passport to Literacy for the ESSA “Strong” category.
Staffing Requirements
Reading instruction is provided by trained interventionists in small groups of 4-7 students. In the validating study, the interventionists were paraprofessionals with at least B.A. degrees.
Professional Development/Training
In the validation study, interventionists received 8 hours of training over 2 days.