Augustine Literacy Project-Charlotte

TO IMPROVE THE READING, WRITING AND SPELLING SKILLS OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WHO STRUGGLE WITH LITERACY BY PROVIDING FREE, LONG-TERM ONE-ON-ONE INSTRUCTION FROM HIGHLY TRAINED VOLUNTEER TUTORS.

AUGUSTINE LITERACY PROJECT - CHARLOTTE (ALP) WAS ORIGINALLY FOUNDED IN 2005 AS A MISSION OF ST. PETERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND BECAME A SEPARATE AND INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION IN 2018. FOLLOWING OUR MISSION, WE IMPROVE THE READING, WRITING AND SPELLING SKILLS OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS SIGNIFICANTLY BEHIND GRADE LEVEL IN LITERACY SKILLS. WE TRAIN AND SUPPORT VOLUNTEER TUTORS WHO PROVIDE FREE, LONG-TERM, ONE-TO-ONE INSTRUCTION TO STUDENTS USING A RESEARCH-BASED PHONICS CURRICULUM. OUR VOLUNTEERS TUTOR PRIMARILY IN CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, WORKING WITH FIRST- THROUGH THIRD-GRADERS AT TITLE I SCHOOLS. VOLUNTEER TUTORS RECEIVE 20+ HOURS OF TRAINING, AND EACH TUTOR PROVIDES ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING TWO TIMES PER WEEK TO A CHILD DURING THE SCHOOL DAY OR IN AN AFTER-SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM. OUR LONG-TERM, ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING APPROACH PROVIDES BENEFITS TO BOTH THE CHILDREN AND THE TUTORS: TUTOR ONE CHILD, CHANGE TWO LIVES.IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE OUR ABILITY TO CONNECT VOLUNTEERS AND STUDENTS, ALP OFFERS BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL MODE TO DELIVER OUR LESSON PLAN. AS CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG SCHOOLS, OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR OTHER PARTNERS RISE TO MEET THE CHALLENGE OF A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF FIRST THROUGH THIRD GRADE STUDENTS TESTING SIGNIFICANTLY BEHIND IN READING SKILLS, WE CONTINUE TO OFFER VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING AS A WAY TO MAXIMIZE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS SERVED. OUR 2021-2022 RESULTS INCLUDE OVER 8,000 TUTORING SESSIONS, AROUND 20% OF WHICH WERE CONDUCTED USING THE VIRTUAL METHOD; 228 STUDENTS RECEIVED TUTORING. 94% OF STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED TUTORING IMPROVED IN LETTER/SOUND CORRESPONDENCE, WORD ATTACK AND SPELLING SKILLS. AVERAGE IMPROVEMENT, FOR STUDENTS WITH PRE AND POST ASSESSMENT, IN WORD DECODING IS 1.2 GRADES AND SPELLING IS 1.3 GRADES.