The Louisiana Department of Education announced the start of the Steve Carter Literacy Tutoring Program on Wednesday.  This program is a $40 million investment by the LDOE.

The Steve Carter Literacy Tutoring Program program will provide families with $1,000 tutoring vouchers to address Louisiana’s literacy crisis. Thousands of eligible kindergarten through fifth-graders will have access to state-approved, high-quality tutors.

This program is named after the late Baton Rouge State Rep. Steve Carter. To honor the work Carter did to combat the literacy gap, La. State Reps. Jason Hughes and Scott McKnight worked together to spearhead the program.

“We were both very close to Rep. Carter, and this is something that he was a major champion of,” said McKnight. “So it only seemed right, after I got elected, that he and I teamed up and took this on.”

“One of the greatest tributes that we could make to him was to get this over the finish line,” said Hughes. “He was so passionate about doing this for our children and getting them on grade level.”

“This is a great step towards assisting these families and these children that are not reading on grade level,” said McKnight

Dr. Jenna Chiasson, LDOE deputy superintendent, believes that tutoring is a paramount step in addressing the literacy crisis. “Tutoring is a research-based strategy to address unfinished learning,” she said. “When it comes to foundational literacy skills, children need targeted intervention.”

She continued by explaining that one-on-one or small group tutoring sessions will be efficient. “The most impactful intervention can occur when a student’s unique needs are identified and instruction is tailored to meet whatever gaps may exist in student learning,” she said. “One-on-one or small group tutoring provides students with individualized attention they need to diagnose needs and for skilled tutors to fill those gaps in student learning through intentional tutoring sessions based on the science of reading.”

The vouchers will cover 25 individual sessions, or approximately 35 small-group sessions.

The LDOE approved tutors are certified elementary or reading teachers, or have a degree in English, Education or another subject indicative of expertise in reading and literacy, according to Chiasson.

Parents will have the opportunity to select their child’s tutor from the list of available tutors. Depending on the student’s location, online and face-to-face tutoring opportunities will be available. Multi-lingual tutors will be available for students.

The Louisiana state education superintendent believes this is the next stride towards closing the literacy gap in Louisiana. “It adds an additional tool into our toolbox to solve the literacy crisis we’re facing in the state of Louisiana,” he said. “It empowers parents to be able to make decisions in the best interest of their child, as they’ll control their own vouchers.”

“I think those key elements are really important.”

To be eligible, students must be in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. For students from kindergarten through third grade, they must score below proficient on their beginning of year screener to be eligible for a voucher. Fourth and fifth graders that scored Below Mastery in ELA on their spring 2022 LEAP assessment will also be eligible for vouchers.

Chiasson stated that schools are currently in the process of identifying eligible students. “Eligible families can expect communication from their school system about the program and how to access the user platform.”

Once registration is opened, parents will use the online portal www.louisianatutoringinititive.com to register, browse available tutors and manage their voucher.

Registration is anticipated to open before the end of 2022. For more information, email LouisianaLiteracy@la.gov.