North Carolina Lawmakers Approve Additional Investments in PreK–3 Literacy Intervention and Tutoring
Officials at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction have access to various funding sources aimed at literacy intervention and tutoring. The North Carolina General Assembly has allocated $7 million from the At-Risk Student Services Program to improve academic outcomes for at-risk students. These funds may be utilized for preK–3 literacy intervention and tutoring. The funding requirements include:
- Use of a science of reading, evidence-based model with a proven track record of success
- Inclusion of rigorous, quantitative performance measures to confirm efficacy of the program
- Deployment of multiple tiered supports in schools to address student barriers to achievement
- Alignment with state performance measures, student academic goals, and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study
- Prioritization of literacy development
- Expansion of student access to high-quality learning activities and academic support that strengthen student engagement
Ongoing Literacy Intervention
In addition to the allocated funding, the Excellent Public Schools Act funding supports reading intervention for kindergarten through third grade students, as required by North Carolina General Statute and Session law. The funds are also used to support science of reading professional development for preK- and K–5-eligible public school teachers.
All preK and K–5 teachers have undergone or are currently receiving LETRS® literacy professional development training. Each public school receives $165 for every state-funded teacher who participates in facilitated LETRS training.
For third grade students who have been retained twice, funding may be used for supplemental tutoring in evidence-based services outside of the instructional day.
Digital Learning Initiative (DLI) Grants
These competitive grants are now open for the 2025–2026 school year. Designed to support North Carolina public school educators in implementing digital teaching and learning practices. Funding is available up to $95,000 annually for traditional public schools and up to $30,000 annually for charter, regional, and lab schools.
The grants prioritize learning competencies and standards through:
- Blended learning
- Coaching
- Data-informed instructional practices
- Personalized learning
All preK and K–3 teachers who have been trained in LETRS literacy professional development will find support for their instructional, intervention, and tutoring strategies in these solutions from Voyager Sopris Learning®.
Sound Partners is an evidence-based supplementary tutoring program designed to enhance early reading skills. Through individualized instruction, Sound Partners emphasizes phonemic and alphabetic skills, phonemic decoding, and assisted oral reading practice with decodable texts. It provides intervention for students in grades 2–3 and also benefits students in grades K–1 as they learn to read.
Sound Partners meets the criteria for the “Strong” category for “Solid Outcomes” of Evidence for ESSA. Follow-up studies found that positive effects on word reading and comprehension skills were maintained two years later. Many independent evaluations of the program’s research base also have confirmed its efficacy.
Power Readers and Supercharged Readers, mentioned in LETRS, are specially designed K–4 books that contain a controlled set of words and phonetically regular patterns. These books align with phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension instruction, allowing emerging readers to use the foundational reading skills they have been taught. Science of reading research confirms students need practice reading text with phonics patterns they have been explicitly taught and that follow a Scope and Sequence with decoding skill instruction.
Voyager Passport® is approved as an intervention program for phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Voyager Passport is a research-proven intervention for grades K–5. Through a blended, teacher-led format, students receive explicit and systematic instruction in the five essential components of reading, plus language and writing. Voyager Passport accelerates student literacy achievement by targeting critical skills and providing strategies learners need to become fluent, on-level readers. It can be used for students in Tier 2 and Tier 3.
Reinforce the professional learning of your LETRS-trained teachers by supporting their instruction with science of reading-based literacy products.
