Sound Partners
Program basics
- Phonics-based tutoring program for students grades K–3 with below-average reading skills
- Designed to be used by tutors without professional training, consists of scripted lessons in phonics skills
- Can be provided as in-school or after-school programming, as well as home instruction
Strength of evidence
Evidence level: Strong (second-highest tier)
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Strong (second-highest tier)
Ranked as having the second-highest level of evidence by the U.S. Department of Education What Works Clearinghouse
Target population
Elementary school-aged children
Program cost
Approximately $240 for a full set of program materials
Implementation locations
- Seattle, WA
Dates active
Not available
Outcomes and impact
- Demonstrated positive impacts on alphabetics, fluency, and comprehension
- Improved alphabetics by an average of 21 percentile points
- Improved fluency by an average of 19 percentile points
- Improved comprehension by 21 percentile points
Keys to successful implementation
- Schedule a specific time teach day for tutoring appointments.
- Holding Sound Partners sessions every day helps build stronger relationships between tutors and students, helping achieve better outcomes.
- Design feedback loops to help tutors, who often have limited professional training, to adhere as closely as possible to the program model.
- Keep tutor schedules flexible to accommodate student after school activities or other obligations.
