Many students struggle with phonemic awareness, decoding multisyllabic words, reading fluency, and comprehension—challenges that compound as texts become more complex in upper grades. Some students also have difficulty with vocabulary development or connecting what they read to prior knowledge. With Baton Rouge's diverse student population across 121 schools and 25 school districts, reading needs vary widely, which is why personalized assessment and intervention are so valuable for identifying exactly where a student needs support.

The first session typically includes a reading assessment to identify your student's specific strengths and areas of need—whether that's phonics, sight words, fluency, or comprehension strategies. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who use this information to design a personalized intervention plan tailored to your student's learning style and goals. You'll also discuss your student's reading history and any concerns to ensure the tutoring approach aligns with their needs.

Many students show measurable progress in fluency and decoding within 4-8 weeks of consistent, targeted intervention, though the timeline depends on the severity of the reading difficulty and frequency of sessions. Comprehension improvements often follow once foundational skills strengthen. Regular progress monitoring helps tutors adjust strategies as needed, ensuring your student continues advancing toward grade-level reading proficiency.

Seek tutors with training in evidence-based reading intervention frameworks like Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Reading System, or Structured Literacy approaches, along with understanding of the science of reading. Ideally, they have experience assessing reading difficulties and designing intervention plans. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who bring specialized knowledge in reading intervention and can explain their approach clearly to both you and your student.

Strong reading intervention addresses both decoding and comprehension, since fluent decoding frees up mental resources for understanding. Tutors teach comprehension strategies like predicting, summarizing, asking questions, and making connections to text. Once foundational skills like fluency and word recognition improve, students can focus on deeper understanding and critical thinking about what they read.

Classroom teachers work with 20+ students at varying reading levels, making it difficult to provide intensive, targeted support for struggling readers—especially with Baton Rouge's average student-teacher ratio of 22.4:1. Personalized 1-on-1 instruction allows tutors to focus entirely on your student's specific reading gaps, adjust pacing and strategies in real-time, and provide immediate feedback. This individualized approach addresses the root causes of reading difficulty much more effectively than whole-class instruction.

Start by reaching out to Varsity Tutors with information about your student's reading challenges and goals. You'll be matched with an expert tutor who specializes in reading intervention and understands your student's needs. From there, your tutor will conduct an initial assessment, develop a personalized intervention plan, and begin sessions—all designed to help your student build confidence and reading skills.